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Going wider still!
As mentioned in an earlier article about my home built 6×12 panoramic camera, I said that I was considering constructing an even wider panoramic camera, a 6x17cm camera. Well here it is!
I have retained some tried and tested materials and construction methods, namely plywood construction and a basic box shaped body. This time however I cut the body from a sheet of 6mm plywood rather than buy a box pre made and then modify it to suit. I departed from my original construction method, by lining the interior of the camera body with adhesive foil which was then sprayed matt black rather than coating the exterior with foil and spraying matt black.
Basic construction – The first steps
The film chamber was constructed in a similar method to my 6×12 camera,(this was made from a surplus picture frame), I used backing paper from a used 120 roll film to ascertain the dimensions of the film guide, I wanted it as wide as possible whilst still supporting the film. Every surface of the film plane had to be perfectly flat and smooth to ensure the film emulsion did not get damaged when being moved across it, the outer edges were curved down to prevent damage to the film emulsion.
Having completed the initial construction, the film chamber was given a coat of matt black paint. The next stage was to cut a hole in the front centre section of the camera to allow the lens to project into the camera body. A smaller box section was then constructed, this would be fixed to the front of the camera body to hold the lens. Tests were made with paper negatives to check for correct lens to film plane distance. It was at this point I discovered that the Georg Leitmeyer 90mm Angulon (a Schneider Angulon rebranded by the looks of it) that I had obtained would not fully cover a 6x17cm image area – somewhere at the back of my mind I thought it would just about cover the area required, hence I had to purchase an alternative lens – this being a Schneider 90mm Super Angulon.
I made the film advance shafts from steel bolts that were ground at one end to form a T that would locate in the film spool to enable the film to be advanced, holes were drilled in the top of the camera body to accept the winder shafts. Steel washers were fitted inside and outside the body to provide further protection against light leaking into the film chamber and causing fogging. The lower film spool retaining guides were again made from steel bolts inserted through the base of the camera body. A steel spring and washer were used to provide downward pressure to hold the winder mechanism inside the film spool.
Film winder
Originally the camera back was designed to be thinner than my 6×12 cameraback and again fit inside the camera body to form a light tight seal, subsequent tests revealed that the thinner back construction did not provide an adequate seal, as a result the camera back was modified to overlap the camera body by 10mm all round – this has proved to be much more sucessful.
Modified camera back – note red window for frame registration
Camera back with cutouts for winder knobs
The winder knobs were constructed from a section of wooden broom handle – they were trimmed down, drilled to accept the winder shaft and fitted with brass caps.
Interior view with film transport in situ
My original plan had been to use the natural wood finish for the camera, but after some consideration I decided to opt for matt black instead since it highlighted the brass fittings and gave the camera a better overall look.
The finished camera
Initial test for light tightness, focus, film advance, frame spacing and coverage were made using Fomapan 100 and 400 film. This was when I discovered the suseptability of scratching with Fomapan film, hence the reason for adding an additional protection layer – in this case the reverse side of 120 film backing paper to both film guides. Indicators in the form of small white beads have been fixed to the camera to give an approximate guide for framing the image. Also a quick release plate has been fixed to the bottom of the camera for ease of fitting the camera to a tripod. Once these final details had been sorted it was time to take some proper photographs! Some samples are shown below.
Some final thoughts.
My initial plan was to reuse my Schneider 90mm f6.8 Angulon as used on my Intrepid 4×5 and my home built 6×12 cameras, unfortunately it only covers just over a 5 inch (125mm) circle of coverage, hence the need to use a Super Angulon as these have a much larger circle of coverage – in addition this negates to a large degree having to use a central density filter to even up exposure across the image.
The lens has been set using hyperfocal distance to obtain maximum depth of field at a minimum aperture of f11, although I generally use a minimum aperture of f22.
Also 6×17 proportions do not work for every subject, it is better suited to landscapes and wide vista photographs. Another major consideration is that a 120 roll of film will only yeald 4 frames per roll, so no room for error. For those who are interested the frame numbers used on a 120 roll of film, are the central set and using numbers 1, 4, 7 and 10.
All things considered I have had a great deal of fun (and some head scratching!) constructing my 6×17 camera and I can now look forward to taking plenty more photographs with it.
Sample Photographs
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My journey back to large format.
This post as the title suggests is about my return to large format photography.
