All because I can't afford a Horseman VH...

[stevelmx5]

Unfortunately, my film kitty very rarely meets the demands of the world of cameras available on EBay so I've been toying with the idea of printing my own from scratch.

I really like the look of the Horseman VH system because of the smaller size than 4x5 but still the flexibility of movements (and the fact that 120 is cheaper!). I've had a 6x9 rollfilm back for a while waiting for a body to mount to and am using an old lens from a Selfix Model 1 to see if my design works before investing in something better. I've drawn up the components and printed the main body yesterday (it took 16 hours to print!). I wanted to see how strong the body was before I printed the lens board components, rotating mount and ground glass holder.

Apart from the print going a bit screwy with the last 10mm of the back panel I'm happy with the rest and it's rock solid with no flexibility but only weighs 118g :0). When the rollfilm back is added it's still only 488g!

This is the full print assembled minus the bellows;





The lens board is made up of a front and rear plate with a circular cutout halfway through the rear plate. The lens then mounts through another circular plate which is sandwiched between the others. My plan is that the friction between the plates will keep the lens wherever it is placed. The internal circular cutout is larger than the lens plate so I have rise/fall and cross movement although not a lot because I don't think this lens will tolerate much.





The lens board has a round post on the base with sits in a matching hole on a rotating block that rotates on 2 pins going through the side of the camera base. The round post is secured using a threaded bolt through the rotating block which can be loosened and the lens board twisted to give some swing.



The entire rotating block can also rotate around the securing pins to give 10 degrees of tilt forwards and backwards separate to any rise/fall/tilt. More pics on the next post..

 

[stevelmx5]

There are 4 ring magnets embedded in the camera base. One on each end of the rotating block and one either side of the block to keep it in place. As the lens board and lens will be very light, the ring magnets along with the securing pins will give enough friction to keep the lens board aligned wherever I set it.

The rear panel has specific cutouts to mount the Graflex rollfilm back both landscape or portrait. I've also drawn a ground glass holder with the same cutouts so it can be rotated 90 degrees to frame the shot. The rollfilm back and GGS holder will be held in place using embedded magnets.

 

[stevelmx5]

I decided against building a folding mechanism into the base to keep it solid and instead have built it as small as I can without making it too fiddly. The back section is 132mm x 132mm and the base is 110mm long.

On first print I'm happy with the strength/rigidity and the rollfilm back fits in well :0)











I'm printing the lens board components now so will build that up once it's ready. I'll be asking Steveo_mcg for some bellows advice soon ;0)

 

[robhooley167]

Nice work as always Steve! If you need any aluminium parts machining, let me know, I've managed to get the CNC router playing nicely at last

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks Rob, I might take you up on that buddy :0)

 

[steveo_mcg]

Thats very impressive Steve, did you draw up the file yourself? Out of interest how much does 16 hours of 3d printing time cost?

I've ordered some silk to try that instead of the rip stop, I'm wondering if the paint just won't adhere to the nylon so I'll have another pop before I order the leatherette or resort to something else.

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks Steve. Yes I did in Sketchup by kind of making it up as I went along :0) 16 hours of 3D printing cost me years of being a great son (I print on my parents' 3D printer) although I'll owe them the next roll of PLA if I keep hogging the printer for my cameras!

The paint should soak into the silk better than the nylon so hopefully you'll get a better result. I've been looking at the bellows for this camera and I think I might be able to have a fixed leather surround for the majority as it only needs to be flexible for around 25mm to allow for the lens board movements. Once the board is printed I'll assemble it and do some better measurements.

 

[trevorbray]

Another amazing project..

 

[Woodsy]

Awesome looks rather good matey!

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks Trevor and Jonathan :0) I ordered the ring magnets I need last night for the tilting base and re-designed the ground glass holder so it locks in better.

 

[steveo_mcg]

So, what are you thinking about the bellows material. The silk internal fabric might should work but I'm struggling for an external fabric. Most of the leatherette I can find, I think will be too thick and a lot of other alternative fabrics I'm not sure how sturdy they'd be.

 

[Ruffmeister]

Is there any stopping you with your creations, Steve? Good work so far. Look forward to seeing how this turns out

 

[stevelmx5]

Funnily enough I'm looking at the bellows now. As I only need the bellows to provide the flexibility near to the lens rather than focussing too (the lens has a helicoid built in), I don't need to make one to fit right back to the film plane. As a result I picked up some 5mm thick black foam board today to make a fixed 'bellow' running from the back of the camera up to about 25mm back from the lens board. With this fixed on all 4 sides and light tight it will act as a tunnel that I can attach the original camera bellows to for the flexibility. Might be easier to see it than describe it!

I picked up a section of black vinyl the other week from Abakhan fabrics that I was planning to cover the Instax TLR back with but have decided to leave it black plastic instead. It's pretty thin but looks light tight so should be pretty good for bellows if it will fold ok. Might be worth checking out your local fabric supplier for something similar? I'd send you the piece I've got but it's only 6" wide so not much use for bellows.

