View Full Version : Unlimited Possibilities with a Polaroid 350 4x5 conversion
Hi everyone,
This is my first thread on Rangefinder Forum, and I am proud and excited to participate. For some time , I have considered using 4x5 again, but being a Leica street shooter, what was available in this format was not good for portability or speed of use. My Graflex is rather bulky, and all of the Polaroid 110b's out there are getting too expensive due to demand and people that like to convert them, rip people off for $2000, and then complain about patents!!!! (there is a RECESSION!!, people should shut up and let others be inventive and save $$$$).
At any rate, My dad had an old Polaroid 350 he gave me years ago, and I became recently excited about the Zeiss rangefinder on this camera. I have to tell all of you that it comes very close to Leica quality, and is better than my Fuji GSW 690 in terms of brightness and how well the framelines are defined (like a Leica M3!!!).
Hacking the camera is VERY easy. The back comes off with a slight pry from my screwdriver. The front where the lens is comes off easy with 3 screws. The only hard part is drilling out the lens hole, but if you have a grinding bit from Dremel, it goes by quickly.
I held up an old Graflock back to what I have so far, and the total weight if this is similar to my Leica M8 (I love FILM AND DIGITAL). I have a Rodenstock Ysarex 127mm on it now, and it focuses just fine when you space the back correctly.
Now here is the really sweet part, and the idea came to me just this afternoon, so pay attention! If you mount a wide angle lens, lets say a 90mm Wollensack, all you have to do is bring out the bellows out a little bit, and use a small c-clamp to hold the front of the camera in place. You then focus on the ground glass by loostening or tightening the c-clamp!!!! Because the bellows is spring loaded, it moves back and forth automatically!!! WOW!! COOL AINT IT!!
I have to thank Greyhoundman for his wonderful picks of his project that inspired me greatly on my project.
Hope this helps everyone!!
eleskin,
Can you show us some photos of your handywork? With Polaroid stopping film production, I want to find something to do with my Polaroid 220.
Eric
G'man is the bomb.
Yah, show some pics of both the camera and what you took with it. I have a 'roid 250 but I"m not sure if it is capable of hacking. I might as well get some Fuji instant film with it.
Todd.Hanz
02-11-2008, 18:06
...or get a 110A, wreck the back and install a packfilm holder, works well!
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/110A_and_polas.jpg
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/Polo-tay-sunny-.jpg
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/polaroid_ty.jpg
Fuji packfilm rules too!
Todd
I Should Have Some Pics Of My Camera Soon. Film Shots Will Come Later.
I Have A Grip Attached And Am Milling Down An Old Graflock Back To Fit This Beast. My Aim Is Precision And Creating A Camera That Is Beautiful To Behold! So Much So That You Cannot Tell It Is A Hack!!!
Eric T
It Is Wonderful You Are Thinking About Using Your Polaroid Too. I Hope What I Post Soon Will Help You As Well As Other Members Of This Forum. I Love Sharing Information. I Hord Nothing!!! My Wife Says I Am Obsessed With Playing With This Thing. That Is A Condition I Admit To And Am Proud Of Indeed. All Of This Started With Rediscovering My Roots In Silver Processing. I Shoot Digital (my M8) And Film (fuji Gsw690/rolleiflex/mamiya Press/pentax 645n/graflex/leica M6). Digital Is Conveinient, But The Issue Of Dynamic Range And Output Are Crucial, And The Silver Process Still Has My Hart (i Am Interested In Digital Enlarger Heads For Film And Digital Cameras).
I Am A Hand Held Street Shooter That Always Loved What 4x5 Could Offer, But Hated The Weight Of The Equipment, And Needed Something That Acted Like A Leica Through The Viewfinder. This Seems The Solution For Me, And I Had To Make A Camera Because Of Cost Savings And An Unwillingness By The Camera Makers To Produce What Is Needed.
mrwestphal
02-18-2008, 18:35
This is great to see the renewed interest in the whole poloroid set of cameras especially with the recent bad news in there film decisions.
I myself am in the middle of a 110a/110b conversion to 4X5 and converting one of my 250's to a fully manual user, just waiting on a new lens for it and I still use another 250 in current condition.
I got bit by the Poloroid bug last year and have been slowely hording them for differant conversion projects.
As others have mentioned I am also eager to see your creation Eleskin!
converting one of my 250's to a fully manual user, just waiting on a new lens for it and I still use another 250 in current condition.
