First time FP-100C 45 shooting

Never use instant film, today I brought my family to Taiwan University campus, for a after-meal walk, ate Korean BBQ, eat all you can, too full to do other things.

So we sat by a little pond, and the sun disappeared 10 minutes ago, I wanna try my Byron and PA-45 holder, to see if they work well or not, asking my wife and two kids look at me, I quickly spot-metered and got a 5.6 at 1/30". 

With Ysarex 127mm lens, I focused and shoot within 30 seconds, and then found that white tab that suppose to be pull is not there! where is it? I felt upset, and quickly push back the slides, telling my wife and sons that I will solve it when home, they all looking for old dad do the magic- picture with no time to wait!......sorry kids.

Back home, I searched user manual of PA-45, finally found it in FUJIFILM website, God blessed!

It's hot here, about 35C, so I pulled the film and waited about 1 minute, there it comes! My first instant film!

Looks blueish all over, but I think it is because of sunset. Anyway, now I know how to shoot instant film, will come more!!!!

late afternoon.  Ysarex 127mm, 5.6 1/30

(31/08/09 add)
Today I went seashore by motorbike, lovely day, with Byron and Fuji holder.

Angulon 6.8/90, f16, 1/125

Angulon 6.8/90, f16, 1/125

Angulon 6.8/90,  F11, 1/60

Nearest focus distance for 150mm lens

Just measured, for Schneider APO Symmar 5.6/150 lens, from infinity to 4 feet, we need 26.3mm of movement, but the moving range on rail of 110B is 20.5mm, if we want the lens focus as close as 4 feet, 6mm more were needed.

Checked rail structure, looks like 4mm of expanding is possible, 6mm......, that needs some trick.

Don't think about 3feet focus, that needs 41.2mm, rebuild a rail? Forget it!

No parts departed when in use anymore, thanks for Jack!

this trip to H.K. the greatest gift I got is from Jack, another photography mania, who tried the camera, and provided many invaluable suggestions to improve the operation.

One of the best is to change the plate operation for double-sided film back. My original design is a metal plate, when in use of double-sided film back, put it on right side of the base; when in use of graflok style back, take the plate out, and insert it to the left side of the base.





This plate is the only parts separated from camera body, who needs take-off / put-back action, though this reduce a lot of parts departed from body, compared with those spring back or screw things other back systems do, but still take the risk for losing it in field if carelessly operated.

What Jack suggested is, make the plate rotate, instead of taking-off from the body, so the operation will be much easier, and no way you will leave any parts in field.


Thanks Jack, GREAT IMPROVEMENT! will do that!


(15/09/09 add) the result is at here.

Horseman 6x12 film back

Just found that Horseman 6x12 film back fitted on Byron without any problem, but Toyo 6x12 is phased out.

I should try to use 6.8/90 mm Angulon with 6x12, to feel the pano snap in HK!! Will do that when back from Mainland.




(24/08/09 add) Pano snap is fun!


HK airport, Byron+ Angulon 6.8/90mm


HK airport, Byron+ Angulon 6.8/90mm


George, Byron+Symmar-S 5.6/100mm


George, Byron+Symmar-S 5.6/100mm

Byron found a new home

In Hong Kong, there always something surprise you! I visited a flea market yesterday and there are huge boxes of bags, stacked like a mountain, I picked one, looks like one used in military, there are three colors to choose, black, desert camouflage, and jungle camouflage, I picked black.

The bag is flat, big opening with hard plate around it, keeping it flat. The inner cloth got a elastic rope to hold around the neck, you can tighten it by pulling to keep thing fall out.And outside clothes is sturdy nylon in 420 denin, big sales for HK$30, about US$4, what a bargain!

Just great for my Byron, with maybe two or three grafmatic holders.

Frame size will be changed

I found that 95x120mm frame size will cause problem, bellows will be blocked by focus arm that connect to rangefinder mirror, so I will shrink the frame size to 90x120mm, avoid bellows blockage.

