High School photo teacher trying to piece together 4x5 setups.

I'm trying to piece togeather a group (at least 4) of calumet monorail cameras to use in my

Photo 1/ Photo 2 classes (16 students per class). Part of this is a learning experience for

me as I'm much more familiar with 35mm stuff. Any help from the wise and vaulted minds

such as post here would be greatly appreciated.

 

Current status of this project:

Have:

2 usable calumet monorail camera bodies (4x5)

2 polaroid backs

 

Still needed:

bellows for a calumet camera, either a bag bellows or extra long for macro work,

spring back/ground glass for another calumet body,

Lenses, dark cloths, tripods, meters, roll film backs, 4x5 film holders, carrying cases,

lens boards, shutter releases, focusing loupes, 4x5 film developing tanks, etc.

(and any other useful bits and pieces)

 

Any ideas on finding people or places to look for donated equipment would be a big help.

The pieces that I have so far have mostly been found on Ebay, but I can't afford to swing

the complete setups on my teacher's salary.

 

Thanks,

Marty

I'd look on KEH.com, they always seem to have a fairly decent supply of fairly cheap, really

conservatively rated, quality camera equipment, some of which happens to be the things that

you mentioned above...

Obviously you could come right out and ask here as well as other large format groups (e.g. photo.net, APUG, rec.photo.equipment.large-format). You might also consider a small classified ad in View Camera magazine. It would help if you mentioned the name of your school, said that donations to it qualify as charitable contributions for tax purposes (assuming of course that they do), and offered to give a receipt on the school's letterhead so substantiate the contribution.

For your purposes, one thing that I would definitely keep in mind is that a wounded lens can be had for a song and still take fine pictures. Small scratches totally destroy the value of a lens, but often don't do much to the image.

 

(Also, if someone had given me a prsitine lens on a 4x5 when I was in high school, it probably would have been scratched when I was done.)

 

As for sources-- ebay can be good. Craigslist can get you incredible bargains, but you have to look every day and you may never find anything. This kind of equipment is the kind of thing that is probably in closets and storerooms all over the place totally unwanted-- you just have to find out who has it. Try putting ads on Craigslist or in your local papers (esp. the little classified-only tabloids) explaining what you're doing. I bet someone around you has the stuff.

 

Other items can be improvised. My dark cloth is just that-- some dark cloth. If the kids have access to 35mm slr's they can use those as meters. I did that for a long time.

 

Roll film holders won't come cheap-- the really cheap ones won't work with the calumet.

 

I know it can be tough, but you might also think about grants or maybe a sponsorship from someone local. If I hadn't just gone back to school I would be happy to help. It might not be too hard because you wouldn't be asking for much. I bet $2000 could get you everything you need.

Homemade is terribly looked down on today, but there's no reason in the world why you can buy some picture frame glass and grind it to make perfectly servicible ground glass. Lots of info if you search old messages. You can also make a bellows, and everybody should do it at least once. Info for that is also on-line, or search the used book sellers for some of the 1940s how-to books. "Photographic Hints & Gadgets" by Fraprie and Jordan (1937) and "How to Make Your Own Photographic Equipment", Popular Science Publishing (1941), would be a good start. Remember that back then most people were shooting larger formats than today, money was scarce, and it was often a choice between making a desired piece of equipment, or doing without. Your teachers salary will go way further than you think if you get out of the mindset of new and used factory equipment, and there's no sacrifice in image quality what-so-ever. Even inexpensive lenses will deliver fine quality if used within their limitations. I started out with an old Tessar "borrowed" from a folder and mounted in a homemade lens board for my old Calumet. One of the best shots I ever took and had published was with that old lens.

I think you are missing the point. This guys job is teaching children, not manufacturing photo equipment.

if you work for a public school--I'd try checking with the state or Federal surplus lots....

Marty, I second the Craigslist.org idea. I see cheap stuff all the time on there from people that don't know how to price stuff (I'm in Seattle). I read a post here or apug about someone getting a free 4x5 enlarger, all they had to do was pick up...