First a little background information to set the scene.
When I first started in professional photography more than a good few years ago! I was introduced to the world of large format photography in the form of the MPP 5×4 Micro Technical camera – it was a solid piece of kit. As well as a ground glass rear focusing screen the camera was equipped with a range finder focusing capability, although this only worked properly if the correct cam linkages were fitted for the relevant lenses.
Whilst I was at college I had access to a Sinar monorail camera, this in turn had a greater amount of lens and film plane movements available to it due to the design.
Fast forward to the early 21st Century.
Having over the years changed employer several times and finally set up a retouching studio within the offices of Protech Repairs, I was in conversation with Kelvin from Protech about the joys of large format photography. This in turn got me thinking about making a return to large format photography.
Initially I considered the idea of making a 5×4 camera from scratch, but this was soon decided against due to the cost of the component parts – focus bellows, making a focusing rack, film back and of course material to make the camera body. Enter that well known auction site eBay. I was browsing on day when I came across a gentleman selling a almost complete homemade 5×4 camera, minus lens. I bought it, having worked out that it would be a lot less expensive for me to finish building the camera myself.
Views of underside of camera – note how well engineered it is.
Underside view Side view Rear view
Once I got the camera I set about making some changes – firstly I reduced the size of the camera body (it was constructed from aluminium), this involved dismantling the camera body which was beautifully drilled and bolted together and cutting the framework down to about half the initial length. The next step was to make some changes to how the focusing rack assembly was fixed to the camera body, as you can see by the photograph there was a lot of aluminium used! My original plan was to attempt to make an adjustable rail assembly, although it worked in a fashion it was not wholly ideal. Several attempts later a fixed arrangement was decided on. Following on from this I constructed a pan and tilt/rise and fall lens mechanism, for this I used a camera flash bracket bolted onto the focus rail and the lens panel. Finally came the most challenging part; the building of the film back – this consisted of a focusing screen and dark slide holder. The film back was required to rotate through 90 degrees to enable both vertical and horizontal photographs to be taken and at the same time the screen had to move backwards to enable the dark slide to sit in the focus plane to take the photograph.
As chance would have it I had an old studio camera in my loft that had such an assembly on it, this was used as a donor to make the 5×4 film back, whilst it worked in a basic way, there were subsequent problems with keeping the dark slide in place whilst taking a photograph (the dark slide would sometimes slip out of position causing an alignment issue and on occasion fogging).
Early focus rail support and film back
The lens board was of a unique size and whilst one came with the camera, extra ones were needed for additional lenses. I made several boards including a recessed board for use with a wide angle lens from thin plywood and heavyweight card – these in turn were sprayed matt black to prevent reflections.
A completely redesigned film back was created to prevent dark slide alignment problems and this has proved to be very satisfactory.
Final focus rail design and redesigned film backThe camera is not without flaws these primarily – the weight, it weighs in at 3 kilos, (quite a chunk to carry around for a day) and in addition the lack of compactability – the focus rack not folding up as the MPP camera does, makes quite cumbersome. On the plus side the camera is very solid in construction.
Subsequently I have purchased an Intrepid mk4 camera, this is quite considerably lighter since it is primarily constructed from marine ply, it also folds down thus taking up a lot less space. The Intrepid is not without a few flaws, although most of these have been rectified either by me or Intrepid Cameras thanks to their lifetime guarantee.
Intrepid Mk4 5×4 camera
This may sound as though I have given up on my original camera, although I have not. I still use it on occasion and I still have further ideas on how to make it lighter and more compact, it’s just a matter of finding the time!
Processing 5×4 sheet film
I originally processed my sheet film in a standard Patterson 120 sized film processing tank using what is called the ‘Tapas Method’ – this entails curving the film with emulsion side inward and securing with an elastic band, using this method 4 sheets of film can be processed at one time. If using this method remember to still use the centre column that normally supports the processing reel otherwise the film will be fogged. I have now moved on and use MOD54 processing reels for sheet film, these however require a larger processing tank to be used but I can process 6 sheets of film at once.
Single sheet – Tapas Method 4 sheets in processing tank – Tapas Method Patterson tank with MOD54 film holder
Why do I enjoy large format photography?
