re: Longfellow camera and misc homebrew panos

[Robert Monaghan <rmonagha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

the ensigns were picked because they were cheap in the UK (around $20 US 
each) all metal camera bodies which could easily be chopped and mated end 
to end to produce a long film channel body. Nothing sacred about them at all.
Probably a few come up on EBAY now and again, but there is also a usenet 
group of UK photo groups, where a WTB ad might turn some up cheaply ;-)
Any metal body 120 rollfilm camera you can buy two of, to match up exactly,
would probably work similarly - viewfinder models cheaper and simpler=better?

You can also check my site's IMPACT Used Photo Gear Dealers pages at
http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/albro.html with hundreds of dealers
listed; the photonet ad board of Phil Greenspun is also a good site to
post WTB ads; I was lucky enough to get a Nimslo 3D camera for $20 ppd
with manuals for conversion from a WTB ad there to use per Andrew
Davidhazy's article on converting this 72mm long 35mm camera (21x72mm) see
http://www.rit.edu/~andpph/text-nimslo.html  - the Nimslo is an all metal 
body, originally $229 US priced, now obsolete but with a nifty 72mm long 
film channel that makes it the perfect easy to modify 35mm film small pano!

the longfellow 6x18cm article I saw was in the British Journal of
Photography, by Roger Hicks at BJP Jan 15, 1997 issue, a few pages
describing and showing the final Longfellow 6x18cm camera and info about
the coverage and the fact that a 90mm f/6.8 angulon (not super angulon,
the cheaper older version) would cover 6x17cm or even 6x18cm, depending on
how you put the bodies together. Interesting, but too much metal work for
me (I'm an EE in telecom and software engr grad student, not in ME ;-) So
I'm using some older film format camera models for "conversion", hence the
larger film channel, hence the ability to use "film shifting" per past
posting... 

basically, any metal body low cost 120 (or 620?) format camera pair which
can be stripped down, hack-sawed and filed/sanded flat edges, then 
drilled and screwed together (plus black epoxy..) will convert them into
a long film back with large format leaf shutter lens on the front ;-) 
About 90% of the expense is in the lens and shutter, plus maybe $100 US 
for the rest of the metal work lens to body mount plus the 2 startup 
camera bodies ($20-25 each?). A modest plus is the cameras don't have to 
work; lenses may be frozen etc. and it won't impact results but lower costs.

Bob has some interesting ideas on hacking a pano too, see his 6x12cm at
http://bigcamera.com/articles/6x12x4x5.htm - he is using a 4x5 camera 
back and regular film holders plus mamiya front end, nifty, esp with wide 
angles being so cheap among the mamiya press cameras etc...

Doug Bardell's panos are also worth reviewing; see:
http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/alternat.html

I especially liked learning that the low cost Agfa Isolette lenses will 
cover 6x9cm which makes them possible candidates for the Nimslo-3D lenses;
the 72mm channel will be longer than the Xpan, so should be interesting ;-)

regards bobm

* Robert Monaghan POB752182 Dallas Tx 75275-2182 rmonagha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  *
* Medium Format Cameras: http://www.smu.edu/~rmonagha/mf/index.html megasite*

On Fri, 7 Apr 2000, Stan Patz wrote:

> >the Longfellow 6x17cm (or 18cm) joining the pair of Ensign 620s used the
> >older and cheaper 90mm f/6.8 angulon (not super)
> 
> Dear Robert,
> 
> A few years ago I read an article in Shutterbug about the "Longfellow". I 
> would be interested in building one but cannot find suitable donor cameras - 
> e.g. Ensign 620s? Do you know a source?