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I've been dreaming for a very long time about a large format camera, as proof, the old Sinar catalog I kept in my archives for twenty years ...
Jay Bender builds large format camera kits at acceptable prices, that's what finally
decided me ...
The total cost is nonetheless not negligible, large format lenses aren't really cheap.
The construction is not very difficult but it goes beyond the simple screwing of some
screws !
More informations on Bender's site: http://www.benderphoto.com.
Other very nice sites about large-format camera DIYer:
And a pair of wood tripods manufacturers:
Global view of the camera mounted on its wood tripod (Wolf, very good quality/price ratio !)
Lateral view.
The back allowing tilts but no shifts.
The grounded glass is pretty ... comfortable.
The negative holder slips between the back and the grounded glass holder. Everything is
maintained by metallic tips acting like springs.
The back could be turned 90° for vertical shots.
The rather long mono-rail allows shots up to an 1.5/1 ratio with the 300mm.
Increasing the bellow extension increase also the image circle and exposure should also be
increased to compensate:
Download an Excel 4.0 sheet with compensating times.
Download an Excel 7.0 sheet with compensating times.
The front part includes tilts, shifts and friction focusing.
The lens is a Nikkor M 300mm/f9.0 (Copal 1 shutter, 1s-1/400s, B, T) with an interesting
quality/price ratio.
It does not allow lots of shift but as I use this camera mainly for landscapes and
portraits, this limitation is secondary.