Best dress for Byron camera

Bob made wonderful type 55 instant film, named New55, and he made some gorgeous test shots.
http://black-gallery.blogspot.com/

Three types of Byron conversion

Byron has been developed for about 6 years, during the period, concluding clients' feedback and some more request, the conversion service now had been categorized  into three types, according to client's lens selected.

Lenses' focal range are limited in 75~150mm, any lens with focal length lesser or greater are not feasible for Byron. 75mm lens is the widest lens Byron can bear, and even in this lens, there is some 4~5mm on side will be blocked by rail, please read the related post. But the situation has been improved, I managed to move the lens a bit higher, to bypass the barrier, so 75mm lens is the set.

Type A, Byron as snap shooter
Snap shoots on streets with a 4x5 format rangefolder is what the original idea when I developed Byron system, and the purpose needs a camera with speed on operation and as lightweight as possible.

Lens board for type A is in circular shape, about 60mm in diameter, when lens board threaded with #0 shutter, it is so tiny that you bare notice there exist a board with the lens, it takes no space, has advantages when traveling light, and stored in bag, that is important for street snaps.

Lenses selected based on the criteria mentioned above, we need lens could be stayed in camera when folded, so it could be ready to shoot whenever fold out, so lens should be tiny, shutter limited in #0 or even smaller, and the rear element should be no bigger than 44.8mm in diameter.

What the lenses I recommend for this type of conversion are:

Schneider Angulon 6.8/90mm
*Schneider Symmar-S 5.6/100mm
Carl Zeiss Tessar 4.5/105mm
Carl Zeiss Tessar 4.5/120mm
Rodenstock Ysarex 4.7/127mm (original lens on 110B camera)
*Fujinon W 5.6/135mm
**Rodenstock Geronar 6.3/150mm (or Caltar II-E 6.3/150mm)

They are all small enough to stay in camera when fold, and the image coverage is just enough for 4x5 format.

(*Lens must be taken off before camera folded.)

(**In type A conversion, 150mm lenses are limited in Geronar or Caltar II-E only, for they have shorter flange to focal image distance, which just great for type A conversion, other 150mm lenses such as Apo-Symmar 5.6/150, Apo-Ronar 9/150mm or Nikkor/Fuji lenses, their flange-focal image distance just exceed rail end, so they all fall into type B conversion, which has different front standard, can solve the longer f-f distance problem.)

Type B, Byron for those big rear lenses
Many modern design and better optical performance lenses have big front or rear elements, or with bigger aperture, bigger shutter.

Clients want to use them, and don't really care of the carrying issue or lens exchanging on field problem, they own these lenses already, and hope to migrant them onto Byron.

In this type, a new front standard and lens board system were developed to fulfill the purpose, any lens in #0 or #1 shutter is acceptable, and if the rear element is within 60mm in diameter, the lens could be mounted directly, no need to screw off the rear first. Due to the size, lens must be taken off before camera is folded.

What the lenses most situation I encounter, and they are able to be mounted directly without problems,

Rodenstock Grandagon-n 4.5/75mm (rear dia. 59.8mm)
Sinaron W 4.5/75mm (rear dia. 59.8mm)
Schneider Super Angulon 8/90mm (rear dia. 56.8mm)
Schneider symmar 5.6/100mm
Carl Zeiss Planar 2.8/100mm (in #1 shutter)
Schneider Angulon 6.8/120mm (in #1 shutter)
Schneider Xenotar 3.5/135mm (in #1 shutter, rear dia. 47.7mm)
Voigtlander Apo-Lanthar 4.5/150mm (in #1 shutter)
Voigtlander Heliar 4.5/150mm (in #1 shutter)
Schneider Apo Symmar 5.6/150mm
Rodenstock Apo Ronar 9/150mm
Nikkor/ Fuji 150mm lens

Type X, only for Xenotar 2.8/150mm 
This is a big, heavy lens that many photographers want to use it on portrait for its bokeh, for this special lens, I have developed a variety from type B, exclusive for this lens.

