Some thoughts on the design of a lightweight 4x5

[Neil Barnes]

Origami!

A test that I got the dimensions and geometry right for bellows. It's not as simple as it looks...

Neil

[banana_legs]

Neil,

Looking good. I find the paper mock-up of the bellows is often harder to fold than the cloth ones; I think the stiffeners between the cloth layers really help to 'tell' the folds where to go.

I have had good success with painting the inside of the curtain fabric black and have made a number of bag-bellows with just a single layer of fabric that is painted on the inside; I paint the light-proof coating and have the woven part on the outside for strength but I assume you will put the light-proof coating on the inside of the bellows sandwich; the coating is more delicate than it appears and I always try to remember to cut my fingernails before using the bag bellows

The velcro idea sounds very interesting; I use it for holding on film holders and have also used it as a light-trap material when making film holders. I cut a thin MDF frame for the ends of my bellows and stick the bellows to the frame with contact adhesive. I then have a small rebate on the cameras standard to sit the frame in, often with a felt covering on the mating surfaces to aid light proofing. The bellow frames do add weight though so on the 4x5 I posted previously, the bellows were glued in permanently.

Best regards,

Evan

[Neil Barnes]

Yes, I have the blackout on the inside, then the paper shapers (my word it's a pain cutting them out - 88 pieces and different shapes), then the outer cover. I have three sides complete on the fabric bellows, with the glue that's holding the final seam currently setting. Then the remaining shapers and the final covers.

I used iron-on 'no stitch hem' stuff to fasten the shapers on - worked really well - and fabric adhesive for the outer skin.

Neil

[Neil Barnes]

That's the fabric bellows put together. Now I'm happy I can make bellows I can go ahead with the camera itself - though I suspect that future versions may use a commercial bellows; these have come out a bit heavy at 105 grams and it's taken a couple of days to make them.

Tiny bulldog clips are very useful to hold the pleats while folding it, and currently Paul Hasluck's 'Photography' is being, per the title, applied to hold the creases in.

Neil

[banana_legs]

Sweet! I really like the colour.

For the 6cmx9cm camera and also on my 5"x7", I made the bellows out of 2 layers of black craft paper. I figured that if it is raining, the light is not good enough to take photographs in anyway (I often use paper negs of ASA 6) so paper bellows should be viable. As they are reasonably quick to make, if they do develop too many pinholes, then I just make another set. After a month in France and over 100 frames taken, the 6x9 did develop a few small pinholes that I fixed with a dab of black silicone sealant (instant gasket for engines). I reckon I will probably need to make a new set of bellows each year for it, however I am planning to make them a little longer next time to allow better macro shots with some of my longer lenses. My paper 5x7 bellows are 132g (which includes a 3mm MDF frame at the front standard and 6mm thick MDF frame for the rear) and have a maximum working extension of 450mm. In contrast my removable 5x4 cloth bellows weigh 180g and have 3mm thick frames front and back and extend to 350mm. The 6x9 bellows (fitted to the camera in the post above) have 3mm frames, extend to 170mm and weigh 28g.

The bulldog clips are a really good idea; it looks like a trip to the stationary cupboard may be in order!


Best regards,

Evan

[Thingy]

It seems odd to be seeking to reduce the weight of the camera but mounting it on a heavy Benbo tripod. Am I missing something?

[banana_legs]

Well spotted about the tripod. The image I posted was one of the few I had to hand of the camera in a landscape orientation; it just happened to be a low-level set-up at home where the Uniloc tripod was ideal. I have a Manfrotto 785B with a modified centre column (decent ball head added) that I use most often and is a compromise between weight, pack size and stability (tripod+head is 1.4kg and 42cm long). One day I may be able to afford a decent carbon fibre tripod. For the 6x9 camera, I often use a small pocket tripod (120g); not quite one of the bendy-leg versions that you get with a webcam, but not far off!

