roll film conversion for Busch Pressman C

[steve_dittmar]

<p>Recently bought a Busch model C and have read enough about it to know it may be convertible to accept 120 roll film. Does anyone know how to do this and what I will need? Thanks</p>

[vick_vickery]

<p>Do it the easy way...don't "convert" anything...get a Calumet slide-in roll film holder and slide it in like a sheet-film holder.</p>

[vick_vickery]

<p>Hmm...I may be thinking of the "D"...my answer stands if your camera is 4x5; if its 6x9 we'll have to re-think that! :-)</p>

[steve_dittmar]

<p>model C 6x9 , we need to rethink. I would hate to think I bought another shelfsitter.</p>

[michael_gilday]

<p>Did you try Google? I know this has been asked and answered a whole bunch of times. :)</p>

<p>If you don't mind re-spooling 120 film onto 620 spools, you can use rollfim on a Pressman C *without* conversion or adaptation, in an Adapt-A-Roll 620. I think of that as the lazy man's option, though. :)<br>

To answer your question, I've converted three Pressman C's to use 120 film, as well as two 2x3 B&J Watsons, and have two other Pressmen that others had converted. Between them, I can suggest at least four ways to proceed; which way you do it depends on how handy you are, how important aesthetics are to you, and what functionality you want to retain.<br>

If you don't care about using movements, interchangeable lenses, interchangeable backs, and all those other tricks, but just want a big 120 camera, you can remove the ground glass on the Pressman and glue a rollfilm back in place; you'll be restricted to that single film format, and will have to rely on the rangefinder (or the distance scale) to focus, but it's cheap and easy; you wind up with the world's largest 6x9 (or 6x7, or 6x6, or even 6x4.5) folding camera. It may sound dumb, but you get the functionality - and quality - of something like a Super Ikonta, at less than a third the price. Of course, the Pressman is at least four times as large and heavy, but it's also (IMO) a whole lot easier to use.<br>

If movements, interchangeable bits, and ground-glass focus are important to you, you need to get a little more creative. You can do this:</p>

<p>by adapting a 2x3 Graflok back off of another camera (I have one with the back from an old Mamiya Press that's been grafted on);</p>

<p>by modifying the existing back into a Graflok-compatible back (I did this to one of mine; you have to remove a little bit of wood, but it's fairly easy), or</p>

<p>by emulating a Graflok back: either by using a Graflex "spring kit", or by making an analogue yourself. I've done this a couple of times, using fairly rigid, "springy" plastic, and at least two other people I know have, as well.</p>

<p>If you choose to go with any of these last three options, you'll want to hunt up a 2x3 film pack holder (about $1, since they're functionally useless) and glue the appropriately-sized piece of ground glass into it to focus on.</p>

<p>If you've got any specific questions about the process(es) involved, let me know.</p>