InsTLR Project

[stevelmx5]

I have also thought in past about mounting a Sony NEX5 inside a TLR style body because I always used to shoot mine with a manual Olympus OM lens and the rear screen flipped up 90 degrees so it was basically a TLR :0)

 

[stevelmx5]

Maybe I should have kept my old NEX5 for the next project...

https://frankencamera.wordpress.com/

 

[stevelmx5]

Well, the good news is that the batteries should fit ok...



Everything else is another story!

Fits like a glove....



Oops, it fell apart in my hands..



I had originally planned to keep the buttons/controls and re-use them but the circuit is too large to easily fit inside the TLR so I've removed everything down to the gearbox/motor/rollers. I'm controlling the motor with the original shutter button so it's just a matter of holding the button down until the shot ejects but even down to this level I'm not going to be able to fit the Instax parts close enough to align the focal plane.



The only way I can see it fitting is to make it completely manual wind like the Lomo Belair instant back so I can remove the motor housing and gearbox.



I'm removing the mounting posts for the gears and then smoothing off the inside face of the Instax cartridge tray to get it sitting flush with the TLR.

 

[stevelmx5]

Well, some progress this afternoon so I've got the film tray to sit flush with the back of the TLR after a little bit of persuasion with a grinding bit :0)





I've left the various gear mount posts in place for now in case they come in handy for attaching the tray to the back. If not, they'll be removed next.

I'm going to have to mount it upside down so the film ejects out of the bottom because there just isn't enough room for the gears and rollers at the top. It's not as bad as I thought it might be anyway so I'll build the 3D printed back around it to curve into the actual camera so it's as small as I can get it.

The only issue now is that the metal bar that pushes the exposed film towards the rollers sits lower than the film tray so I'm going to have to make a new bar that I can push down from the top of the camera I think. Still working on that one :0)

 

[stevelmx5]

I've trimmed off the redundant gear stands and done another test fit using the original hinged rear door. I'm going to trim the silver plastic back to match the width of the TLR so it stays neat but also gives me the clips to push the film cartridge in place as well as the springs to push down the films.







I've also drawn up a small crank handle in 3 pieces that I'm going to print up and attach to the largest cog to process the films.



I'll add more updates whenever I get chance to carry on with it.

 

[stevelmx5]

I've been doing some 'gentle' trimming of the Instax back today to make it as slim as the camera back.



I've shaved it as much as I can while still keeping the original door and mounting points to keep it all light tight. I've also trimmed the original top plate and part of the front of the camera so the film eject area is smooth and fully enclosed.





It looks a bit disjointed at the moment but once there are new flat sides fitted and the whole of it is smoothed out and resprayed black I think it should look pretty neat. I've also printed the parts for the crank handle today so I'll assemble that and test it out on the camera after that.

 

[dizidav]

Looking good, looking forward to seeing the complete back.

 

[stevelmx5]

Looking good, looking forward to seeing the complete back.

Thanks. I'm building up a mockup using black card at the moment to check alignment etc so will take some more pictures once it's done.

 

[stevelmx5]

Disclaimer: There will be much less sellotape on the finished back ;0)





I'm done for tonight but think I'll finish the top of the new back at an angle like the base to keep it symmetrical.





The new back will hinge from the same top brackets and lock on to the original clip the the normal back uses below the lens on the front. With the original door and surround in place I can then simply open the door, drop in the film cartridge and clip the door shut again.

 

[stevelmx5]

And if I don't like Instax results I can always embed an iPhone for some retro looks ;0)

 

[trevorbray]

And if I don't like Instax results I can always embed an iPhone for some retro looks ;0)

View attachment 62969

Kewl..

 

[ChrisR]

Disclaimer: There will be much less sellotape on the finished back ;0)

View attachment 62947

View attachment 62948

I'm done for tonight but think I'll finish the top of the new back at an angle like the base to keep it symmetrical.

View attachment 62949

View attachment 62950

The new back will hinge from the same top brackets and lock on to the original clip the the normal back uses below the lens on the front. With the original door and surround in place I can then simply open the door, drop in the film cartridge and clip the door shut again.

Will there be enough flat area to stand the camera on its bottom, Steve? It could be a pain in the bottom if you can't!

 

[stevelmx5]

No, at the moment it won't stand up with the current base but the designer in me is preferring form over function ;0) I might build in a little support foot so it can though.

 

[kendo1]

No, at the moment it won't stand up with the current base but the designer in me is preferring form over function ;0) I might build in a little support foot so it can though.

Is there room for a tripod mount?

Or maybe incorporate a quick release plate as part of the design...

 

[stevelmx5]

There's definitely room because at the moment, the entire bottom piece is hollow. I've just been thinking about adding to the 3D design for the back door to build up the sides so I could strengthen the base and include a tripod thread.

Part of me is thinking that I will be less likely to shoot Instax with a tripod than standard 120 film. The snapshot idea of Instax lends itself to handheld rather than anything else.

 

[stevelmx5]

I've drawn up a new back door with a wider base and angled top which 'should' let me stand the camera up without it rolling off down a hill :0)



I'm printing it with angled edges so I can smooth it off by hand to match the Instax back. Fingers crossed it actually fits :0)

 

[ChrisR]

Part of me is thinking that I will be less likely to shoot Instax with a tripod than standard 120 film. The snapshot idea of Instax lends itself to handheld rather than anything else.

Is there a role for a back like this that parallels the old idea of a polaroid back as preparation for a serious 120 shoot? You couldn't swap it in and out in the same way, but could you shoot some Instax and then swap the back for a normal back? Or have you pretty much destroyed normal functioning for the rest of the camera?