Best regards,

Evan

[Neil Barnes]

My Manfrotto 055B - of long service - is 2.4kg without a head (as I normally use it with LF) and the camera (an MPP Press) is 2.8kg - I haven't included slides and such since that is constant irrespective of camera.

The carbon fibre version of the 055 is still 1.7kg - and the three-way head is another 1.4kg, which is why it usually stays at home.

A half-kilo camera looks *very* attractive, even at 2 kilos it's as good as buying a carbon tripod!

Neil (currently registering my company with Misumi.com so I can buy all sorts of useful bits and bobs - they only deal if you're vat registered!)

[Thingy]

My Manfrotto 055B - of long service - is 2.4kg without a head (as I normally use it with LF) and the camera (an MPP Press) is 2.8kg - I haven't included slides and such since that is constant irrespective of camera.

The carbon fibre version of the 055 is still 1.7kg - and the three-way head is another 1.4kg, which is why it usually stays at home.

A half-kilo camera looks *very* attractive, even at 2 kilos it's as good as buying a carbon tripod!

Neil (currently registering my company with Misumi.com so I can buy all sorts of useful bits and bobs - they only deal if you're vat registered!)

I use the Gitzo GT3541 (at 2.12Kg for work in very windy weather) which can support up to 18Kg and my much more portable GT2541 which can support 12Kg for all other work. The GT2541 weighs in at 1.36Kg.

[Emmanuel Bigler]

Hello from France !

I'm coming late to this discussion about home-made lightweight LF cameras, and I'm an unconditional supporter of all who make their own LF camera.

Just for the pleasure of dreaming about lightweight LF cameras of the past, look at this French folding model for the 9x12 format, manufacturer is Mendel, France, about 1890.

http://www.awf-annuaire.com/wallpaper-appareils-photos-1230-1-mendel-d-chambre-a-joues-9x12-collection-ami-8127.html

The French terminology for this kind of camera is "chambre à joues" which would probably sound very funny translated word-to-word into English : a camera with cheekes (tongue-in-cheeke, of course)

Other models of this kind of lightweight cameras were manufactured by Jonte in France.
I recently acquired a couple of 13x18 (cm) modern cut film holders, and I am tantalised by fabricating such a lightweight folding wooden camera "with cheekes" for the 13x18 format .
Lartigue used a lightweight 13x18 camera hand-held to capture sports events before Wolrd War I ...
It is not unconcievable to add some shift capability to this kind of camera, or at least a fixed pre-set shift like in the LInhof Technorama 6x12.

[Neil Barnes]

Hi Emmanuel,

I love those early designs. As you say, an easy model to make and no problems to make it have some vertical shift... and come to think of it, vertical shift is the commonest thing I do!

Also, the nice big holes, in Colin Chapman's expression, 'add lightness'...

Re my design: I now have an account with a supplier for all the little odds and ends; I'm starting to order stuff.

Neil

[Neil Barnes]

Started building... non-folding, extension to at least 250mm and perhaps 300mm (it depends how stable it is and the length of the bellows when I put it all together).
Tilt, twist, shift in both directions, and reversible back so it will work in both portrait and landscape, rack and pinion focus.

Neil

[Robert J Fallis]

Looks good Neil...looking forward to the rest

bob

[Neil Barnes]

It's coming along, but there's a lot of waiting for glue to set. I've done the reversible back which will hold the slides and the focusing screen, apart from how the slides and screen might be held.

Two choices present themselves - either a spring-loaded back which will require the focus screen to be removed before the slide is inserted, or, as on my MPP, a spring-loaded focusing screen which is displaced backwards by the insertion of the slide between it and the body of the camera. Still thinking about that.

I've also ordered a bellows from Camera Bellows - not cheap as a one-off but probably worth it. Put it this way - this is not going to be a four or five thousand euro camera!

Neil

[robinb]

hi guys

getting back to roberts home made camera with the chrome tape holding the lens board

In the film lighting industry we have a product that is the same but matt black
its called "black tak" and made by le mark

I'm sure it would be very useful for anybody building there own camera

robin