Chroma - Lasercut Acrylic 4x5 Field Camera

stevelmx5 said:
Sorry you missed the campaign. Once I've got a good number of KS cameras built and out I'll start taking advertising the Chroma for sale direct. Funnily enough, I've also got a Wista 6x7 roll film back here (thanks @StephenM) and a Polaroid 545 back and they both fit perfectly. I've been trying out Instax in the 545 back to see how well it can be developed by the built in rollers but I haven't nailed down the best card thickness yes.

There are definitely no issues with internal reflections, I'm not building a Holga ;0) The entire light path is fully sealed end to end so the external colour of the camera can be anything (out of the 9 available options!)
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No problem on missing the campaign! I've backed and run crowd-funders for a decade so I know how it goes. I'm just glad I found out about it now and I will patiently await news of general sale availability as-and-when. :)

The Wista is really nice. I use a fair bit of 120 on my 3.5F Rollei. I'm also interested in 6x12 120 film back options too (as well as wet plate). Regarding the Polaroid 545(i) and Instax Wide, I saw this video on YouTube that details one example:


stevelmx5 said:
There are definitely no issues with internal reflections, I'm not building a Holga ;0) The entire light path is fully sealed end to end so the external colour of the camera can be anything (out of the 9 available options!)
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That's great to hear. In which case white body, black bellows goes to the top of my list!

Cheers.

P.S. I know you're more of an an Instagram rather than Twitter user, but I'm the other way round. :) So followed on Twitter.
 
One further query I did have (but couldn’t see an answer to) - is there a spot on the camera to fit a cold shoe? I sometimes use a PocketWizard remote flash system and the ability to attach a PW to the Chroma would be handy for portrait work.
 
I got my pin today :D

Thanks Steve :D Although I wouldn't know what to do with a camera it's been well worth the cost of a pin to read about the project and be a very small part of it.

Good luck with the camera Steve and good luck to those who've bought one and are lucky enough to know what to do with it :D
 
woof woof said:
I got my pin today :D

Thanks Steve :D Although I wouldn't know what to do with a camera it's been well worth the cost of a pin to read about the project and be a very small part of it.

Good luck with the camera Steve and good luck to those who've bought one and are lucky enough to know what to do with it :D
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Awesome, thanks for letting me know Alan. I really appreciate everyone's support in the campaign as without it, Chroma wouldn't now be a reality :)

Edit: I also send out generic apologies to the line of people stood behind me in the Post Office yesterday while they labelled 18 parcels going to America, New Zealand, Spain and around the UK ;)
 
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What will they think when you go in with 148 cameras to post???? :D
 
stevelmx5 said:
Edit: I also send out generic apologies to the line of people stood behind me in the Post Office yesterday while they labelled 18 parcels going to America, New Zealand, Spain and around the UK ;)
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Shouldn't be a problem Steve, they were probably all pensioners with nowt else to do! :exit:
 
Go in on pension day...
 
stevelmx5 said:
Awesome, thanks for letting me know Alan. I really appreciate everyone's support in the campaign as without it, Chroma wouldn't now be a reality :)

Edit: I also send out generic apologies to the line of people stood behind me in the Post Office yesterday while they labelled 18 parcels going to America, New Zealand, Spain and around the UK ;)
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You should have a word with their commercial department and they would probably do a bulk pick up from you, and negotiate a special rate.
 
Quick update tonight. I’m dry assembling my mule Chroma to test the final fit before I start cutting the first 11 Kickstarter Cameras. I’m really happy with both of the standards now for both rigidity and smoothness.

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I’m also trying out the recessed lens board I printed to see how far I can push it. Obviously I still need to fit a bellows but I reckon the option of fitting a 30mm lens is as extreme as it’s going to get!
 
stevelmx5 said:
Quick update tonight. I’m dry assembling my mule Chroma to test the final fit before I start cutting the first 11 Kickstarter Cameras. I’m really happy with both of the standards now for both rigidity and smoothness.