The reason I enjoy taking large format photgraphy is because, it makes one slow down and consider the view and composition of the photograph before making the exposure rather than taking a bunch of frames on a digital camera and later editing them down to the best frame, this in turn leads to taking more meaningful photographs due to the constraint of how many photographs can be taken in on session rather than what has euphemistically become known as ‘spray and pray’ with digital. Add to this the ability to control the plane of focus combined with perspective control, all this and amount of detail that can be captured on a large sheet of film, sheer bliss!
Sample photographs
I should like to extend my thanks to the following people without whom this article would not have happened:
George P King Ltd – My first employer who introduced me to large format photography.
Cliff for making the original camera in this article.
Mark for his encouragement and badgering to get the project finished.
My wife Sara who puts up with me lugging bags of camera kit around when we go out for the day
Kelvin and Jo at Protech Repairs for the generous supply of donor material and encouragement to ensure the project did actually get finished. -
Making a panoramic roll film camera
The camera mentioned in the title came about as the result of a comment made to me by a good friend of mine.
It all started when I was directed to the fact that a local large format camera maker was producing what could only be described as a half dark slide for 5×4 film dark slides. The concept enables the user to take 2 images approximately 6×12 cm on a single sheet of film.
I took a look at the item and it got me thinking. I could see a couple of issues, firstly keeping track of which position the half slide was in when making an exposure, secondly taking care when taking both 6×12 cm and full 5×4 inch images in the same session, thirdly the cost of half a dark slide and finally the availability of 5×4 film.
Whilst I like the 6×12 format, I felt that there must be an alternative. Since I already have 2 pinhole cameras that make images in the 6×12 format an idea started to emerge. How about building a camera and using a large format lens that I already own? Another point worth mentioning is that a manufactured 6×12 camera of any quality comes with a hefty price tag, so a homemade camera made a lot of sense if it could be built inexpensively.
A short while after, the idea still floating around in my head, I happened to be in our local branch of The Works with my wife, I spotted a large plywood box that had been discounted due to a minor fault and voila! The basis for a 6×12 film camera.
Using my Noon 6×12 pinhole camera as the inspiration and basic template for the new camera, I set about making the main body of the camera – this involved cutting the newly acquired wooden box approximately in half and reusing a section for the top plate and create a solid rectangular body.
Perhaps I should mention at this point that I rarely commit measurements and drawings to paper, I tend to work it out in my head then start work! This is what is commonly called ‘My rule of ish’
Having previously fitted the lens I intended to use to my 5×4 camera body and set the focus to infinity I measured the overall depth that was required for the new camera to enable the lens to be focused at infinity.
The next stage was to create the film chamber, (this was made from a surplus picture frame), I used backing paper paper from a used 120 roll film ascertain the dimensions of the film guide, I wanted it as wide as possible whilst still supporting the film. Every surface of the film plane had to be perfectly flat and smooth to ensure the film emulsion did not get damaged when being moved across it, the outer edges were curved down to again prevent damage to the film emulsion.
The film chamber and winder assembly
After this the back of the camera was assembled, I decided to make it so that it fitted inside the main body of the camera to prevent light from leaking onto the film inside. A film pressure plate was then made to hold the film flat in the film chamber and against the film mask.
Next came the tricky part, that of making sure the lens was focused at infinity at the film plane. This entailed cutting a hole in the front of the camera body for the lens to be placed over and fixing a focusing screen in the film chamber on the actual film plane, then it was outside with a dark cloth and a ruler to verify the distance the lens had to be placed at. – Back to The Works for another much smaller box!
I intended to use a 90mm Schneider Angulon lens and as this had already been fitted to a lens panel and already included an additional modification I wanted to keep the lens on the panel to enable me to also use it on my 5×4 camera without having to reassemble the modification each time, so having obtained another plywood box I set about reshaping the front to hold the lens panel whilst still making it possible to remove easily when required – the design of it similar to that used on other large format cameras.
