[MF3D.FORUM:1566] Re: Hacking Cameras for Stereo (was Darcyflex)

[Brian Reynolds <reynolds@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greg Erker wrote:
> I've often talked about building a camera around 
> Mamiya TLR lenses. With some sort of removable
> lens plate you could have different FLs.
> 
[snip]
> My other camera hack dream would be to have
> front lens board tilt. Then you could have the ground
> in the foreground off to infinity in focus without using
> f32 all the time. Might be handy.
> 
> Would be hard to adjust unless you do it by calculation.
> Unless all three lenses (taking, viewing, taking) were 
> in line. Then the viewfinder would be subject to the same
> tilt and would show the effect of the tilt.
> 

If you spend enough money I think you could do this today (actually
tomorrow) with off the shelf equipment.

I recently bought a KB Canham DLC metal folding 4x5 camera.  Keith
Canham also makes a 5x7 version called the MQC (model names are based
on his sons' initials).  You can see a review of the DLC here:

<URL:http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~qtluong/photography/lf/canham/canhamdlc.html>

Canham is also working on a 6x17 motorized roll film holder for the
MQC.  He showed the working prototype at Photo Expo East Plus last
November.

I think a pair of the Mamiya TLR taking lenses (no viewing lenses) on
a single lensboard, a septum, the MQC camera and the rollfilm holder
could be used to create a 6x8 stereo camera with groundglass focusing
and full movements.  All together this would probably cost more than
the Dr. Gilde and Japanese cameras that have been discussed before.

The other way of doing this would be to build a monorail viewcamera
with a pair of Mamiya TLR lenses and a septum.  Jon Grepstad
<URL:http://home.online.no/~gjon/> maintains a Do It Yourself
viewcamera page and has a very good book (with drawings and step by
step instructions) for building a wood monorail camera.

Using a 6x12 roll film holder would be nice, but they are pretty rare
and expensive.  A sheet of 4x5 film could be cut down after processing
for much less cost.

Doug Bardell <URL:http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/> has built roll
film holders (look at his panoramic page).  The botttom of the
panoramic page shows his latest projects, 6x12 and 6x17 rollfilm
cameras.

-- 
Brian Reynolds                  | "Dee Dee!  Don't touch that button!"
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