Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Not sure if this is really an instruction set or just a concept to share. It works very similar to 35mm adapters and shoebox lenses. Recently I was adjusting the focus on an old rangefinder camera when it dawned on me: what if I took a picture of the piece of wax paper I was using to check the focus? Pretty simple concept; the lens is projecting an upside down image onto the wax paper that is placed where the film should be and I could just take a picture of that. I fooled around with the idea and then I decided to make an instruction set for it, just so the concept could be shared.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Materials
Old film camera (either with a bulb mode or one you don't mind removing the shutter mechanism from): I'm using a Polaroid 320 land camera, that I will have to remove the shutter from, mostly because it has a large film area, and I don't plan on ever buying film for it (plus they're really cheap at thrift stores).
A black bag, T-shirt, or some other type of dark cloth like material.
Another camera, your choice really but cheap point and shoot digital cameras have decent macro modes and are easy to operate with one hand; that's going to come in handy.
Scissors and tape (you probably already have some of these).
Wax paper, you can also use tracing paper, or any other semi transparent flat sheet of whatever you want to try.
A black bag, T-shirt, or some other type of dark cloth like material.
Another camera, your choice really but cheap point and shoot digital cameras have decent macro modes and are easy to operate with one hand; that's going to come in handy.
Scissors and tape (you probably already have some of these).
Wax paper, you can also use tracing paper, or any other semi transparent flat sheet of whatever you want to try.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
there's a craze for something called "TTV" photography, which amounts to taking digital photos Through-The-Viewfinders of old box cameras and whatnot, but your method opens up a lot more possibilities for taking pictures through old lenses.
i'm gonna have to try this with an old 4x5 camera that's around here somewhere. don't have a 4x5 film-holder and all the pieces to the camera, but with the ground glass at the film plane and my little digi-cam...