What does the silver arm do that I've circled in red?
If it's not possible to separate the back into 2 identifiable pieces in order to remove and rotate the frame 90° then rotation may still be a possibility...
Without wishing to insult your intelligence, my newer model rotating 4x5 Toyo back looks ominously like yours...
And my feeling tells me, if it doesn't have a rotation mechanism, then why have a circle on the inside rather than just a square for removal and replace?
I have not been able to work that out! Clearly it has some function; I originally assume it was either a locking lever or a lever for separating parts of the film back, either for rotation or removing the glass and fresnel screen. Also, it's about the only part of the back that looks as if it operates something, if you don't count the button that opens the hood. But although it folds out to about 90 degrees, I haven't been able to make anything happen with it yet.Originally Posted by MartyNL
I don't have manuals for any of my large format related stuff: the lenses, the camera, the tripod. In the medium format, SLR, and digital photography world, I have been able to just sit down and work through the manual, and usually everything's explained. LF just seems like an entirely different world, and I've been clueless about all of it. In my defence, I'm a little reluctant to assume what I don't know, and also to use force where it might result in damage. So sometimes, knowing just how hard to press or pull on something to get it to work is difficult. The combination of aged materials and parts that might have seized over time could also have changed the equation from when the gear was new.
There are manuals out there as you say. Here is a screenshot from one from Buktus.
Excellent. Thank you!
The description for the film back is brief: I haven't got it to work with mine yet, but I'll take a close look tomorrow.
Finally! Got it to move to portrait. It's not very easy at the moment, but maybe it just needs to be worked a few times and it'll get easier. Hope so. Thanks for putting me on the right path. I appreciate it.
A quick update.
I haven't got fully into the swing of large format yet: I shot, home-developed and home-printed some sheets of Shanghai 4x5. I've held off in the peak summer months because developing in the high temperatures doesn't appeal. High water temperatures in this house, and I don't want to mess about with ice cubes trying to regulate the temperature. Not this year anyway, so I'll wait until September.
I was quite pleased (within the limits of my photographic skills) with the results I did get. The overall process of taking a photograph with a view camera is wholly new to me and enjoyable. I'm doing this indoors and have no interest in human subjects, so there's no pressure to speed things along. I have to eliminate issues one by one, because I haven't isolated which ones involve shortcomings in my dust elimination efforts, film-loading process, processing technique including film washing and drying, and even the camera-scanning, as I guess I could be introducing dust there as well.
I used the taco processing method in a 2-reel Paterson tank, so I think there's room for improvement there (some scratching in corners). It's a handy way to test out 4x5 developing, but I'll probably replace it with a Stearman Press 4x5 tank, both to reduce chemicals and to use a less makeshift system. I don't really want to go to an even bigger Paterson.
I bought and installed an ePhoto bellows. I'll have to redo light testing after setting the camera aside for a month, just to be sure I got it all glued down correctly. Although ePhoto quoted and confirmed outer dimensions of 153 mm for their "150 mm" bellows, I measured what they sent and it was actually 150, so my concerns about it being slightly too large to fit within the guides on the frame were unfounded.
Thanks to help from a couple of Japan-based members, I sent two lenses off to Toyo Camera Service for repair, and those have come back now. Shutter action is looking good, and I hope to shoot some film in September with them. I'm looking forward to getting started.
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