I have a 250 as well I was just using it this weekend. How do you convert it to manual? Do you mean no battery? What lens will fit it?
I just realized that I can put an ordinary sync cord into it and fire a flash!
drhfuhruhurr
02-19-2008, 10:36
This guy (http://option8.110mb.com/polaroid/) has some information on converting a 250 to a manual camera using a 127mm lens/shutter.
I'm seriously thinking about converting, and whether I have the skills to convert, one of my 250s to 5x4" after seening Greyhoundman's, Diwan's (http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00IA1O) and this fella's (http://binrock.net/photos/?rid=686) so i'm watching this thread with interest. Can't wait to see what eleskin comes up with!
Tom.
file:///Users/administrator/Desktop/Polaroid-4x5-1.gif
Todd.Hanz
02-20-2008, 13:56
the link is missing something, please try again brah.
Todd
Thank you for this thread. I'm looking forward to more incomprehensible replies from that Littm*n (Littm@n) fellow. It's sad, but that's real entertainment for me!:)
Good luck, Eleskin, on your project. The more that people hack these folding Polaroids the better, AFAIK.
~Joe
Well, I hope I attached the JPEG correctly, in that
I am new at this on this site.
Wow!! I Posted My First Photo Here!!! Yeh!!!!!
cosmonot
02-20-2008, 16:14
Wow!! I Posted My First Photo Here!!! Yeh!!!!!
Very nice! I have a 110a that I picked up off of eBay for ~$20 a while ago. I'm debating between grafting on a 4x5 back (and worrying about obscuring the VF/RF windows) and just converting it to 6x12cm on 120 rollfilm. At the moment I'm leaning towards 6x12, just because it is easier to handle rolls right now.
Here is a view from above. Note the Graflock back milled down close to the top and bottom size of the Polaroid 350.
Here you can see that the grip is screwed into place (grip from old stroboframe I never used). These screws will also hold a peice of hardwood in place to attach the Graflock back. So far, I have used little if any glue. I am trying to assemble it as much as I can without gluing for strength. I have not taken photos of it yet, but the rangefinder is painted flat black to reduce glare when looking through the eyepeice. I had to grind open my eyepeice hole to give better eye releif. When I mount the rangefinder, I intend to mount it just above the original position. I am going to engineer a screw adjustment to fine tune the rangefinder for focus.
The lens hood is made from a focusing ring from a broken Holga 120. I used electrical tape to fasten it to the Rodenstock lens which has no thread to screw on a hood.
mrwestphal
02-20-2008, 18:16
Damn you eleskin!!!:D
why did you have to post those pics!!!:bang:
now you are giving me MORE BAD THOUGHTS!!!:confused:
AARRGG!!!:angel:
Eric, to answer you question see drhfuhruhurr (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/member.php?u=15167)'s first link and that is exactly what I am doing.
Cosmonot:
By using the 250, you can move the viewfinder to any position you want. With the 110a, you cannot. The thing that is great about this viewfinder is that it is made by Zeiss. I shoot with Leica M,s, the Mamiya Press, and the Fuji GSW 690, and I can tell you this is one of the best viewfinders I have seen on any camera, especially medium format! I got into using the 350 because the 110b's are getting way too expensive (thanks L--man, you photography terrorist -Legal and Financial) on ebay. One thing- this camera is one of the lightest I have held. For the street shooter, that is key. The 110a's and 110b's are much heavier, and that is without a back attached!!!
I would think about using a Poloroid 250 or 350 (the 250 has a wider eye hole for the viewfinder, the 350, you will have to grind it open a bit to get the same effect.
On both sides (left and right) of the camera, I have decided the best way to create a surface to anchor the Graflock back is to fill the areas with Durham's Water Putty (Rocky Says "Rock Hard"). I will immerse planks of wood in the putty with screws bent on the ends to secure the wood in the putty. The screws from the grip going sideways should anchor the water putty to the camera. I will try a similar method on the other side, only using screws going through the two holes on the top and bottom created when I removed the release tab and post for the back (right side of camera). This is not as hard as custom sculpting wood blocks for each side. This will ensure a perfect fit!
bmattock
02-22-2008, 18:52
You crafty guys are so...crafty! I wish I was handy. Good thing I'm handsome, or I'd have a serious problem.
