Instax Wide Lomograflok 4x5 Back

[hap]

If you have the Kalart rangefinder, it takes a little patience but is not technically hard. I followed these instructions and it worked great.

sorry to beat this to death. I have a Crown post 1955 so it has a so called graflex rangefinder, top mounted. the side mounted Kalart is supposed to be equivalent to the Graflex top mounted version. Is that your understanding? It's likely that I will use the lomo graphic back according to it's manual before experimenting with the RF calibration. However, it does seem that should be able to mark the focus rail for two infininity stops and move the lens back and forth to accommodate the lomo, roll backs or sheet film. Would that be correct?

 

[Mackinaw]

sorry to beat this to death. I have a Crown post 1955 so it has a so called graflex rangefinder, top mounted. the side mounted Kalart is supposed to be equivalent to the Graflex top mounted version. Is that your understanding? It's likely that I will use the lomo graphic back according to it's manual before experimenting with the RF calibration. However, it does seem that should be able to mark the focus rail for two infininity stops and move the lens back and forth to accommodate the lomo, roll backs or sheet film. Would that be correct?

Personally, I wouldn't bother recalibrating the rangefinder on your Crown just so you can use the Lomograflok back. It can be done, but it's much simpler just to calibrate the focusing rail for near and far distances. That's what I did. I put in the supplied focusing adjuster, and used the ground glass to measure proper focus at 300', and at 8' (portrait). I then put black marks made with a sharpie on the focusing rail at these respective distances. It works. I just got back from taking several pics and, near or far, everything I focused on is tack sharp.

Jim B.

 

[Mackinaw]

Some pics from today's Instax-Wide session. While a handful to carry, I've made my Crown Graphic with the Lomograflok back a viable street photography camera. The focusing marks I put on the focusing rail work beautifully. It took me several sheets of film to nail exposure, but in today's blazing late fall sunshine (highly unusual for northern Michigan in December), F22 at 1/200 with a 2-stop ND filter works well. Composition is still a problem, the instax-wide format isn't centered inside the 4x5 opening, but toward the bottom. I have to remember to move the camera to adjust for this. I look forward to cloudy weather, so I can ditch the ND filter and shoot normally.

Next step is try a studio session. Maybe later this week.








Jim B.

 

[hap]

Personally, I wouldn't bother recalibrating the rangefinder on your Crown just so you can use the Lomograflok back. It can be done, but it's much simpler just to calibrate the focusing rail for near and far distances. That's what I did. I put in the supplied focusing adjuster, and used the ground glass to measure proper focus at 300', and at 8' (portrait). I then put black marks made with a sharpie on the focusing rail at these respective distances. It works. I just got back from taking several pics and, near or far, everything I focused on is tack sharp.

Jim B.

Ok...pretty sure I understand, maybe better once I put the spacer on the back and start.

 

[Mackinaw]

Ok...pretty sure I understand, maybe better once I put the spacer on the back and start.

One thing I learned is that the front standard (lens board) is going to be very near the camera body, not extended like when I shoot 4x5 film. While I pull the front standard out a good 4" or so when shooting 4x5, I pull it out about an inch when shooting with the Lomograflok back. That's where the adjustment comes when compensating for the graflok back. Surprised me at first, I couldn't focus to infinity at the normal 4x5 position, once I moved the front standard back towards the body, problem solved.

Jim B.

 

[hap]

One thing I learned is that the front standard (lens board) is going to be very near the camera body, not extended like when I shoot 4x5 film. While I pull the front standard out a good 4" or so when shooting 4x5, I pull it out about an inch when shooting with the Lomograflok back. That's where the adjustment comes when compensating for the graflok back. Surprised me at first, I couldn't focus to infinity at the normal 4x5 position, once I moved the front standard back towards the body, problem solved.

Jim B.

so it follow that you only need to focus the GG with the spacer in place. Lens/bellows at proper distance location infinity focus. Why the need to make marks at portrait focus?

 

[Mackinaw]

so it follow that you only need to focus the GG with the spacer in place. Lens/bellows at proper distance location infinity focus. Why the need to make marks at portrait focus?

I wanted a quick and easy way to near-focus while using my Crown for street photography. All I do now is move to the 8' mark if I want to take a portrait (take a look at the "blue fish" picture I showed yesterday, that's at 8').

This picture shows what I'm talking about. I pull out the lensboard to the scribe marks. I then used the spacer and focused on the ground glass at 300' and 8'. Now, i just match up the distance marks with the edge of the baseboard for proper focusing at those distances.



Jim B.

 

[Godfrey]

I like it, Jim! Sounds like a nice way to make using the LOMOGRAFLOK back a lot easier.

I know from mucking with an Instax SQ cassette and processing unit and the Hasselblad back system that the film plane in the Instax cassette is easily 17-18 mm aft of the Hasselblad's intended film plane, making it impossible to adapt to that camera as I had intended. A couple of inches seems a lot, but it obviously working as you have demonstrated.

Nice photos! You encourage me to actually get to work on my Instax SQ project again. It's been sitting untouched for some months (again). 🙁

G

 

[Mackinaw]

I like it, Jim! Sounds like a nice way to make using the LOMOGRAFLOK back a lot easier........

As nifty as the Lomograflok back is, most of my work with the Crown will be portrait work using 4x5 film. I have the rangefinder precisely calibrated to be tack-sharp at 6' with the 135mm lens for my 4x5 work. I didn't want to mess that up. So I came up with this make-shift scale focus system for the Lomograflok. It works surprisingly well.

Jim B.