LF on the CHEAP!

I have a 35mm Canonet.. It cost me $15 bucks on Ebay. The battery doesn't work

but it takes some nice pictures in Manual mode.

 

I also have a lubitel 2. Which cost me $20 bucks on Ebay. Again awesome

purchase and I think I lucked out with a pretty good copy. Prints are pretty

good.

 

Now I want to get a LF camera and try my hand at that. My question is, are

there bargains to be had or is this something that I am going to have to shell

out Large format dollars to do?

 

Thanks!

There are bargains in LF, but I don't think you'll find any $15 or $20 bargains. You oughta be able to get in the game for a coupla hundred dollars, and then you'll probably need a sturdier tripod, film holders, dark cloth...

Bob speaks the truth. You can probably find a Speed Graphic camera for $150 - $200 easily, but it may come with rickety film holders that leak light, yatta yatta.

 

Of course, if you like to shoot slides, don't forget that Velvia exposures cost about four bucks each after processing. :-)

And the lens will add at least a couple hundred more to the Graphic. Then there are holders and lens boards and... no, this is not for the faint of wallet<g>.

A home build would probably also be out of the picture? No pun intended..

Ivan, if you want to go as cheap as possible with larger negatives (but at the cost of convenience), pick up a Polariod 800 and load 4x5 sheets one at a time in a darkroom or changing bag. I think my Model 800 cost me all of $20 including shipping on eBay. It's true that the usable portion of the film is only 3.25x4.25 and it only gets about 30 lp/mm in the center, but 3x or 4x enlargements are fairly sharp and have invisible grain.<P>

The disadvantage to such a camera is that the aperture and shutter speeds are linked together to achieve a particular exposure value on the film. The only way around this is picking up another model Polaroid Land Camera that has a normal lens/shutter combo, i.e. you can adjust the shutter speed and aperture independently.<P>

As for a home built camera, depending on how simple you want to get, I imagine it won't cost much (except for the lens, but look for parts cameras on eBay). Obviously this route requires more time until you can shoot.<P>

The 'kit' cameras (e.g. Bender) aren't exactly "cheap" either, but cheaper than an existing used field camera.<P>

Good luck!

Ivan:

 

Yes, it can be done very cheaply and simply. Have you seen this?

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DOGq&tag=

 

Great starting camera.

Diwan! You are the man! I am going to start scavangering..

Pinhole cameras can be made quite cheaply. Cigar boxes, coffee cans (or other large metal cans), empty paint cans (do your self a favor and get clean ones from the paint store or hardware store), foamboard and glue, plywood, matboard, etc.

 

Lots of ways to build both with and without distortion due to film plane.

 

Take a look at www.f295.org and browse its forums for construction ideas.

You can often get a complete outfit of medium-quality equipment from someone retiring from the field, e.g., for $500 and it will include some instruction from the former owner/photographer. When you're tired of the system (tripod, camera, lens, film holders, changing bag, dark cloth, etc.), you can resell it for what you paid.

Ivan: Don't start building anything yet; I went this route. Buy a Speed Graphic. They are cheaper than you can build one and it will be a whole lot easier, and faster.

 

Diwan's post did not include the cost of the lens and shutter. Check on Ebay for a Speed. I have two for sale but the shutters need a cleaning.

If you are educated, know what is popular and what isn't, and are patient, you can buy a perfectly good 4x5 Graflex camera (pacemaker, speed graphic, crown graphic, etc) for less than $150 including the lens. Many completely functional Graflex's have cosmetic issues which really drop the final sale price on eBay. If you don't care about cosmetics, then you can really score on the cheap.

One of the cheapest ways to get a lens that covers 4x5 (with minimal movements) is to buy a beat up old Kodak 3A camera. The Rapid Rectillinear and Kodak Anastigmat lenses are perfectly fine glass. If the bellows are shot on the 3A, it should be cheap!

 

Better to get one with a shutter with a wide range of speeds, but the Ball Bearing shutter has B and T, and that will do if you're stopped down all the way anyways.

 

Film costs will quickly swamp equipment costs, however.

In the $20 4x5 camera I installed a lens and shutter that I had from a Polaroid 110A.

 

If I remember correctly, I paid $10 or so with shipping for the Kodak 3A model C, this is the one with the nice Rapid Rectilinear, a lens that amply covers 4x5.

 

The problem was that the bellows disintegrated. I had Polaroid bellows lying around and I installed them with the lens.

 

I should have made "baggy" bellows out of a piece of leather and then mounted the Rapid Rectilinear, which is a superb lens.

 

The speed of the Kodak ball bearing shutter from the 3A model C is 1/30th all the time, regardless of the shutter speed dialed in the shutter. With apertures available from f/7.7 to f/45, the shutter speed becomes irrelevant. The Rapid Rectilinear is a fantastic performer at f/11 and below, stunning results. ND filters can come to save the day if very bright conditions.

 

So, yes, it is possible to build an LF camera from a Kodak 3A under $20. Use the cheapest wood picture frames for the film back and plastic from photographic paper for bellows if needed. It can be done.

 

I do not take my Speed Graflex out anymore, I like this one, gives me good results and is a good camera for 90% of my photography.

A few years ago, I found a Devere Devon 5x4 monorail camera in a skip (that's English for dumpster). Now you can't get much cheaper than that!

 

After brushing the dust and debris off it, it turned out to be in near perfect condition. Even the ground-glass was intact; no lens though. Shame.

 

So keep your eyes peeled. History may repeat, you never know.

I don't know if Polaroid 665 is still available but instead of building and modifying cameras you might consider buying a Polaroid pack film camera such as a model 100, 250 or 350. These take a 3.25 x 4.25 image and if 665 is still around you can shoot bw negs with it for less than 20 bucks for the camera.

Here's my story....

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00FtU8&tag=

 

Of course things have since degraded and I've spent thousands of dollars now, but it was a good start!

Re Joe's suggestion: Polaroid announced the discontinuation of 665 at around the beginning of the year. See http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Euct. I don't know if it is still available, but it won't be for much longer.

Ivan: I stand corrected; you can start with a Rapid Rectilinear from an old Autographic. I bought one for $20 but the bellows ended up being folded bad so that it interfered with taking the picture.

 

I also encourage you to build your own camera. You will learn a great deal about cameras and picture taking in the process. It is probably the best way to learn. I predict though that this will become an obsession and you will eventually buy another camera or two (at least).

 

I have a couple of old lenses with shutters if you are interested.

Look here for other camera ideas:

 

http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18930

The cheapest way to LF is to use the window of a room as the aperture like Abelardo Somebody (the guy who teaches at Boston University or Boston College, can't remember his last name). When properly set up the window will project an image of whatever is opposite it on a wall of the room. Of course your audience is limited and the image isn't exactly archival but your main concern seems to be cheap and you can't beat it for that.