Press / Field / View camera alternatives on a budget

[dphphoto]

Try to find a reasonably priced monorail with removeable bellows. You can take the bellows off and fold the standards flat, so they line up with the monorail. Then you can stuff the whole thing in an attache case and the rig becomes very portable, if maybe a little heavy.
I started with an Omega D, but that's so long ago now that I can't remember if the bellows came off. Dean

[raucousimages]

As for bellows on Toyo or Omega (same camera, different names, all made by Sakai special camera Co. LTD.)

45 A, AX, AII, CF, D and E the bellows do not come off of the standards. If you pull the rail to backpack with a D or E purchase a second rail and cut a piece just long enough (about 5 inches) to place in the standards so they don't move in the pack and damage the bellows. Or cut the original rail if you don't use the full length. This works well. I have done this with my kids several times. I don't trust them with my AII yet but an E in good shape is only about $150.00.

45 C, CX G, GII, VX125 and all 810. Have interchangeable bellows so just pull the bellows when you pack it. I think the 45F is interchangeable but I am not sure.

[Jim Jones]

Jim, thanks very much for the reply. I'm more puzzled now than I was before.

As I look at the picture of your rig, I see a speciman holder, not a device that indicates where the plane of best focus is and that shows the area the film will see.

When I think of a focusing frame, I see two rather different devices.

One is a copy stand for a screw mount Leica. These stands have four legs. When the stand is placed on the subject, usually a document to be copied, the legs' feet define the rectangle that the film will see. And when the camera, with the right lens and diopter mounted, is laid in the copy stand the subject will be in good focus.

The other is a rectangular wire frame somehow held in front of, e.g., an Instamatic with a diopter lens attached. The frame is in the plane of best focus, makes it and the area the film will see visible. In practice, one holds the camera so that the frame surrounds the subject, e.g., a flower and pushes the button.

I'm sorry to be so obtuse. What am I missing?

Thanks again, regards,

Dan

It wasn't you that was obtuse, it was me. I didn't take time to improvise a device like the old Leica "spider legs" that you mention. The speciman stage can be set for correct focus of stamps, coins, etc. It would be easy to replace the foamcore in it with four prongs like the Leica "spider legs," or a rectangular or U shaped frame. A Speed Graphic with such a device is versatile. It takes a little more set-up than the Leica Spider legs (which I've used and like) or any of the other simple macro adaptors, but it can be used with a variety of lenses and framing adaptors.

[Anupam Basu]

Jeff Wiseman, a member here, has kindly offered me a Bender 4x5 for very little. Once it arrives, I will look out for a cheap lens to begin with and then as I experiment, read some more and ask some more naive questions

I am afraid there's no turning back now Thanks Jeff.

-A

[raucousimages]

Congrats. Bender is a good start.