# building of the view cam.



## mysteryscribe (Jul 24, 2006)

This is a continuation of the view camera story begun on the 4x5 baush&Lomb thread.


It's one of those days you wouldn't wish on any of your ex husbands or wives... Well maybe on one of them.

I rushed out this morning to shoot a camera, one I hadn't really used much.  I wanted to post a shot from it and then work on my view camera build.

I went to the cemetary where I shoot a lot of test shots.  At first things seemed to go fine, then I pointed the camera to a statue and the lens was flapping.  Flapping?  That's not right, I thought.  Sure enough the lens strut had popped loose from the bottom of the lens board.  The lens was no longer level with the film plane.  I tried to put it back but the pictures were crap.

The crap was made worse by the fact that the new daylight tank I had made from plans on another website, leaks light.  Enough I screamed at the negative...

After an hour to let my blood pressure drop, I began to build a tank that I know is light tight.  Then to make some parts for the new view camera build.  I was messing with the camera's lens board when my wife knocked on the studio door.

"I think someone hit my new car in the parking lot."

I went out expecting to see a small ding in the door but nooooo, the bumper is pulled loose from one side of the car.  It was sticking out about three inches.  "You reckon somebody hit this?"  I asked it as I stared at the month old car.

"What am I going to do," she said.  It was in anguish I might add.  Now that I am older, and my health is shakey, I don't tinker with cars.  The car  is the first new car she ever owned.  I had always paid for and kept her cars running previous to this one.  So when she had to pay for her own repairs, she decided she needed a new car it would be cheaper than the 500 a year in repairs on her paid for car.  I never tell other people how to spend their money, so I nodded and said sure.

She looked at the bumper, then thought of the upcoming car payment, and the 250 dollar deductable and looked almost ready to cry.  I took pity on her.

I fitted the bumper back in place and snapped the latches.  I am going to compound the black marks off the bumper if I can.  The long and short of the car is that it won't have to go to the shop after all.

But when she left, the view camera I held in my hand was gone.  I couldn't find it anywhere.  I had carried it out to look at the car because I expected a paint chip.  So what had I done with it, while I banged away at the car?

I looked about five times before I broke down and called her at work.  Odds were about 100 to one that I had put the camera INSIDE the car but I had a vague recollection of opening a door on the car.  I fully expected the camera to be in several large and small pieces spread over the road somewhere between my house and her office.  Odds were great that I had left it on top of the car.

She was good enough to go look and found it inside the rear of the car.  My first bit of good luck of the day.  Now I just have to decide what to do with it.  I'm getting really tired of this build.  But I will perservere


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## terri (Jul 24, 2006)

Hang in there, Charlie! It's gotta get easier after this. :hug::


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 24, 2006)

Do you know what a trench gun is....

If tomorrow isnt better, Im going to throw the view camera into the air and shoot it with my trench gun.  I have had the gun for forty years and fired five times, I think the view camera may be the right stuff to do it swan song on.

But I have it back now from my wife's kidnapping of it.  I plan to do some more testing tomorrow if I can find a lens that will work just for testing.


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## terri (Jul 24, 2006)

I'm sure it was an accidental kidnapping. :bigangel: 

Go shoot skeet before shooting your camera.


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## Torus34 (Jul 25, 2006)

I'm at the age when I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter.  I walk into a room, stop, and ask myself, 'Now, what did I come in here after?'

Seems to fit with your location-of-the-camera quandry.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 25, 2006)

As usual you cut it right to the bone.


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## terri (Jul 25, 2006)

Torus34 said:
			
		

> I'm at the age when I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I walk into a room, stop, and ask myself, 'Now, what did I come in here after?'
> 
> Seems to fit with your location-of-the-camera quandry.


 

All right, Charlie....did you shoot WITH your camera today, or did you shoot AT it? :razz:


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## PNA (Jul 25, 2006)

Torus34 said:
			
		

> I'm at the age when I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I walk into a room, stop, and ask myself, 'Now, what did I come in here after?'
> 
> Seems to fit with your location-of-the-camera quandry.


 
OMG....Someone older than me on this fourm!!!!


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 25, 2006)

Since I brought that kodak 3a into the house I have been cursed.  Today's misfortune.  I tried to make a very minor correction to a polaroid 160 and ruined the back beyond repair so I had to build a new one, but in doing so I leaned something new.

You may or may not know that it is impossible to get 3x4 film which is what the polaroid really needs, so I was able to stick a back on the camera that accepts a 4x5 back.  

