>> I do see real ratty ones for $10-$20 at flea markets,
>> with almost certain holes in the bellows and gummy shutters on the lenses,
>> and usually with visibly broken rangefinders. These are things that can
>> be patched up, certainly, but I wouldn't turn an absolute beginner onto
>> such a fixer-upper when for a very reasonable price you can get a clean
>> one.
>Sounds like quite a fun project, though. I don't subscribe to the myth
>that cameras can't be fixed at home, and that parts for them can't be
>made. I do both when I need to. Maybe I'm not an 'absolute beginner' :-)
No, you aren't :-). There's nothing incredibly complicated about getting
a fixer-upper back into reasonable shape. If a shutter is truly worn
out (not impossible for something that's been in professional service
for several decades!) entirely new shutters/apertures are still available.
See, for example,
http://www.skgrimes.com/ . And new bellows,
ground glass, etc., are all available for a price. It certainly is cheaper
to get a "clean" used camera than a really ratty one where all the parts
need to be replaced, but there are ones "in-between" where a little bit
of TLC is all it needs to become usable.
>A large format camera is something that I want to have a go at making
>sometime. It doesn't look _too_ hard - certainly no worse than the sorts
>of things that model engineers routinely make. I'll not know until I try,
>I guess...
Take a serious look at the Bender view camera kit,
http://www.benderphoto.com/
I'm certain it can be improved on :-). Personally, I prefer metal-bodied
view cameras for their durability.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa_at_trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Received on Wed Jul 14 1999 - 17:21:04 BST