 

[stevelmx5]

Quick update on progress. Been having some issues printing larger pieces due to the way the plastic cools and contracts so their lower face can warp upwards slightly. Testing some alternative ways to print to get around that but have assembled some of the parts I've got so far;

1) Basic full assembly. I'm missing the front half of the lens board that will sandwich the ring that the lens is attached to and allow rise/fall/sideways movement. I've also stuck the original 6x9 bellows on for appearance but these will be swapped so I can rotate the orientation of the film.

2) Lens board showing rear tilt.

3) Showing Tilt/Swing together.

4) GGS holder fitted in landscape orientation. This stays in place nicely through friction so I won't need any additional fixings.

5) GGS holder fitted in portrait orientation.

 

[stevelmx5]

I've just heat embedded the ring magnets into the rotating lens board base and either side of the body. A tight fit but they're in there now!







(the rotating base is fitted square now, the left side in the image above was forwards by a few mm!)

I've held a ground glass against the back of the body to test the lens movements. The glass is oversized until I cut it so it sat around 5mm back from the final location but I could still get focus albeit a bit closer than it will be. Happy to say that the lens seems really bright even without a bellows fitted and there seems to be a reasonable amount of movement possible before it blackens out which is positive!

 

[stevelmx5]

Had some spare time today so I've cleaned up the GGS holder a bit and got my dad to cut down the spare GGS I had because I haven't got a glass cutter. As with my usual luck with ground glass it cracked! Not the end of the world, I can still use it to align the camera (yes, this image is rotated!)



I've also made the fixed part of the bellows out of 5mm thick foam board. I'm then going to attach a short bag bellows to the front edge to give the flexibility for movements.





Also, I've redesigned the lens board into a single piece and decided to remove the rise/fall for now. I want to get the camera aligned first so will re-design the rise/fall later on. I was playing with the front tilt earlier though by focussing on the back of the scene then tilting to get the front in focus and it was surprisingly effective! I'm looking forward to using it properly once the bellows and lens board are ready.

 

[stevelmx5]

After fitting a vinyl skin over the top of the foam board frame I found that it was too inflexible to give me the movements I need (and also looked a bit rubbish too!)



I've just finished my new bellows (yes, once I start something I have to finish it even if it is 1am [emoji44]). I've made them out of card which is already light tight but I might spray them with plasti dip to give a rubberised coating if they need it. I used this website to draw up the four parts;

http://tarascraftstudio.com/?p=4315

I actually made the first 3 parts before realising that the sizes I'd used for the corners wouldn't work so had to start again so this is bellows mark 2!





They fit the body nicely and seem to offer enough flexibility while also holding their shape so I don't get any sagging when adjusting tilt.





I probably wouldn't have picked green/blue for a bellows colour but it was that or yellow so it's actually quite subtle :0)

I'll let the glue go off overnight before seeing how flexible it actually is.

 

[Andysnap]

Coming on well Steve. I actually like the colour it contrasts nicely with the body.

 

[stevelmx5]

Cheers Andy :0). I've checked this morning and apart from one of the corners needing some more glue where it's lifted slightly I think it's good to go. I've just dropped the lens into the board and the image looks pretty good so the bellows are definitely light tight.

They're still a little bit stiff so I'll keep working them back and forwards to loosen them and see how they go.

 

[stevelmx5]

Ok, the replacement lens board has printed well and is much more robust. The lens is fitted in place so no rise/fall but while i'm getting the camera aligned and in a design I'm happy with I'll keep it simple.

I've left the bellows bonding to the front/rear 'standards' now but initial testing looks like the lens is pretty sharp considering its age and basic construction. To help with the alignment I've put together a very simple shade made from 5mm foam board that slots around 3 sides of the rear standard.

 

[Nod]

Coming on well Steve. I actually like the colour it contrasts nicely with the body.

For the outside, at least. I would paint the inside black (matt) to reduce the internal reflection of stray light.

Loving the creativity you have, Steve - wish I had the patience!

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks @Nod I tested the bellows this morning and they appear to be light tight but I agree it will be a good idea to paint the internals black. I could see that this lens adds some nice hipster flare spots with side lighting so I feel like I'm shooting with a Nikon D750

Good news is that the bellows seem to be flexible enough to allow the limited movements that the lens can cover. I guess the next step is to put some film through it. Anyone know any good sellers for cheap test 120 films?

 

[RaglanSurf]

Thanks @Nod I tested the bellows this morning and they appear to be light tight but I agree it will be a good idea to paint the internals black. I could see that this lens adds some nice hipster flare spots with side lighting so I feel like I'm shooting with a Nikon D750

Good news is that the bellows seem to be flexible enough to allow the limited movements that the lens can cover. I guess the next step is to put some film through it. Anyone know any good sellers for cheap test 120 films?

Fomapan Steve

 

[stevelmx5]

Is that my new name?

Can you be Shanghai Nick [emoji6]

 

[RaglanSurf]

Is that my new name?