Xenotar 2.8/150mm lens must be mounted on a #2 shutter, I know it is hard to find for such a shutter, but  Byron just can not take normal #3 shutter anymore, too big in size.

The rear element is 62.85mm in diameter, Xenotar must first screw off the rear element, mount onto the standard, then screw back the rear.

Not only front standard needs to be enforced, rail and many other parts need to be re-adjust to allocate this big boy, the cam curve needs greater precision for its super shallow DOF too.

Oh, recently I saw other conversion service on ebay, also for Xenotar 2.8/150, although I did not see any image about the converted camera for Xenotar 2.8/150 yet, but the service charge do really THUNDERSTRUCK me a bit!

Xenotar 135/3.5 on SL66

I dug my dehumidifier yesterday for my spared #2 shutter, and I found one long forgot Xenotar 135/3.5 sat there stared at me, I bought it last years, and then quickly shift my interest into big brother 150/2.8, this one left in the box till now.

It came as a barrel lens, with iris only, but I managed to fit it with a proper #1 shutter, and so there it can be mounted on Byron, or on my SL66.

This lens did not need extension tube, you can see bellows extends just about 1.5inch and you got infinity already, if you extend bellows to the end, focus can be as near as 1.5 feet.

Next time I will try to mount this beauty onto Byron, 135mm is quite wide for 4x5 snaps.

How to read Kindle in bed with one hand

I love to read, especially while laying in bed, I can read all day in winter days, just head and hand outside of the blanket.

But with e-book like Kindle, it is nearly impossible to hold the device one hand only, it forces you to hold the device with two hands, or you will drop the book, or your hand feel awkward sour.

I searched the web, to see other people how they solve the problem, there are so many ppl love to read on bed, they must have good ideas to make the reading comfortable and cozy, but I hardly found one satisfy my need.

So I thought of many ways to "stick" Kindle in my palm, rubber band, silicon ring with wire, glove that with  many small suckers...... and then this one is the most easy and comfort one.

All you need is a kitchen cleaning sponge, with a big silicon sucker in middle, to hold the sponge on wall tile. The cost is about US$1.5 here in Taiwan. we need the sucker only, let sponge stay in kitchen.

Make it suck at the back of the device, there you go, you can place it anywhere on the back, sometimes I read when at breakfast, I place the sucker at the middle top of the back, thus make it a good reading angle when placed on the table.

For improving the strength of sucker to hold, I use a piece of cutting sheet on back, make the sucker to hold the device, unless you pull it really hard, the sucker won't let go, no risk falling the device.

When laying in bed, I place it at lower corner, to fit my hand, so I can hold my Kindle one hand, and my thumb could help press the page down button.

cam curve for Geronar 6.3/150

The red curve is for 6.3/150mm Geronar lens.

Compare this lens with Xenotar, Heliar, apo-symmar 150 lenses, the curve is interesting different with them, Geronar has its own character, no wonder it has shortest rail movement for infinity stop.

Consistency of RF mechanism

Had been measured and plotted 6 RF mechanisms last week, to verify their consistent performance, thus if they are, we can refer it as a constant, so the only variation of the cam curve is from lens focal performance.

To measure each one, mount the RF part, zeroing it by focus to infinity and make overlay images in window match well, then use this as zero point, focus at other distance, here I choose 8m, 7m, 6, 5, 4m, 3m, 2.4, 2.1m, 1.8m, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0m as target, and record the moving distance of the mirror arm, then plotting the curve representing the records.

Except curve No.4, all six curves has very similar character, indicates the RF mechanism is fairly consistent at their performance on focusing, but there DOES has mechanism like curve No.4, whose character is different, I would call it a "mine", for it is impossible to find out before you bought such a vintage camera produced sixty years ago, actually you could not expect too much. Luckily most people didn't convert 110B as an lens interchanging camera, so they never know.

