Polaroid 110A 4x5 Conversion

Thanks Andy. I've just put the first coat of matt black onto the plates, I'm hoping the bubble level/magnets will contrast nicely with it. I was going to hide the magnets first but decided to leave them visible instead to add a little detail to the top plate.
 
I like the primer colour. Sets it off nicely. If it were me, I wouldn't paint them black.

Edit: oops, sorry, missed that you'd already done it.
 
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Lol, I'll sand it off ;0) I did wonder about leaving the top and bottom different colours to the body but in the end decided that I preferred a constant colour theme throughout.
 
Ok, my last update before I head off on holiday tomorrow morning.

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Annoyingly, I was a bit heavy handed with the soapy water when I flattened the last coat of black which caused a bit of swelling around the edges of the holes I cut [emoji35]. As a result, I'm going to have sand back the top layer to remove the bulges, add some fine filler then re-paint it but that will have to wait.

Overall I think I've made the right decision sticking with Matt black. If I hadn't been a numpty with the soapy water I'd have been done by now! Oh well, nothing ever goes perfectly eh ;0)
 
If TP had an annual award for the most interesting thread, this would be it. Top work Steve (y)

Have a great holiday and I look forward to seeing some of the photo's even if they are from one of those new fangled digital thingummybobs.
 
Fair play to Amazon. After failing to deliver a variable ND filter in time I ordered last week using the free shipping, they've now waved the international priority shipping charge (£23!) and are delivering it to our hotel in Florida! Not bad for a £12 filter :0)
 
How do, I'm back in the country :0)

Still suffering with the jetlag (Jake didn't go to sleep until 1:30am this morning!). I managed to grab 10 minutes today to fill/sand the rough edges of the top and bottom plates ready to finish. Rather than spraying another topcoat I decided to try wrapping the plates in the Matt black sticky back plastic I used for the popup shade. By softening the sheet with a hairdryer it becomes pretty stretchy so curves around reasonably easily.

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I'll trim back the inside edges which will be hidden when the plates are bonded to the camera. I'll cut an additional piece of sticky back plastic to go over the visible channels in the plates so they stay neat and tidy.

I'm going to re-do this now I know it stretches well but it should work out a bit more hard wearing than just paint and seals the wood completely.
 
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I've just ordered a 23" Graphic 6x9 roll film holder so I can shoot 120 as well as 4x5. I'll need to add a piece to the left side of the Graphic holder to make the plate thicker so it sits tight in my camera but other than that it should be a straight fit :0)
 
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Bloody hell, that's ridiculous. Yours is a much better way of doing it... if a little more complicated.
 
The biggest benefits to these complete backs is that they're simple to install and provide a standard Graflok back so all standard accessories fit. Like you say though, they add much more depth to the camera and are a bit more clunky looking because it overhangs the body. A company called Polaconv used to make the same thing and I've seen them sell the 3D print plans on eBay for less than £250 which look exactly like these Kickstarter ones?
 
Two plates heat wrapped and almost ready to fit :0)

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I need to trim the waste from the back then bond some black felt to the channels so the DDS slide in with some resistance. Also need to fit the magnets/bubble level to the top panel and refit the tripod bush to the bottom then they're ready to be bonded/clamped to the body.

Annoyingly I realised after I ordered it that the Graflex 6x9 back I bought doesn't have the 5x4 frame around it (I blame the bad pictures..) so I can either sell it on or make my own frame. I'll see what the condition of it is when it arrives and make a decision.
 
Some slightly better photos although the Sony auto white balance really doesn't like beech wood and halogen lighting!

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More shots in my Flickr set;

https://flickr.com/photos/8476499@N02/sets/72157656890676270

I really can't wait to get out and shoot with this again. When I started the project I intended to sell it on once I'd finished but I'm getting quite attached to it and with the 6x9 back coming I'll be able to shoot 120 as well which gives me some added flexibility.

Cheers
Steve
 
Morning , its looking superb mate. If you fancy a run out with it I'm thinking about taking my new Wista up to New Brighton on Saturday, if the lens arrives that is. Actually even if it doesn't arrive I'll probably take the MPP.

Andy
 
stevelmx5 said:
Morning mate. That's sounds like a good plan assuming our gale force winds have died down!
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Actually I was hoping for some stormy seas and big waves but its looking like it will be a bit quieter by Saturday. I'll pop a meet post up to see if anyone else fancies joining us.
 
steveo_mcg said:
Also large format cameras and wind are not the best of friends.
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Wuss, what's up with attaching heavy weights to the thing, perhaps an RB67....:D

stevelmx5 said:
With New Brighton you need somewhere in the middle. If the wind's too high the surrounding area floods and you won't make it to the lighthouse :0)
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Good point, but there's plenty of other stuff around there if the lighthouse is a no-no.
 
Well, fair play to Rocky for once :0) My rollfilm back arrived yesterday and is exactly as it looked online. It's a 23 Graphic shell with a later Singer Rapid Vance holder inside.

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I drew up the 5x4 adaptor plate I need for it last night so will get it cut from the same 6mm acrylic as my ground glass holder. Should look quite nice on the 110.

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Drum roll please.....

1) This was the first ever sheet I took on the 110A. Not the best trial run considering I was perched on the side of a waterfall but I'm happy I got any result! The side of the sheet was fogged because I was shooting without the top plate and had to move the DDS upwards to fit the tripod foot.

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2) Slightly better result. Still some fogging due to the missing top plate but I've rotated this shot slightly and cropped which has removed a lot of the mistake :0)

Taken at Buttermere while laughing at @Andysnap getting very irate about the yoof ruining his composition :0)

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Overall I'm happy with the first results. The fact I got any images is a bonus! Both of these are Shanghai GP3 developed by Peak. I've got another sheet of Shanghai already exposed in one of the holders and a few sheets of Astia loaded that I'm itching to shoot.

Cheers
Steve
 
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Well, they've come out ok . How did you clone out the annoying kids?:D
 
Time to break out the clamps...

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I bonded the top and bottom plates to the body last night. Weirdly that was quite stressful compared to the rest of the conversion? I've removed the clamps today and they're both straight and tight which is good :0)

Next job is to embed magnets into the ground glass holder along with matching ones in the pop up shade so it can be removed easily. I could have bonded the shade to the glass permanently but I don't like the fact the rear door doesn't sit flat with the shade in place (yes, Steve Jobs is my designer inspiration!..)
 
It's alive :0)

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I'm made up with the final appearance/handling and it's pretty much exactly as I pictured it. The ground glass holder slots in smoothly and can be removed without and swearing or sweating which is good. I'll be fitting the magnets into it tomorrow for the shade but the main priority for me was that the back door of the camera shuts with the GGS in place so it's one less thing to have to carry in the bag.

I've just weighed the camera with the GGS fitted and external viewfinder/cable release inside and it's 1722g so not too difficult to throw in a bag for a day or shooting. I haven't weighed the rollfilm back but will do once it's embedded in the 4x5 adaptor plate and ready to use.

I'll take some proper pictures with lighting and a white background next too.

Cheers
Steve
 
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That my friend is a thing of beauty. Top work. (y)(y)(y)
 
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