Can you be Shanghai Nick [emoji6]

Shanghai Nick or Intepid Nick I'm happy with either

 

[stevelmx5]

While I'm waiting to test the field camera, I've drawn up a fixed 6x9 which is a similar idea to the Wanderlust Travelwide 5x4. It will use the same lens and interchangeable back/GGS I'm using on the field camera but is a fixed design. This is pretty much as small as I could make it at 130mmx100mmx100mm. I've built in a single filter slot for a Cokin P so I can use a single ND/colour/grad without trying to mount a filter to the vey small lens. There will be a light tight material over the slot for when there is now filter fitted.



The first test is printing now and is estimating another 36 hours to go but I think that's a bit like "Microsoft Minutes" in Windows so it should probably be finished by tonight.



I'm still seeing some bowing of the base caused by the plastic contracting as it cools on larger prints but that won't affect the actual film face which is set back by 5mm.



The centre block being printed are support posts for the front face of the camera where the lens will be mounted. They will be snapped out of the print when it's finished and cooled.

 

[steveo_mcg]

While I'm waiting to test the field camera, I've drawn up a fixed 6x9 which is a similar idea to the Wanderlust Travelwide 5x4. It will use the same lens and interchangeable back/GGS I'm using on the field camera but is a fixed design. This is pretty much as small as I could make it at 130mmx100mmx100mm. I've built in a single filter slot for a Cokin P so I can use a single ND/colour/grad without trying to mount a filter to the vey small lens. There will be a light tight material over the slot for when there is now filter fitted.

View attachment 64942

The first test is printing now and is estimating another 36 hours to go but I think that's a bit like "Microsoft Minutes" in Windows so it should probably be finished by tonight.

View attachment 64943

I'm still seeing some bowing of the base caused by the plastic contracting as it cools on larger prints but that won't affect the actual film face which is set back by 5mm.

View attachment 64944

The centre block being printed are support posts for the front face of the camera where the lens will be mounted. They will be snapped out of the print when it's finished and cooled.

Cool! Will it take rb backs?

 

[stevelmx5]

Erm, possibly. It's designed around a Graflex/Singer RH10 back I've got which has had two blocks bonded to the face of it to lock it in place. If you didn't want to make any permanent changes to the back I'm sure another way of fixing it could be deigned.

 

[stevelmx5]

Slightly modified lens board :0)

 

[stevelmx5]

Ok, the print of my point and shoot 6x9 has finished and so far it's looking good.





I haven't got a Cokin P filter to hand but the slot in the top looks to be the right size for a single filter. I drew this up differently to my other models and included 0.5mm wide support pieces to keep the film plane and lens mount flat. I now just need to break these out of the back and clean up the face before I can fit the GGS and rollfilm back.



The body is 90g and the lens is 120g so I'm happy with that :0)

 

[stevelmx5]

A few more updates on my 6x9 Snapshot camera. I've updated the models to print the main body in 2 parts instead of one which keeps it all flat as well as making it lighter.



The body, lens, back and ground glass holder total 241g now (yes, info have a cracked GGS screen taped in to get the lens alignment correct!). The holes in the back/GGS help both weight and keep the prints flat by preventing warping which is a bit of a challenge with 3D printing on cheaper printers without heated beds. I've found that immersing the print in boiling water for a few seconds softens the plastic enough to flatten it by forming it around the film back until it cools.



I've fitted small screws into the top and bottom corners of the back so I can lock the GGS/film back in place. I've also made flat brackets that will be bonded to the back to keep downward pressure on the GGS/back when they're installed (not shown). These won't be installed until the back is bonded to the body.





I've drawn an updated camera body that gives a wider base for rigidity and bonding the back to. I've also included a flat tripod mounting face along with the Cokin p filter slot.

I'm hacking the chip inside the printer filament reels later so we can use non-OEM filament. At the moment it's £35 per 200m but non-OEM are £10 for the exact same quality so well worth the half an hour of time!

 

[stevelmx5]

 

[Steve Smith]

Nice work as always Steve! If you need any aluminium parts machining, let me know, I've managed to get the CNC router playing nicely at last

Ooh!! Post some pictures!


Steve.

 

[LonerMatt]

This bloke is basically Tomas Roma

 

[stevelmx5]

This bloke is basically Tomas Roma

Thanks. I didn't know who he was but have just read up on him. I like his Pannaroma 1x3 :0)

http://sicilianocameraworks.com/albums/11/

 

[stevelmx5]

The new lens cone print finished earlier;





I haven't bonded the back to the cone yet but I'm seeing good sharpness and not bad brightness considering it's half a ground glass with a 90 year old lens!

 

[stevelmx5]

Next job is to bond the back/cone and then make a top piece for the back to finish the slot for the ground glass/film back.

 

[stevelmx5]

I've finished making the brackets to secure the film holder/GGS to the back as well as a clip in piece that covers the filter slot when it's not in use.











I'm going to spray the white plastic parts matt black before they're bonded to the camera and will order a proper ground glass before bonding that in to place. I've also got a tripod thread to fit into the hole in the base.

I need to put together some sort of dark cloth/cover to help focus in daylight but it's pretty much ready to run some film through it before I get back on to the field camera and my InsTLR build.

 

[steveo_mcg]

That is cool!


Gonna print me one

 

[stevelmx5]

Good man! I'll send you a link to the plans if you want somewhere to start although the size will need to be adjusted according to the flange depth of the lens you use.