I should have some photos of my Polaroid conversion soon. Graflock back and rangefinder ( I also made an extension arm out of the metal from the Polaroid battery compartment to extend the tab that touches the rangefinder arm. I attached it with a small brass nut and bolt) are now attached to the camera. I extended the lenshood out today (I was lucky and found an old hood in the darkroom where I teach advanced Black and White classes). Durhams Water Putty worked like a charm!!!! It filled the gaps between the wood blocks I inserted to the camera body, and gave a smooth finish. I then painted it satin black, and it looks beautiful. This thing is really turning out to look like one mean camera machine!!!!!
Well, here is some awesome news!!!
It just so happens that museum board for matting provides the EXACT spacing needed for accurate focusing with the rangefinder. You only need the thickness of one peice.
What I did was cut two strips and placed them behind the left and right side of the Graflock back.
Focus was checked at infinity and close range, and it is dead on focus!!!
Now all I have to do is seal the gaps on the top and bottom between the Graflock back and the camera body. The best solution seems to be black hot glue gun sticks melted and inserted all around the inside edge of the back where it meets the camera.
After this is done, I will be ready to put film in this thing for the first time.
So any of you thinking about building one like this, I hope my information is helpful!!!!
Todd.Hanz
03-03-2008, 05:37
I recently made a similar attempt with my "converted to packfilm" 110A. I just removed the packfilm holder from the back. The opening at the back of the belows wouldn't cover 4x5 so I had to build a spacer (3/4") in order to have full coverage on the ground glass. I used 3/4" by 3/4" square on three sides and 1/2" by 1/2" at the top near the rangefinder.
After a good weekend spent glueing and measuring and such I gave up on it.
BTW, I used a tube of black latex silicone to seal the gaps to keep light out.
I think this could be accomplished on the 110A with a little better planning and skill than I have, with the rangefinder still useable.
You could always contact Dean Jones for an innovative solution here: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~razzle/
Todd
Todd
M. Valdemar
03-03-2008, 05:50
THIS post lapsed into a sort of schizophrenic punctuation/grammar style, unlike your other posts in this thread. Was this written like a few hours after the morning meds wore off or something?
Eric T
It Is Wonderful You Are Thinking About Using Your Polaroid Too. I Hope What I Post Soon Will Help You As Well As Other Members Of This Forum. I Love Sharing Information. I Hord Nothing!!! My Wife Says I Am Obsessed With Playing With This Thing. That Is A Condition I Admit To And Am Proud Of Indeed. All Of This Started With Rediscovering My Roots In Silver Processing. I Shoot Digital (my M8) And Film (fuji Gsw690/rolleiflex/mamiya Press/pentax 645n/graflex/leica M6). Digital Is Conveinient, But The Issue Of Dynamic Range And Output Are Crucial, And The Silver Process Still Has My Hart (i Am Interested In Digital Enlarger Heads For Film And Digital Cameras).
I Am A Hand Held Street Shooter That Always Loved What 4x5 Could Offer, But Hated The Weight Of The Equipment, And Needed Something That Acted Like A Leica Through The Viewfinder. This Seems The Solution For Me, And I Had To Make A Camera Because Of Cost Savings And An Unwillingness By The Camera Makers To Produce What Is Needed.
My old friend, Noah Schwartz, now up in Providence, RI, does 4x5 conversions from Polaroid 110Bs. He apprenticed and worked with Buddy from Marty Forcher's Professional Camera Repair in NYC. Noah actually helped develop and produce 4x5 backs for Nikon Fs back in the day. He is a first rate technician.
http://photo.net/photos/Camera%20Conjurer
Godofpoo
03-03-2008, 09:23
This guy (http://option8.110mb.com/polaroid/) has some information on converting a 250 to a manual camera using a 127mm lens/shutter.
Thats my site...
There are 3 automatic bellow conversions on the site (2 of which use 127mm lenses).
110A/B to packfilm conversions, and a 95B just for good measure.
Oh, and how to convert your auto pack films to accept AAA or 3v lithium batteries.
Sorry, no 4x5, just too far into my pocket than I car to dive.
Todd,
Thanks for the info. Indeed, I will try the black latex sealer. Sounds like an excellent idea.
Why did you give up on your project?
Was it a focus problem?
My camera seems right on the money concerning focus.
Maybe a Polaroid 250 or 350 would be a better project for you.
I did some reasearch on the lens on the 110a and 110b, and it seems rare glass elements were used similar to what Leica used for their Summicrons of that era.
