I've modded an old Ernemann bellows camera made for an obsolete film format. It can now make 10,5 x 6,5cm panorama images on standard middle format 120-film.
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All geared up and ready to go! |
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It began with the purchase of a roll film back for my camera, which is of the obsolete but common large format standard which exposes on 9x12 cm film sheets, glass plates or - lucky me - the odd roll film.
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Here you can see the modded original wooden take-up spool and the modded inserts for the feeding spool. |
What I first did was trying to lessen the width of the take-up spool. Otherwise the 120 film would not wind up in the middle but go from side to side and the images would all have leaning horizons.
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Loading the film. It goes from where the arrows are to the wooden take-up spool. The whole spool/winding insert also acts as a pressure plate. |
I then found a way to make inserts which would hold the film feeding spool in position. Some rather stiff packing foam "drilled" through to accomodate for wooden pegs which were then glued in position made for stable inserts.
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This is the small viewfinder set next to the lens. The exposed image is what is visible between the blue marker lines, as to my approximation. |
I managed to load the camera with a roll of 400 ASA Fomapan. The widest aperture is 11 and the shutter presents the choice of B(ulb), 1/25th, 1/50th and 1/100th, so there are challenges. Tripod mount screw size also...
According to my crude trial I can fit 6 exposures on a roll of 120 film. 5 half rotations of the handle are necessary to get to the next exposure. When the film is first loaded 17,5 half rotations are needed to reach the position of the first exposure.
Update:
The first trial photograph:
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It's not very interesting, but focus is there, at 2 meters which is minimum focus distance. This was 3 seconds at f11. |
I'll fill you in on further adventures!
You will find 9x12 film plates in my camera shop
getOurBooks at Etsy!
I also have a group on Facebook called
Analog Photography & Camera Modding and DIY.
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