charjohncarter
Veteran
This is a simple question. Is this the correct setting for F 5.6, that notch is confusing.
This is a homemade camera. The parts are:
Zeiss Nettar 6x45 body with the front plate and bellows removed;
Top plate added housing 2 shoes (for spirit level or flash and Russian 35mm finder turned vertical and shaded for 75mm standard lens);
Kenko/Hasselblad body mount on aluminium board fitted to cover the removed front plate and bellows;
Hasselblad lens mount and adaptor housing Agfa Solinar 75mm/f3.5 in Compur (From Isolette);
34-37 step up ring glued to front focusing ring for holding filters and hood.
The lens assembly can be removed (ordinary Hasselblad bayonet) and interchanged for Pinhole assembly (built on a Hasselblad body cap). But the changing can only be done inside a dark bag or lose 2 frames instead as there is no slide to cover the film.
This is the only one in the world (if no one else has done the same thing) and probably the smallest non-folding 645 in the world or one may call it the medium format Rollei 35T!
This camera was made almost 20 years ago. I love folders but their bellows tend to leak sooner or later. And I had not discovered Camerabellows in Birmingham at that time. Hence the project to do fixed lenses to get rid of the bellows. All the parts and lenses have been carefully calibrated, levelled and adjusted and focusing checked against ground glass. I have a few others made up of other parts. The idea was not to rely on bellows but still have something relatively small and light. I once went on a trip to Europe with a Hasselblad system and I ended up selling all of it upon my return swearing that I will only have something light when travelling even at the expense of a drop in the quality of the gear. This is the history behind it. I will try to post a better pic later but I am just not good with digital stuff.
Very cool thing you've made there.
I'll take one with something around 50mm when you have the time. 😀
In fact I do have a couple.
One is Agfa Isolette body with Schneider Kreuznach 47mm with focusing ring.
The other is Voigtlander Perkeo body with the same lens and focusing ring. The lens on the second one is more expensive because it has a "Linhof" mark on the rear tube.
I have either a Leitz 21mm or Russian 20mm finders to go with them.
I will try to post some pics. But as I say I am not good at computers.
When you take out the front plate and bellows of a 6x6 folder, you will also take out the two supporting cranks. You are in effect taking out a square chunk and should be able to see the film pressure plate. So, what you need is a piece of square board (like a lens board in LF) to cover that space. You will also have to drill a big hole in the centre of this board to house the focusing ring or what have you. In the case of my Solinar already shown, it was a Kenko/Hasselblad body mount on the square board.
Thanks, that camera is still the neatest thing I've seen in years. Post when you have time.
And Steve, you are at liberty to make me an offer which I can't refuse. This is probably the only one of its kind in the world (again)!
Again, I'm in awe. I have an Ansco Speedex the same as the AIsoletteII. Do you just use a ground glass to adjust the infinity setting with the lens mount spacing? Please post some of your images.