Nevertheless, most of the RFs are good, but I prefer inspect one by one, before I made the dedicated cam grinding. 

Grinding Ground Glass

Never expect it so hard to buy grinding grit in Taiwan.


My previous version of gg panel was made of bakelite, and the ground glass is a piece of transparent acrylic sheet in 3mm thickness, frosted surface is from a thin layer of laminator sheet sandwiched between Fresnel lens and acrylic sheet.


Laminate sheet sleeve is for laminator to hot press the sandwiched photos or id card, to form a protect cover, very thin, fine evenly distributed frosted surface, but after hot press and rolled out from laminator, it becomes transparent. It is easy to get in any stationary store, and in 100sheet pack, you can choose any size you want, in my case, 4x6 inch sleeve is enough, I had to cut some edges.


I tried Scotch Magic tape before, but in my own opinion, laminator sheet is better. 

Last week I received new version aluminum gg panel, some minor modifications from previous version. Panel surface was sand blasted and dyed in matte black, looked much better quality than bakelite one. I put in Fresnel lens, laminator sheet, and then finally acrylic sheet on top, fixed with folding hood and six screws with washers. Left one is the new version, six big washer help fix the hood also the ground glass, and screw holes on hood edges are far more robust than old version, not easy to crack anymore, and looks more flat at side.

But then I compared my gg panel with the one on my Linhof Tech IV, first focus with Linhof gg panel, then replace it with my panel, my frosted surface obviously coarser, thought the focal point is dead on.


I thought that Byron is dedicated for snaps, and gg panel is for occasionally used as view camera, so the gg panel is not so critical. But as some requests from clients asking for better quality ground glass, and since the panel is upgraded from bakelite to aluminum, maybe I should consider a finer frosted surface.


I ordered some 3mm thick glass panels, and acrylic panels too.


There are articles about "how to make your own ground glass", easy to find them on web, but the grinding grit, aluminum oxide in 15 micron is not a common product to find in Taiwan's auction market, I made some calls, and most of store sells them in bulk package, 20 or 25kg, that is too much to me, I can use it for the rest of my life and to my son, and to my grandson!


Finally a shop is willing selling me in 2kg package, but in higher price, what can I say? I almost kneel down and kiss his feet.


Took a glass sheet in about A2 size as plate, I sprayed a tea spoonful of grit on it, with some drips of water, then acrylic panel face down, I began to made rotate grinding on it.

To made it easier to hold the panel while in grinding, I used a silicon sucker which has a big handle on it, so rotate the panel on glass is smooth and easy, no fingers directly touch the panel, avoiding any chance that wrong side of sheet got ground.

About 5 min for a panel, then I immersed the panel into water, wiped it with a towel, to check if there is any hot spot, there is, especially at the center, means that sucker makes center get less pressure, so I had to leave the panel away, with fingers evenly pressed on panel, make second rotation grinding.

That's about another 5minutes, then a panel with evenly frosted surface is done! With same way I make glass panel too, comparing two panels as ground glass, I can not tell the difference.

But since I made frosted glass myself, I should compare new panel (Fresnel lens+ frosted acrylic sheet) with older panel (Fresnel lens+ laminate sheet+ transparent acrylic sheet), to see if there any improvement.

I focused the same object, with two versions of gg panel.


This is from old version (Fresnel lens+ laminate sheet+ transparent acrylic sheet), there is some circular pattern on frosted surface, that is from Fresnel lens.

And this is from new version, Fresnel lens+ frosted acrylic sheet. Fresnel lens pattern is also distinguishable, but less than old one. 

It's not so obviously to tell in taken images, but it's easy to tell by naked eyes that frosted acrylic is finer than laminate sheet with transparent acrylic.

But there will be two options for clients to choose, acrylic sheet is lighter and not so easy to crack if falling; while glass sheet is heavier and prone to crack if falling on floor, but better scratch resistance.

Which one will you choose? Acrylic? Glass?