Before I could put a roll of film through the camera a very important step – Make a film transport assembly. The idea was to have fixed locating pegs on the of the film chamber and a winder assembly at the top. I found some bolts of the correct size to locate inside the film spool to hold it in place for the bottom and for the winders I cut ground down some longer bolts to make them thinner and shorter. The winder bolts had a slot cut in them, into which a small flat section of metal would be wedged. Before this; winder knobs were made from a small section of broom handle, a hole drilled through the centre for the bolt to fit, in turn a small hole was drilled through the knob and bolt into which a small pin was forced to enable them to turn as one. Parallel holes were drilled top and bottom on both sides of the camera body into which the bolts were fitted. Packing blocks were fitted inside the camera at the bottom to hold the film spool in the correct position, at the top the bolts were pushed through a short section of spring was added then a tap washer pushed over the bolt to keep the spring in place and finally flat sections of metal were wedged in – the purpose of these are to locate in the top of the film spool to enable the film to be advanced. At this point I also added a tripod bush fitted into a piece of 5mm ply to the underside of the camera.
The next stage was to use a 120 film backing roll to create the start point ie. frame 1 marked on the backing paper (note that 6×6 and 6×12 framing uses the central numbers on the film roll) was calculated and a hole drilled through the camera back and pressure plate, a section of red film was sandwiched between the back plate and the pressure plate to enable the film numbers to be seen when advancing the film.
Having glued and secured all parts of the camera body together, it was time to dust out the interior and give the insides of the camera a coat of matt black paint to reduce risk of internal reflections.
At this point I should mention that to produce 6×12 images the film is advanced to uneven numbers to obtain the correct spacing, ie 1,3,5 etc.
Time to load the camera and take some test photographs.
The first images were not good, apart from a miscalculation of frame spacing there was a large amount of overall fogging present. This was going to require a little more work!
Frame spacing was easily solved by adjusting the frame start point – a new hole was drilled to more accurately observe the frame numbers on the backing paper.
I deduced that the fogging was caused by the use of thin ply on the front of the camera – since the internals of the camera were now fixed in place, the solution was to cover the outside of the camera body with adhesive aluminum foil, not pretty since my initial idea had been to have a dark wood exterior on the camera but at least it was now light tight.
Lightproof aluminum foil applied to front
The second test roll of film showed a lot more promise, no overall fogging but there was a light leak causing a streak across the top of the image including what should have been the unexposed edge of the film.
At this point I added extra light absorbing baffles inside the camera plus some thin light seal foam around the camera back. Up until this point the camera back had been held in place with a couple of elastic bands.
Time for a third test roll, this time success! Time for some tidying up. The camera body and back was covered with a matt black adhesive plastic purchased at a bargain price from a local supermarket, 2 small brass finish clips were fastened to the backplate and camera body – no more rubber bands!
The matt black finish
Testing now complete – Time to apply the final finish in the form of a wood veneer to enhance the overall appearance of the camera, lens panel and back panel were given a matt black detail finish. The veneer was stained to enhance the grain and given 2 coats of wax polish to help waterproof the camera body.
The final wooden finish
Rear of camera with frame count viewer
Top view – winder surround detail added
Sample images
All sample photographs were taken on Kodak Tri X film and processed in 510 Pyro developer.
Conclusion
This has certainly been an interesting experience. If I were to make another panoramic style roll film camera and yes I am considering it! Maybe even a 6×17 format camera, I would make the front of the camera of thicker material and lightproof the interior of the camera rather than the outside that way I could have a polished wood exterior from the outset. In addition to this I would also permanently fit a lens to the camera rather than make it removable.
Watch this space!
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A Tale of Two TLRs
What follows is a test of two TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) cameras, but first a little background information.
I already own 2 TLR’s. – When one started to have problems with the shutter mechanism I switched to my second camera and soon after it too was having shutter problems, knowing that it might be difficult to get either repaired due to parts no longer being available I started looking out for a replacement. I found a Chinese made Seagull WWSC for sale at a very reasonable price, so I purchased it. Then a couple of weeks later I was browsing a local junk shop when I spotted in the corner of a display cabinet another TLR make and model not clear, I asked to take a look, it turned out to be an early Yashica C. The camera was very reasonably priced and the shutter appeared to be working ok, so I purchased it. I did not feel it was fair to leave it laying forlorn in the cabinet any longer – that is my excuse and I am sticking to it!
The obvious question is. What do you do when you have 2 new (to you) TLR cameras? The answer is to take them out for a side by side test!
For the purpose of the test both cameras were loaded with Rollei RPX 400 black and white film, all exposures were measured using a Lunasix light meter, apertures were set identically on both cameras and shutter speeds set accordingly. Both cameras were tripod mounted to eliminate the chance of camera shake and to enable identical photographs to be taken.
