3D Printing a 5” x 4” Camera
It’s hard to know how to explain this latest folly. It seems that despite owning a 40 megapixel Hasselblad digital camera I just can’t resist the idea of playing with “BIG” film and camera movements. I tried to avoid the temptation of a new Intrepid, Chamonix or even a Gibellini view camera but just kept getting drawn back to the idea of working with a view camera, particularly for architectural images.
Now the Intrepid black edition 4 x 5 camera https://intrepidcamera.co.uk/collections/camera/products/intrepid-4x5-black-edition looked like the best option based on price and features for a starter camera. I had already purchased an Intrepid enlarger to use with the 35mm and medium format film cameras I have and the quality looks pretty good for a 3D printed item. Having said that I wasn’t completely sure what I actually wanted. To add to the confusion I discovered the Dora Goodman site https://doragoodman.com and also Chroma Camera’s Snapshot 4x5 site https://chroma.camera/collections/snapshot-4x5-handheld-camera and these started me thinking. If I could print my own camera then I could make both types and start off with basic capabilities to see what it was like. So, with this mad idea in my head I started to look at 3D printing, modelling software and the bit I dreaded most CAD software.
A couple of days following tutorials and reading 3D Printer reviews on the internet led me to the decision to buy a Creality Ender 3 S1 printer (pictured above) with 2 rolls of PLA filament to get started. For modelling software I discovered Blender which is something every photographer should take a look at even if just for fun. Check out Ian Hubert’s wacky presentation on “World building in Blender” https://youtu.be/whPWKecazgM at BCON19 for some inspiration on computer based image development/enhancement.
The problem with the internet is that it can make anything crazy seem possible, maybe even easy! The Creality printer cost about the same as an Intrepid 4 x 5 camera but I discovered that I can print a camera for less than $50 AUD so given that I want to try it and then develop my own it seems like a reasonably cost effective way to go. Armed with a lot of enthusiasm and a tiny bit of knowledge I found an open source 4x5 camera from a guy named Kaishou on printables.com https://www.printables.com/model/236655-vega-4x5-view-camera. The Vega 4 x 5 is a remix of The Standard 4 x 5 from Standard Cameras (https://standardcameras.com) and has been shared with permission from the owner Drew Nikonowicz (https://nikonowicz.com) who also sells access to files from his first version 4 x 5 camera for about $45 AUD which is pretty reasonable. The Kaishou version has some claimed improvements in the movements but is obviously a real entry level model to build and try.
3D Printing is not what you would describe as fast!
Printing the Rear standard - about 7 hours in! I’m using red PLA to print the first parts because that’s what I bought with the printer. The red is not opaque enough to use without modification to eliminate light leaks so will need to be painted matt black on some of the internal surfaces.
For the lens board and the rear rotating film and ground glass mounts I am using a black PETG filament which was claimed to be mechanically better than PLA. I would also like to try the copolymer that Dora Goodman uses but will have to save that for the next camera which will probably be a wide angle snapshot version.
As I write this I have already completed printing the front and rear standards, the rear film plate “thingy” and the front lens mount with a hole for the Copal 0 Seiko shutter I have already acquired along with a 90mm f8 Fujinon lens. Next thing to buy is a film holder which I can source locally from Vanbar in Melbourne. Stay tuned for more madness updates!