View attachment 128144

I’m also trying out the recessed lens board I printed to see how far I can push it. Obviously I still need to fit a bellows but I reckon the option of fitting a 30mm lens is as extreme as it’s going to get!
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please excuse a daft question from someone who has never used a LF camera. is the recessed board just to get certain lenses to focus correctly? to get correct lens to film distance?
 
niko said:
please excuse a daft question from someone who has never used a LF camera. is the recessed board just to get certain lenses to focus correctly? to get correct lens to film distance?
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Exactly that [emoji1303]. Every lens has a different flange focal depth which is the distance it has to be away from the film plane to focus to infinity.

Wider angle lenses have a shorter flange depth which means that they have to be closer to the film plane. Physically, there is only so close that the front standard (and lens) can get to the rear standard so adding a recessed board moves the lens closer again.
 
stevelmx5 said:
Exactly that [emoji1303]. Every lens has a different flange focal depth which is the distance it has to be away from the film plane to focus to infinity.

Wider angle lenses have a shorter flange depth which means that they have to be closer to the film plane. Physically, there is only so close that the front standard (and lens) can get to the rear standard so adding a recessed board moves the lens closer again.
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thank you mate, so its not like a "system" where all will focus as they are designed to fit (canon ef on a canon camera) so you in effect build an adaptor so more makes/lenses will achieve focus?
 
niko said:
thank you mate, so its not like a "system" where all will focus as they are designed to fit (canon ef on a canon camera) so you in effect build an adaptor so more makes/lenses will achieve focus?
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Pretty much. There are various different shutters which have larger/smaller threads to mount to the lens board (and accommodate larger glass elements). Once you mount the shutter/lens to the board, you then move the entire front standard towards/away from the film to focus.

For example, I use a 90mm lens and a 150mm lens. The 90mm is very wide, equivalent to around 28mm on full frame, and the 150mm is around 45mm on full frame. The 90mm lens needs to be around 90mm from the film to focus to infinity and the 150mm around 145mm from it. They are both fitted to their own lens boards and that just drops in to the front standard.
 
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stevelmx5 said:
Pretty much. There are various different shutters which have larger/smaller threads to mount to the lens board (and accommodate larger glass elements). Once you mount the shutter/lens to the board, you then move the entire front standard towards/away from the film to focus.

For example, I use a 90mm lens and a 150mm lens. The 90mm is very wide, equivalent to around 28mm on full frame, and the 150mm is around 45mm on full frame. The 90mm lens needs to be around 90mm from the film to focus to infinity and the 150mm around 145mm from it. They are both fitted to their own lens boards and that just drops in to the front standard.
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thank you, great info. so do you tend to use one shutter with multiple lenses or one shutter per lens and change the whole unit,
sorry for all the questions its just a different world from my 35mm and medium format stuff
 
niko said:
thank you, great info. so do you tend to use one shutter with multiple lenses or one shutter per lens and change the whole unit,
sorry for all the questions its just a different world from my 35mm and medium format stuff
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Generally 1 shutter per lens in a lens board, swapping shutters, lenses and boards can be done but it can be a bit of a faff so not really recommended unless you're forced into it.
 
RaglanSurf said:
Generally 1 shutter per lens in a lens board, swapping shutters, lenses and boards can be done but it can be a bit of a faff so not really recommended unless you're forced into it.
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thank you mate,
 
niko said:
thank you, great info. so do you tend to use one shutter with multiple lenses or one shutter per lens and change the whole unit,
sorry for all the questions its just a different world from my 35mm and medium format stuff
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LF folk use this weird terminology where they say a lens is "in a Copal 0 shutter", for example. As I understand it, you unscrew the front and back parts of the lens and the shutter goes in the middle (with the lens board?). So it might make more sense to say the Copal 0 shutter is in the lens. OTOH, someone who actually knows will be along in a minute to explain how I've go this wrong! :)
 
I haven’t shared any photos here for a while as I’ve been slightly busy with other jobs [emoji6]. While I’m waiting for my bellows material to be cut for all the cameras, I’ve been finishing my own mule Chroma to check all alignment/gaps. Please ignore the dust as it hasn’t been cleaned yet (and the fact there are no focusing knobs or countersunk screws fitted to the uprights yet so they’re not completely aligned!) but this is how the release Chroma’s will look.