What's so great about that you ask?  As well you should, It still shoots the 3x4 image but puts it on a 4x5 negative.. So what you ask again.  So the rangefinder still works and the view finder as well.  It means that should I ever need to do a rebuild on a really fine polaroid, I can do it no sweat.  I shot the camera and found a couple of slight light leaks but there were easy to pinpoing and i expect will be easy to fix as well.

I have the negative but its just a shot out my back door so nothing worth posting here.


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## Oldfireguy (Jul 25, 2006)

You have an honest to goodness, WW1'sish trench gun?  I've been looking for one for years.

If you shoot your camera with it post some photos.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 25, 2006)

No its just a short barreled shotgun.  Back in the days when i worked as a policeman with a camera, I picked it up.  At the local police arsenal they had some real trench guns.  The old winchester pump guns iwth hammers of all things.  Barrels about 22 inches if I recall and I'm not sure I do.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 26, 2006)

IT' ALIVE ..... IT'S ALIVE  (quote from young frankenstein)

My ten buck camera with working lens came today and I have alread mounted it and attached it to the camera.  It focuses down to about a foot with just the glass and bellows.  I might can get it a little closer.  The swings and tilts work but I might have to focus swing or tilt then refocus  Not sure just yet.  

Next step shoot film.  Wow a new toy what a lucky man....


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## PNA (Jul 26, 2006)

Sounds like you're in a sand box with new toys.......  :lmao:


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 26, 2006)

I didn't get to make any pictures that are suitable for upload so Im not sure how they are going to look.  

The camera works perfectly, I do want to make a few alterations but just a few.  The basic design seems to work but like james suggested I might have to focus tilt or swing then refocus.  I just cant tell yet.  I was working on two cameras at once so I finished but didn't test either.  

That is tomorrows project.  Real roads tests of both.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 27, 2006)

here is what I hope is the final prototype view cam version. Please note innovative and technically sophisticated lens board holders..


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## PNA (Jul 27, 2006)

WOW, I'm impressed......

It looks great, nicely done! Let's see some shots using the effects of the swing lens.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 27, 2006)

hell, I never said I knew how to do all that stuff.

1st and I hope worst shot from the view cam


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## PNA (Jul 27, 2006)

Not bad! 

At leasts it's B&W!!!


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 27, 2006)

I was finally able to get a lens test done.... This is the lens I bought a ansco 116 with a missing bellows for under ten bucks. This is it shot at it's best.





I have one more camera to test then I'm going to shoot this one as much as I can without a cable release.


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## PNA (Jul 27, 2006)

That's terrific.....some nice detailis showing up, sharpness all the way to the pole.

I haven't seen the word Ansco (cameras) in centuries. Are they still around???? the company?


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 27, 2006)

sometime in the forties or fifties I think they merged with agfa of germany.   There was a lot of german american mixing of camera parts and technology.  Then agfa kind fizzled as far as I know.  I might have seen some gaf stuff that had an agfa subbrand in the sixties Im not really sure any more.  Gaf is gone too i think.

I was surprised to find bell and howell still in the camera business even if it is rebranding other companies cameras.


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## PNA (Jul 27, 2006)

My Uncle Nick had an old B&H 16 mm movie camera; turret with 3 lenses, as I remember.

Wish I had the movies he took when I was a kid with my cousins.

Where has the time gone????!


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 27, 2006)

Well to lament the changing times, I went to the hardware store today to buy a couple of bolts.  I got four 1/4 by 1 1/4 inch x 20 twist and they were $2.10  the times they are a changin for sure.

I don't even listen to my wife talk about the price of a nickel loaf of bread now.

I can build a prefectly good camera for under thirty bucks, but I can't buy the gas to go shoot it for less than 40 lol.  Something definitely wrong with that.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 28, 2006)

You should all be thrilled to note that the viewcam is built and you will no longer be hearing about it.  Photos may appear at anytime but the actually building days are finished.  Long live the butchered polaroids.


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## PNA (Jul 28, 2006)

Thrilled indeed.....

My internet server was knocked out last night due to a storm, but as you can see we're back on line again.

I was surprised to see the sharpness you're getting with the camera. very nice!

Bring on more shots.


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## mysteryscribe (Jul 28, 2006)

Its going to get better actually.  Today I swapped out the lens for a old polaroid lens made by yashica camera company in the 50s... It is a better glass but the shutter on it isn't very adaptive.   Life is a trade off.  The ansco will most likely go on a field type camera/.


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