When I post pics of my completed camera, maybe this can be a guide to you for a new project.
I hope more people who read this thread get some information so they can start a project for themselves.
I have a thing for sharing information and feel those who do not share are incredibly selfish, egotistical, and self centered! Sharing is caring, especially in these times!
Here are a few pics of the finished camera.
Hope all this info helps all of you.
Thanks for all the input!!!!!
Tell me what you think.
portillagee
04-21-2008, 11:01
The camera looks amazing. It's the most exciting camera project I've ever seen. I've always wanted to shoot large negatives in a spontaneous way. I have a 350 and a speed graphic and I want to do what you've done. I haven't taken anything apart yet because I'm unsure of the steps and I don't want to do anything unreversible quite yet. How exactly did you attach the Graflok? Welding? Did you make the spacer for the rangefinder? And what needs to happen up front for the new lens to be attached? I joined the forum because of your project. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
The 350 has a 114mm lens and you put on a 127 and you used mat board for the spacing. Was it 4 ply? I have a 135mm f5.6. How do I determine my proper spacing? Thanks again.
I just bought me a "Alpenhause" 110B converted to 4x5. I hope I can hold it in my hands in the next two weeks.
I have not been shooting 4x5 for 10 years now; I am exited like a little child !
Anybody with experience with this camera here ?
Hi portillagee!
Well, attaching the graflok back was not that difficult. The first step involved placing wood blocks cut down to size on each end of the camera where the back originally mounted. Now you will have to drill/cut out the excess plastic on each side to give the wood clearance to fit. The right side of the camera has more plastic to grind out (use a Dermel tool or get a cheap one for $9 at Harbor Freight Tools like I did) due to the battery chamber. I then used epoxy to glue the wood into the camera. If you noticed, there is a grip on the left side. This was taken from an old Stoboframe bracket that I cut down to size. There are screws that hold the Stroboframe hand grip to the side. These screws also screw into the wood in the old battery chamber, hence providing an even more secure attachment point to the camera. Now the Graflok back had to be shaved down a bit on top and bottom to make room for the viewfinder (1/2 inch or so. About to where the Graflok and ground glass locking pin is on the back. Do not cut past the pin or you will not be able to attach your ground glass!!!) . Durhams water putty (Rocky Sayz Rock Hard!!! I love this stuff!!! I use it for everything around the house!!!) was used to fill in gaps where the wood blocks were inserted. This gives a nice smooth professional look after painting satin black. The next step is to drill extra holes on each side of the Graflok (3 on each side). Make sure you countersink a bit and use flat head screws so when you slide the back in. it goes in smoothly instead of getting caught on an exposed screw head. You then need to get some scrap mat or museum board (4 ply)and space the back for infinity focus. You only need two pieces verticle on each side of the Graflok back. You then screw in the back on each side (place the museum board in front of the screw holes. The screws will go through the mat board and into the wood block, attaching it to the camera. Make sure that before you attach the back, open up the lens and check to see if the ground glass is in the right position. You then have to seal the back to make it light tight. Just smear in some Durhams Water Putty, and smooth it out with a knife to give a nice streight edge angled toward the inside of the bellows. When dry, lightly sand, and paint flat black. The spacer for the rangefinder was made of cut hardwood (cherry) so the entire rangefinder housing can be elevated up so just the eye piece clears the Graflok back (use epoxy to glue the entire rangefinder onto the hard wood. The hard wood was glued onto the top of the camera with epoxy. To connect the rangefinder pin to the focus lever attached to the camera body, I used some scrap metal that had an L shape. I drilled 3 holes. Two on each end of the scrap metal, and one on the end of the focus lever. A piece of plastic was used on the end of the l shaped scrap metal so the pin on the rangefinder would engage without moving back. All of this was bolted on with small sized brass screws. The lens was attached by first removing the old lens, the electronics and parts. you then have to grind some of the metal that may obstruct the new lens, both the flat areas in the front, and the lens opening itsef (it must be wider to accomidate the new lens).
your 135mm lens should be similar to my 127mm, although you may need to space it a little more for infinity, so have some thinner mat board handy . When you focus with this thing, you must adjust the rangefinder pin by bending it slightly to your right for the distance range you are using. So for closer photos, adjust the connecting arm so the area of focus will be sharp in that zone of focus. then for objects farther away, zone focus by using the right f stop to get the depth of feild you want. Once you practice a bit, this thing handles like a 4x5 Leica!!!
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