My Rangefolder Cameras: The outlook of the Byron

Thursday, July 23, 2009

The outlook of the Byron

I tried hard to keep the camera in it's original outlook.

The results are outstanding, as you can see, if you did not notice it, you would not tell any difference from original. Actually, I made it grow taller a little bit.

because the standard film holder for 4x5 will take 120mm minimum in height, but the body got only 115mm exclude rangefinder head, that brought us in big trouble!

One common way to solve it, is to ignore it, just add a Graflex film back outside the body, or other film back systems. That make things simple, and life easier, but the camera body looks chubby, and spoil the style and outlook completely.

It's fine to a homemade camera project.

But I am a product designer, I hope to carry a camera that I dream of, not only in good function, but also in great form!

So I went on a totally different way, to keep the form, and to make it function. took me four years, but I made it quite successfully!

I make it grow higher a little bit, just enough space for standard film holders, and for graflok/graflex mechanism.

in front view, you can see that I eliminate something, the vertical support, a tripod socket, and the handle on side. I like to keep form in simple and clean style.

In top view, a standard cold shoe is mounted, for accessories like flash, viewfinders....

The bottom shows the tripod socket is move into the centerline of camera, to keep camera balance when in use.

And here comes the biggest different: the back.

My Byron's back is simple, only a hole there.

But the hole is in standard 120x95mm size, and light trap designed not only on the velvet pasted, and side border, and the track rail the back plate implant into, absolutely light tight proof!

Many other converted cameras, will not show you how thick the back will be when in use in pictures, because that is really thick, too thick to keep eyes get closed to view window!

Now look mine Byron, with two side dark slide holder.