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  #21  
Old 25th February 2013, 05:46 PM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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I don't think the most difficult part of building a large format camera is getting hold of the wood, or building the bellow as has been suggested.
Building the camera is the hard bit. Moving parts have to move smoothly. The film and lens planes have to be accurately aligned so they can be locked parallel to each other in the vertical and the horizontal plane. The light wooden framework has to be well made so it remains rigid in use. All this requires a fair degree of craftsmanship, and quite a few tools.
Grain orientation is important to minimise wood movement, and requires some understanding.

All this is the kind of thing that someone with experience of accurately making things will take in their stride. But it can be a big leap for someone who hasn't done much woodwork.

Nevertheless I would say to anyone in this position who is keen to have a go - get stuck in, but think carefully about the design before you start. Some designs are more complex, and therefore pose more problems, than others.
The folding field camera is a complex design, with lots of moving parts, and may not be a good choice for a first attempt.
Non-folding designs are more rigid, and definitely easier to build. They may be more bulky to transport, but can weigh less.
How many movements do you need? The fewer you opt for the easier the camera will be to build. Etc. etc.These are the things that need thinking through before you start worrying about where to get the wood from.

Alan
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  #22  
Old 18th December 2016, 01:21 AM
LukeS LukeS is offline
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This seems like a really good project! Does anyone still have the plans? I am sure I will have everything (except a lens with shutter, bellows material and a film back) to undertake this project and seems a good thing to spend time on over the next few weeks. I will just have to save loads of money for the film then!

Thanks,

Luke
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  #23  
Old 18th December 2016, 11:32 AM
Alan Clark Alan Clark is offline
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Hi Luke,
I have found that photography with a 5x4 camera is no more expensive than with a 35mm or medium format camera, because, on a typical day out, I take far fewer pictures with large format. I might get through one or two rolls of 35mm or 120 film in a day out, at a cost of about four to eight pounds. But I would be lucky to expose more than eight sheets of film. Ilford sheet film is expensive stuff. But Foma 5x4 film works out at about 60 pence a sheet, so a day's worth of sheet film usually costs me about a fiver. Occasionally I might go mad and take 12 photographs, but this still only costs just over seven pounds.

Alan
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  #24  
Old 18th December 2016, 11:48 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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Well the original link is dead however Jon Grepstad has a new website now.

I built a 6x7 field camera in September, essentially it's the prototype for a 5x4/6x17 camera I plan to build in the Spring.

Ian
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  #25  
Old 19th December 2016, 12:42 PM
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GoodOldNorm GoodOldNorm is offline
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Mahogany can be sourced for free, go to any window fitting factory they will have loads of mahogany front doors in their skips, some pine windows also have mahogany cills. I did toy with making a 4x5 camera once, by using two metal frames mounted on a pair of small ball joint tripod heads for the tilt/swing. These would be mounted on a macro focusing rail for the focusing. As ever finding spare time to make a camera is impossible at the moment. It must be very satisfiying to take photographs with a camera you have restored, customised or made from scratch.
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  #26  
Old 19th December 2016, 07:41 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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My 6x7 camera was very cheap to make, less that £5 in mahogany and brass parts, OK I used the track-bed from a Quarter plate Speed Graphic and the front standard off a 5x4 Speed or Crown Graphic but they'd come in a large box of Graflex parts from Paris which were cheap.

Overall definitely under £20, excluding lenses and lens boards which I had anyway for my 5x5, Super Graphic, and Speed/Crown Graphics. My 5x4/6x17 camera will use essentially the same parts (there was a second set).

A lot of it is being savvy, my 5x4/6x17 camera will use a Super Graphic front standard on a Quarter plate Speed Grapic track bed (rails) that allows far better movements compared to a Speed Graphic. All the Gurus on Graflex.org say it can't possibly be done but it can with a bit of grinding, I've already done it .

However I plan a further step to allow the use of Linhof/Wista lens boards, my best set of lenses are mounted on them, Relatively easy I've been able to mount Linhof/Wista boards on my MPP's

Ian
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  #27  
Old 21st December 2016, 05:33 PM
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photomi7ch photomi7ch is offline
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The only material not mentioned is ply. It is a far better than MDF and some woods as it is very stable.
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  #28  
Old 22nd December 2016, 01:18 AM
LukeS LukeS is offline
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Thanks for the advice everyone I have all ready had a go and making bellows, currently out of card but now understand how to make proper bellows and will be starting this next project sometime after Christmas. And then I need to buy a lens, which I can't find at the right price with a shutter at the minute so it may be sat for a while after completion anyway
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  #29  
Old 22nd December 2016, 09:24 AM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by photomi7ch View Post
The only material not mentioned is ply. It is a far better than MDF and some woods as it is very stable.
I tend to use ply for lens boards because of its stability then face them with Mahogany, but like all woods there's different grades of plywood as well.

The problem with MDF is knowing what grade you're buying, particularly when buying by mail order, the last I bought was quite soft so I haven't used it.

Ian
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  #30  
Old 24th December 2016, 04:38 PM
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Steve Smith Steve Smith is offline
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If you're interested, here is my bellows making method.

http://stevesmithphoto.webs.com/bellows.html


Steve.
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