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I’m also waiting for the delivery of all of my rubber gasket parts which are fitted throughout the camera to perform various spacing/friction functions but they should be here tomorrow.
 
Lookin good Steve! Almost wish I could use one!
Not a format I would use though, it wouldn't fit in my Rucksack!
 
wontolla said:
Lookin good Steve! Almost wish I could use one!
Not a format I would use though, it wouldn't fit in my Rucksack!
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You need a bigger rucksack (y)
 
RaglanSurf said:
You need a bigger rucksack (y)
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acs said:
Perfect excuse for a new one ;)
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I'm trying to go smaller, not bigger!
I already have 60ltr 40ltr 30ltr and the one I use pretty much all the time, 25ltr.
Not to mention several photo backpacks!
I cannot see myself setting one of these up on top of a big hill or on a railway somewhere!

But I can still drool over them!
 
wontolla said:
I'm trying to go smaller, not bigger!
I already have 60ltr 40ltr 30ltr and the one I use pretty much all the time, 25ltr.
Not to mention several photo backpacks!
I cannot see myself setting one of these up on top of a big hill or on a railway somewhere!

But I can still drool over them!
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I took my Chroma to work with me a while back in a canvas Messenger bag, along with a Quickload holder, 3 sheets of Velvia, a remote release cable and Manfrotto Pixi. Not the ideal tripod but it worked and I could still carry my lunch with it in the same bag ;0)
 
stevelmx5 said:
I haven’t shared any photos here for a while as I’ve been slightly busy with other jobs [emoji6]. While I’m waiting for my bellows material to be cut for all the cameras, I’ve been finishing my own mule Chroma to check all alignment/gaps. Please ignore the dust as it hasn’t been cleaned yet (and the fact there are no focusing knobs or countersunk screws fitted to the uprights yet so they’re not completely aligned!) but this is how the release Chroma’s will look.

View attachment 129084

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pwfffrrrrrr its wrong to feel like this over an inanimate object:eek::confused::p
 
So far this is the extent of my preparedness for Chroma....

1) Back KS
2) remember I bought a (never-yet-used) changing bag from @steveo_mcg
3) watch a bunch of stuff on fleabay and worry about how absurdly expensive it all is
4) ask a bunch of increasingly stupid questions!
 
ChrisR said:
So far this is the extent of my preparedness for Chroma....

1) Back KS
2) remember I bought a (never-yet-used) changing bag from @steveo_mcg
3) watch a bunch of stuff on fleabay and worry about how absurdly expensive it all is
4) ask a bunch of increasingly stupid questions!
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Yes, but isn't the above just a general photography thing, and not specific to Chroma or you? :D
 
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ChrisR said:
So far this is the extent of my preparedness for Chroma....

1) Back KS
2) remember I bought a (never-yet-used) changing bag from @steveo_mcg
3) watch a bunch of stuff on fleabay and worry about how absurdly expensive it all is
4) ask a bunch of increasingly stupid questions!
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So far I've only managed to pick up 2 DDS holders, and a field case to hold 3 more (in matching pink, of course). No film or lens yet...
 
You could start with a box of Harman Direct Positive Paper and a pinhole to make a one-off photo. If pushed, I might be able to loan a lens (subject to seeing what I've got left :D).
 
StephenM said:
You could start with a box of Harman Direct Positive Paper and a pinhole to make a one-off photo. If pushed, I might be able to loan a lens (subject to seeing what I've got left :D).
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All Chroma’s will be coming with both a plain standard lens board and a second board with a pinhole already in place so everyone can at least shoot pinhole while they decide what lens they would like [emoji1303]
 
I think we’re going to need a bigger boat (workshop)!

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They’re the components for 50 sets of bellows. The remaining 100 sets are being cut today then the camera cut begins tomorrow [emoji1303]

This is what the inside of the bellows looks like once the ribs are bonded to the skin;

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I’m going to take some better shots today!
 
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