Specification
Seagull WWSC Yashica C
Year of manufacture Approx 1996 1956
Film format 120 roll film 120 roll film
Number of exposures 12 – 6×6 frames 12 – 6×6 frames
Film advance Lever wind Wind wheel with safety button
Viewing lens Haiou 75mm f2.8 – 3 elements in 3 groups Yashikor 80mm f3.5 – 3 elements in 3 groups
Taking lens Haiou 75mm f3.5 – 3 elements in 3 groups Yashikor 80mm f3.5 – 3 elements in 3 groups
Focus range 1 metre to infinity 1 metre to infinity
Shutter Between lens leaf shutter – B, 1 to 1/300th second Between lens leaf shutter – B, 1 to 1/300th second
Shutter actuation Auto cocked via film advance Shutter cocked via separate lever
Focus Flip up hood with magnifier, ground glass screen with fresnel split Flip up hood with magnifier and ground glass screen
Focus mechanism Front standard focus via wheel Front standard focus via wheel
Flash Synch At all shutter speeds/X +M / PC socket At all shutter speeds/X +M / PC socket
Loading the cameras
The Seagull and Yashica cameras are both loaded the same way – that is that the unexposed film is placed in the lower chamber, the leader is fed onto an empty film spool in the upper chamber, the film is then advanced until the start indicator on the film lines up with the two dots on the back of the camera (see photo). The film back is now closed and locked with the wheel on the base of the camera and now the film is advanced via the wind crank in the case of the Seagull and the wheel in the case of the Yashica C. Reversing the Seagull’s crank lever cocks the camera shutter, the Yashica C shutter is set with a small lever around the lens – with the Yashica it is essential to set the shutter speed prior to cocking the shutter.
Film start markers
The cameras in use
Both cameras a similar in operation – they have a pop up hoods with spring loaded magnifier to aid focus, the magnifier is utilised by pressing the centre of the hood, the magnifier then unlatches and flips up so it is above the focussing screen, once you have done with it just press it back into the hood where it will lock back into place. The Seagull has its focus wheel on the left side of the body, whilst the Yashica focus wheel is located on the right hand side. Aperture settings are adjusted via a lever and in both cases the range goes from f3.5 through to f22. Shutter speeds are likewise changed with a lever on the opposite side to the aperture scale, whilst the Seagull shutter speeds are from B, 1 ½, ¼, 1/8, 1/16, 1/30, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125 and 1/300, the Yashica having an older generation Copal shutter its speeds range from B, 1, ½, 1/5, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/300. Since most negative film has a degree of latitude the variation between the cameras is not an issue, it may however cause a problem with less tolerant transparency film.
For those wishing to use a lens hood or filter, it is worth noting that the Seagull has a screw thread mount of 34mm, whilst the Yashica uses a more common mount found most other TLRs that being a Bayonet 1 mount.
I noticed that focusing with the Seagull is a little easier due to the split prism centre spot in the focusing screen, but at the same time that the focus wheel
The Results
Since both the Seagull and Yashica have a similar optical setup, admittedly with a 5mm difference between focal length, the results were quite close. Neither lens was super sharp at full aperture, usable but only just, major improvements were seen by f8 and gained a little more sharpness by f11, nothing more was gained by stopping down to f22. Vignetting was well controlled on both lenses, not causing serious issues at any aperture. The only major difference between the two cameras was that the lens on the Seagull showed slightly better control of flare, this is due to the fact that the Haiou lens is multi coated rather than the single coating on the Yashicor lens.
Seagull WWSC Yashica C
Seagull WWSC Yashica C
Conclusions
Either camera will give acceptable results, the lenses are not ‘state of the art’ sharp enough to provide a 30cm square print without too much trouble.
The Seagull WWSC is suspected by many to have been built on old Japanese TLR tooling, the shutter has more than a passing resemblance to an early Copal shutter. Added to this the build quality is good but not stunning The WWSC is said to be the export quality of the Seagull 4a model. Putting a precise age on the WWSC is difficult due to the myriad of Seagull models released with little information on production dates.
My Yashica C has definitely seen better days, but in saying that it is still a well built robust camera.
Which camera would I recommend? Simple answer if you can find either one in good working order then both will give good results, just remember treat them carefully, set the shutter speed before cocking the shutter on the Yashica C and all will be ok