Chroma - Lasercut Acrylic 4x5 Field Camera

RaglanSurf said:
That makes a lot of sense Steve, I like the idea of the captive bolt and the slot but I'd also like to see a marked 'standard' position if possible. So if you're completely new to LF cameras you can still set the camera up in a 'ready to go' normal position.
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Sounds good. ...some even expect you to make your own marks :eek:
 
Big day tomorrow. My friend is driving up to meet me in Liverpool with his camera man to shoot my Kickstarter campaign video [emoji15]. In true last minute fashion, I cut a brand new camera yesterday and assembled it today. I've got the last few bits to finish off tonight but I'm happy to say that the new focusing bed works well and gives very small adjustments which should be great for movements.

IMG_8972.JPG

I've also assembled the new rear standard which uses the ground glass as the cage to hold the DDS in place. I'm really happy with the way it's turned out (although my only actual glass has a crack across it and I don't have time to get another one before tomorrow so we'll have to be creative with the camera angles! I need to clean up the camera/glass but will add some pictures once it's ready to go.

I'm going to shoot a few sheets of Fomapan that I've got here (kindly donated by @Andysnap [emoji6]) so it will be nice to see the results.
 
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Good luck with the shoot Steve.
 
Can I make an aesthetic suggestion?

The slot head screws look like they don't belong....can I suggest rather than using countersunk screws use anodised allen head bolts in recessed holes?
It'd look a lot more tech and perhaps you could offer alternative colour schemes?
 
Twigman said:
Can I make an aesthetic suggestion?

The slot head screws look like they don't belong....can I suggest rather than using countersunk screws use anodised allen head bolts in recessed holes?
It'd look a lot more tech and perhaps you could offer alternative colour schemes?
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Already suggested a few pages back :)
 
Thanks for the positivity guys, I'm happy to say that it went well and we only got moved on 3 times by security for filming on the Albert Dock! It was good in the end though because we filmed outside the Open Eye Gallery which is on the main road through Liverpool. I got chatting to the Curator and she said she'll share my campaign on their social media and also asked about stocking some Chromas in their shop which is awesome [emoji3]

Thanks for the suggestion about the allen head bolts. As Ken said, it's been suggested before and I agree so I'll be getting some black M3 bolts for the next build.
 
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Ahh, ALLEN bolts! I've been googling ALIAN bolts!
Note to self: bring eye test forward.
 
ChrisR said:
But the boring bellows colours! Where's your sense of style gone, @stevelmx5 ? :)
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Well....I did make a set of silver/purple bellows on Wednesday night because there wasn't any black but they wouldn't have been ideal. Annoyingly, I ended up cutting the ribs using an older design rather than my updated one so stuck with the black ones instead. I was running around this morning finishing the camera ready for the video today so the bellows were the least of my worries :0)
 
Looking great Steve, really looking forward to seeing the out-takes from the video ;)
 
I’ve just grabbed a very quick shot using a sheet of unknown heritage Fomopan 100. I used my SP-445 dev tank for the first time and can see why they’ve released the v2 edition of their holders..

(Deleted image because I’m a numpty...)

Mmm, they’re some lovely stripes [emoji35]

@Woodsy I can see why you were asking about modifying the holders now!
 
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Exactly that mate. I'm quite violent in my agitation when developing, so my results are less brutal than that, but even still! If you do find a solution, please do let me know!
 
Woodsy said:
Exactly that mate. I'm quite violent in my agitation when developing, so my results are less brutal than that, but even still! If you do find a solution, please do let me know!
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I've already cut two rectangles out of one of the holders so will try it again. Reading their blog post they suggested that the central divider isn't really needed so can be removed so I'm tempted to chop it out completely.

I did my standard 4 rotations every minute as per a Paterson tank but think I need to make it more like a cocktail shaker ;0)
 
stevelmx5 said:
I used a Dremel with a cutting disk. Just need to sand teh edges to make sure there aren't any rough burrs left behind.
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Nice. I'll likely do the same. I guess the plastic is rigid enough to maintain the overall shape of the holder. In the pic above, did you face the emulsion side towards the divider or away from it? My guess would be that it was facing the divider?
 
Woodsy said:
Nice. I'll likely do the same. I guess the plastic is rigid enough to maintain the overall shape of the holder. In the pic above, did you face the emulsion side towards the divider or away from it? My guess would be that it was facing the divider?
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Nope, the emulsion was away from the developer which is why I'm even more surprised about the result?
 
stevelmx5 said:
Nope, the emulsion was away from the developer which is why I'm even more surprised about the result?
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Wait, so the emulsion was facing the holder? i.e., facing the ridges of the holder?

For completeness, in my case, with the film holder in portrait format, with the finger tab at the top and with the film loaded in from the top, the notches were top right so that the emulsion was facing away from the holder (free space/developer solution - | emulsion - film sub-straight - AH layer | - ridged holder face)
 
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Woodsy said:
Wait, so the emulsion was facing the holder? i.e., facing the ridges of the holder?

For completeness, in my case, with the film holder in portrait format, with the finger tab at the top and with the film loaded in from the top, the notches were top right so that the emulsion was facing away from the holder (free space/developer solution - | emulsion - film sub-straight - AH layer | - riged holder face)
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Sorry bud, I clearly can't do two things at once! I meant that the emulsion was facing away from the divider, not the developer! I'll shoot another sheet and develop it using my modified divider and see if it improves. I'll also use a bit more agitation.
 
stevelmx5 said:
I’ve just grabbed a very quick shot using a sheet of unknown heritage Fomopan 100. I used my SP-445 dev tank for the first time and can see why they’ve released the v2 edition of their holders..

View attachment 111692

Mmm, they’re some lovely stripes [emoji35]

@Woodsy I can see why you were asking about modifying the holders now!
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That pattern is the same as holders.
The emulsion must have been in contact with it. so as to prevent the developer acting in the stripe areas.
i.e... loaded inside out.
with all cut film, when the notch in the film is top right the emulsion is facing you.


Illustration of how to suck eggs.....


hand-holding-cut-film.jpg
 
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