 

[stevelmx5]

I've been thinking about incorporating a dark slide so I can switch mid-film. My intention with this back was to make no changes at all to the Yashica 635 itself so I'm able to swap between Instax, 120 or 135 as and when. I'll have a think about the dark slide though. Cheers

 

[Nod]

If the base was made slightly bigger, might there be enough room for the ejection motor and some sort of gear/belt mechanism?

 

[stevelmx5]

Potentially it could be built into the base with a new set of gears or a belt but I'm going to focus on a manual eject initially like the Lomo Belair Instant to keep it simple/light. I've kept the motor/gears from the original camera though so could re-use them if need be.

 

[stevelmx5]

The draft print seems to fit pretty well :0)





The catch on the front edge holds but needs to be a bit wider to give it some more strength (this is a draft print so it's not solid anyway)



The hinge pins work well though.



I'll cut out the hole by hand for the Instax back to fit through so it's flush with the film gate. It's easier to do that than work out where the hole needs to be before printing it.

I've also printed the first draft crank arm for winding the rollers. I might need to make the arm slightly longer to give it more leverage along with an extra flange to go inside the back piece to keep the gear on the spindle.

 

[dizidav]

Be nice if you could get a winder handle off a 'Mat' folds over as well.

 

[stevelmx5]

I was looking at a folding crank handle 3D model after I'd drawn this one up but I'm still a bit wary that the manual crank idea won't work! I need to screw this handle on to the gear and see if I can pull a shot through without it falling apart! I'll be happy once I know that works because the rest is just finishing up then.

 

[stevelmx5]

It works!!!*





* Terms and conditions apply. Handle was attached to cog with Heath Robinson-esque screws so the cog popped off but the main thing is that it ejected the dark slide easily and smoothly :0)

 

[stevelmx5]

Next step, a release lever to push each shot towards the rollers. In the original camera, the metal plate is connected to a gear which pulls it forwards and a hook pulls the top piece of film towards the rollers automatically. As I've removed all of the gearbox and motor I've had to come up with a manual way to do this.

The original plate also dropped lower than the face of the film holder so it was pushing the whole unit away from the TLR so I've had to grind off the original fixings and cut part of the plate off first to make it slimmer. Once I was happy with the clearance, I've had to solder the hook section to the plate because there isn't enough space to use screws/bolts. Once the bar was assembled again and moving freely in the TLR, I started looking at the best way to fit a bracket to it so I can push the film forwards from outside of the camera back. My main concern is long term strength so I've soldered a simple 90 degree bracket to multiple points which will exit out of the side of the camera back so it's easy to slide it and turn the crank at the same time. Sounds more complicated than it is but I've just put a coat of primer over the whole piece and will finish it in black. I'll probably fit a 3D printed cap to the metal bracket once it's installed.

 

[stevelmx5]

Now fitted to the Instax holder and tested with ejecting film successfully (I'm looking forward to the 'Lomo' results from this pack of testing film!).







I'm about to shorten the bracket slightly so it fits nicely under the crank arm when it's pushed. I'll get back on to the final back piece then.

 

[stevelmx5]

Ok, I think this should be the final design for the Instax back.

I've included the cutout for the Instax back to mount flush with the film plane, extended the side where I've now removed another cog (the handle is attached direct to the film rollers now), included a slot for the pick hook handle and built a surround to cover the roller gears where I will fit the eject handle through.





I've also deigned a more substantial front catch so it should hold the door in place with no problem.

 

[kendo1]

I'm looking forward to the carbon fibre version...

 

[stevelmx5]

I'm looking forward to the carbon fibre version...

Lol, I reckon I'll stick to PLA for now ;0)

 

[stevelmx5]

My dad's just brought round the latest printed back and I'm biased but am made up with it. I need to remove the supports from inside the gear housing section on the base before I do a proper test fit but it's looking good so far!

Once I've got the back all fitted properly I'll measure up the space for the crank handle and get that printed too so I can do some test shots.

I've also drawn up a new film counter dial which I'll bond to the back door and fit a rotating cover over it so I can see how many shots I've taken.

 

[stevelmx5]

This is the print before I removed some of the support structure from the base/gear housing;







There's now a wider clip on the front edge which does a good job of keeping it solid.



First test fit of the Instax tray;

 

[stevelmx5]

After some re-shaping and removal of the support structure I've now got the back fitting square and flush to the film plane.









Next job is to print the winding crank and cover for the eject bar. I'll then look at making a finishing piece for the base to smooth it all together.

 

[dizidav]

Bl**dy marvelous job.

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks. I'm getting to the point of being a bit excited about actually seeing if I get some good results ;0)

 

[stevelmx5]

I've fitted the new crank arm to the rollers today and.....taken a picture!

It's still developing at the moment (2 minutes feels like a week!) but I've definitely got something on it :0)

The Instax back isn't bonded into the new camera back yet so I was holding it against the film plane so there's a fair chance it's not sharp but I can definitely see what I was aiming at. The other issue looks like some uneven development which is probably down to me winding too fast but it's a start!

 

[wontolla]

Only just seen this thread Steve!
It's looking good, strange, but good!
I am sure you will get it sorted.
I'm following the story now so I'll keep up!

 

[stevelmx5]

Thanks Baz. You know I don't sit still after a project for too long!

 

[wontolla]

Thanks Baz. You know I don't sit still after a project for too long!

True, true. Now where did I put my 4x5 wooden field camera?

 

[stevelmx5]

Funnily enough I spent some time this morning doodling both a 3D printed 4x5 and a 6x9 SLR...maybe they're next on the list :0)

 

[wontolla]

I'll keep watching with interest!