Interested in Making my own point and shoot 4x5

[jp]

Echoing others here, I'd suggest a speed/crown graphic as an original point and shoot, but perhaps with a 90mm if convenience is a factor. Speed graphics are definitely convenient.

At some point of wideness, you need to drop the bed out of the way to keep it out of the picture. I had a 75mm Nikkor for a while but didn't test it on the speed graphic, so I don't know if that's too wide so I can't guarantee that combination. Perhaps someone else knows. I use a 90/4.5 Nikkor on my speed graphics with great success. No need to drop the bed. This is with pre and postwar speed graphics. If I used a physically smaller lens like a 90/6.8 optar, I could fold it right up into the box too when you are not shooting. The bed makes a nice sun shade if you are shooting handheld. Use the camera upside down if the sun/rain is coming down from above. If you are shooting vertical, orient the bed to block a low sun angle.

The speed graphics with the metal pop-up hoods are especially handy for point and shoot use as the hood makes it easy to pre-focus on the groundglass without a dark-cloth. The cloth-sided hoods on WWII and earlier ones are better than nothing, but not as nice as the fully metal viewing hoods.

[rdenney]

I have a DaYi 4x5, the one that uses a horseman back.

Thanks for the report. For such a camera, it would have to be cheap to attract me.

I can think of ways to fix the issues you mentioned that would require a lot less machine work than making a similar camera from scratch, and your notations of the weak elements are helpful in that thinking.

The occlusion problem is harder, making me thing this really is a fake Cambo Wide--designed for short lenses only. That would be my application (I have a 65/8 Super Angulon that would be fun on this camera, and I have a 6x12 back I might use most of the time, so the lens coverage would be a bit less marginal.

I have mulled over what might be done to turn the rear standard of a Cambo SC into a fake Cambo Wide, simply because I already have the SC (superseded by a Sinar). I'm wondering if I could turn a recessed board around, mount one of those cheap helicals on it, and then an appropriate lens, adjusting the mounting of the helical on the board. On an SC, the board mounts the same way as the bellows, so putting a lens board on the bellows side of a rear standard is easy. The recess, being reversed, would act as a cone. It would not have shift, and adding that would require some precision work. But with the addition of a handle, it would be all-metal and pretty durable, in addition to being flexible and modular. I have a feeling my thinking is a repeat of more sophisticated thinking that led to the Cambo Wide in the first place.

I need to move that thinking into the three-dimensional world, but it's not that high on the priority list, and I haven't even had much time actually at home to make photographs.

Rick "who would probably miss the shift capability" Denney

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Say, what is the optimal point-and-shoot hyperfocal distance for a 75mm at f/16, anyway? A 90mm?

[johnielvis]

ANyways--if you MUST build yourself-start simple and THEN complicate things when you need to...the last camera i built (2 mos ago) is a p&S made from a cardboard box and a back--the most important part is the back--find yourself a graflock back with the gg to calibrate it...start off with fixed focus--not helical and play around with that first....the cardboard one I made I'm using right now--no helical--fixed focus works very well when it works and fails miserably when you get the distance wrong--which is VERY easy with long lenses...that's the way of P&S shooting...when you get the focus it's magnifique...when you dont' it sucks...it's a numbers/gambling game that you get better at as you work with your machine---I started at about 1or2 out of 10 being good.....now I'm like 50/50....good as in "what's in focus on the pic is what I wanted in focus".....content....hey....that's another story entirely..."technically good" is what I meant.

[minesix66]

Thanks for the help guys,looking at speed graphics right now. Someone just bought a sinar back off of ebay I was eyeing for $100 US. I was also contemplating buying a wista or toyo back. someone did mention to me that I could drop the bed on the graphics for my 75mm.

[BetterSense]

I use a 90/4.5 Nikkor on my speed graphics with great success. No need to drop the bed. This is with pre and postwar speed graphics.

Interesting. I have a Pacemaker speed graphic and with a 90/6.8 angulon I definitely have to drop the bed, or else the rails show up in the picture and I have to crop off 6-10mm.

[jp]

Interesting. I have a Pacemaker speed graphic and with a 90/6.8 angulon I definitely have to drop the bed, or else the rails show up in the picture and I have to crop off 6-10mm.

The big 90's like the Nikkor have the monster front element that sticks out a couple inches. The little ones like yours are probably recessed. That couple inches makes the difference I'm sure.