Since there is some distance from frame opening to negative, about 5mm, so the projected image will a little bit larger than 90x120, by calculating, it is about 93x125mm, not bad for a 4x5 negative.

Redesigning a new bellows is on its way.

Vacation in HK

I will visit Hong Kong for two weeks, and Byron camera with me, anyone in HK who is interested in this camera, could contact me, mail me salihonba@gmail.com
See you then!

Daniel

Good boy! Fresnel lens!

Fresnel lens I ordered just arrived, although the size is not totally fit for my ground glass, but still covers 95% area of image.

Compared with/without Fresnel lens mounted, you can clearly tell the difference. It will be a standard accessory with ground glass panel, free for each converted camera.

I am waiting for fine grain acrylic glass, to replace the one now I use, which is a transparent acrylic with a matt paper.

(20/08/09 add) Now the acrylic has come, and perfectly fit for the panel, you can compare how Fresnel lens affects the projected image. The lens in use is Schneider Symmar-S 5.6/100mm.

Expand the opneing size for 150mm lens

Schneider Apo Symmar 5.6/150mm lens is a compact lens, with a rather small size on rear element, 46mm in diameter, but still little bigger than retaining ring, 41.5mm in diameter.

Now comes the problem, Byron's front stand gets 43mm diameter for opening, that will accept all lenses whose rear element is no bigger than retaining ring, but for Apo symmar 150mm (for 135mm lens also, I think), rear element is just can not pass the hole, you need to unscrew the rear, mount the lens, then re-mount the rear, that's really annoying!

By carefully re-check the opening size, I decided to expand it a little bigger, from 43 into 48mm in diameter. Then any lens whose rear element size is smaller than 48mm dia., will mount/un-mount directly to Byron, no need to take rear element apart! That makes a lot of lenses choice be released....

Engrave infinity stops

This Byron will equipped with 3 lenses, 4.7/127mm Ysarex by default, a Schneider Angulon 6.8/90mm as wide angle, and a Symmar-s 5.6/100mm for fun, this is a lens for 6x9, but I checked its image circle, barely cover 4x5.

So 3 infinity stops needed to be engraved.



Each infinity stop was carefully measured, tested, and then sent for engraving. the results are outstanding! when I pull out front stand, and meet the little gap, it stops and a crispy "CLICK" sounds, no way to move it anymore, unless you press the locker and move.

My mechanist engraved the lens length for each infinity stop, you won't confused by these gaps, but I suggest use no more than 3 lenses, 3 is the maximum.

He said this plate should be processed as matt-black, harden surfaced, he is right, will do that later.

Rangefinder is coupled with 127mm, so for 100mm and 90mm lenses, I have to shoot with estimating distance, a distance scale is needed. I made a scale combined 100/90 lenses together, a tiny engraved red line on rail as pointer, made it easy to adjust.



When picking lens for this camera, I think a 30mm interval is proper to follow, so 150mm-120mm-90mm, 3 lenses makes a perfect system, but that will need to re-grind a 150mm cam. This set is great for 900 camera, since it need whole new lenses, originally 130mm triplet lens is no good enough.

For 110B, besides Ysarex 127mm, pick a 90mm lens as wide angle is enough for most situation, or add a 150mm, and it means a re-cam job.

About 150mm lens

Some one keeps annoying me, says he must use 150mm lens, and since there is only few mm less when bellows extends to end of the flat bed, why don't do something about it?

Well, OK, OK, I will do it.

The result is satisfied, the solution-- make a thicker lens board.

in the image you can see I use two lens boards to simulate a thicker lens board for 150mm, one in black and one in silver. The infinity stop is exactly at the end of the bed.



Preview knob on shutter should be careful not to touch the strut.


View through the ground glass.


Tried to extend the flat bed to the limit, and found that the nearest distance to focus is 150cm, about 5 feet.

Alright, I take it back, 150mm lens is coming back, and for this lens, I need to re-grind the lens cam, that is another hard work!!