Wood, Rear Standard, Front Standard

WOOD

Poplar was the wood of choice for most of the camera. It came in a wide range of widths and thicknesses at the local builder's supply store. Except for the spring back, very little re-sizing of the pieces was necessary since most of the camera's parts were designed to be constructed from the standard, off-the-shelf lumber.

REAR STANDARD

The rear is capable of at almost 30° of tilt, but no swing. Designed primarily for landscapes, movements were limited to what I felt essential, and also to keep the camera's weight down. Two 3/8" bolts screwed into tee nuts hold the rear standard firmly in place. I've shown it with the bottom tilted out for clarity, when in actual use, the back would be tilted with the bottom towards the lens. This allows use of the scheimflug principle - the foreground is in focus as is the background. The notch cut into the rear brace permits the film holder to be inserted and removed when the camera back is tilted the other way.

Update: March 26, 2003

When using the camera, I had problems with the two single knobs holding the back in position. I added a pair of "lid supports" from Home Depot (less than $3.00 each) in order to give me two locking points on each side of the camera. Now it is pretty sturdy.

The only modification to the lid supports was to increase the size of the cut-out slot so that a 1/4" screw would slide easily through it. This required about 30 minutes with a file. It was also necessary to add wooden extensions to the rear frame to keep the brass piece from hitting the large knob. This also made for a sturdier support structure. A carriage bolt goes through the wooden extension (the square part of the screw's head fits into a corresponding carved out hole on the inside), and a locking knob screws on from the outside. Cheap, reasonably quick to install, and best of all, the thing works.

FRONT STANDARD

The front of the camera is capable of rise and fall, tilt, and shift. This is accomplished by a series of t-nuts, knobs, and slotted risers. The lens board is the same size used on my Bender kit, and was constructed out of mahogany.

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WOOD

REAR STANDARD

FRONT STANDARD The front of the camera is capable of rise and fall, tilt, and shift. This is accomplished by a series of t-nuts, knobs, and slotted risers. The lens board is the same size used on my Bender kit, and was constructed out of mahogany.

FRONT STANDARD

FRONT STANDARD

The front of the camera is capable of rise and fall, tilt, and shift. This is accomplished by a series of t-nuts, knobs, and slotted risers. The lens board is the same size used on my Bender kit, and was constructed out of mahogany.