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8x10 Camera: 3D Visualisation - Click on image to large view

In the last posting 'After the Flood' a cost effective and accessible workflow for 8x10 colour negative processing and digitalisation was explored and developed, with a working solution in hand I turned my attention to a 8x10 large format camera I started making last year. I made the wooden parts for the camera over last summer but then put the project on hold due to starting a part time MA in Photography and the 8x10 colour negative processing and digitalisation was still undefined at that point, using external sources for processing and digitalisation was not an option due to costs and the need to to these processes in house. Having retrieved the wooden parts of the camera from the corner of the studio I pondered had to proceed with the camera build. The original design was simple, a light weight fixed back camera that only had a lateral and vertical shift movements, a maximum extension of only 450mm but this is more than enough focus length for landscape work. The rear standard of the camera is a simple affair using springs to tension a aluminium flat bar to retain a removal ground glass screen to allow for the film holder to be slotted in.

Before continuing with the build I decided to redo the 3D prototype in Maya a 3D modelling programme to check if the concept build was still fit for purpose. After the past two years of extensively using large format cameras primarily for landscape photography I now prefer less, less movements, less weight, less setup time, less of everything for simplicity allows one to concentrate more on the subject and for less things to go wrong. I decided to keep the option to rotate the film back from landscape to portrait for now but I would like to do another back standard that is just in the landscape format that will simplify the construction, reduce weight and ease the use of the camera. In the 3D visualisations I decided to do away with the lateral shift as I have found for landscape work I have never used this movement whilst the vertical shift is usually employed on every photograph.

Happy with the 3D visualisations I have proceeded to continue making the camera, the wooden parts of the camera have been completed, like the 20x24 camera I have built before I have used cherry wood again due it's machining qualities, strength, weight and visual appearance. For the metal parts I am using mainly aluminium for ease of machining and weight but I have also got some stainless steel if the aluminium is not strong enough for the retaining plate that supports and holds in place the front and rear standards to the base of the camera, there will be a lot of stress on this part at maximum extension and even in a slight wind if the camera is not rigid enough camera shake will appear in the photographs, not good and another �17 colour negative in the bin.

To move the front and rear standards when focusing a rack and spur gear mechanism will be used, I have managed to acquire a MOD 0.8 brass rack which will keep the weight down to the metal rack I used on the 20x24 camera, I could have used a nylon rack which is cheaper, lighter and strong enough for this sized camera but liked the look a feel of brass, a bit of indulgence. Metal turn knobs have been sourced to rotate the spur gears, the focusing turn knobs will be on the right side of the camera and on on the left side of camera the turn knobs have been design to lock the focusing mechanism. Turn knobs are also used to hold the camera back in the landscape and position position, I did not use the quick release design used on most cameras to keep the machining simple, I am a good woodworker but my metal working skills are very basic, still this method will allow one to rotate the back in about a minute, it is for landscape not fashion photography.

Being a 8x10 camera sourcing ground glass and bellows is straight forward and this will be done after the camera has been constructed and tested. I will be posting actual photographs of the camera in a couple of weeks time when the metal has been machined, at the moment the camera is just a pile of wooden parts and the 3D visualisations give a better idea what it looks like.

Whilst restating this project I have been thinking of building a 20x8 camera, the reason being I what to use an ultra large format in the field and use colour negative film. The 20x24 camera is basically a studio camera that can do some very limited field work which is fine but I want something a little bit more portable yet retaining the same original intent, to explore ultra large format photography. The design I have in my mind is very simple, fixed back, limited extension/focal length, vertical shift only, light weight but strong camera [Britain is rather windy] using the same rack and spur gear mechanism. Another reason for going for a 20x8 format camera is Ilford still offers this format as an once a year special order option, you can also use two sheets of 8x10 film to create diptychs as employed by Eliot Dudik's whose rather excellent photographs can be seen at http://eliotdudik.com/inprogress.html and I have just brought his self publish book 'Road Ends in Water', nice to support a fellow photographer. A 20x8 format camera offers not only the traditional darkroom developing but also the opportunity to digitalise the film which you cannot do on the 20x24 camera which is fine as we always saw it as a contact print output camera, at 20x24 there is no need for enlargement. Hopefully in a couple of months I will have designed the camera and made a virtual model of it though to make the actual camera may take some time due to the workload of the final year of my part time MA in photography I about about to start.

In the meantime enjoy the visualisations below and click on the images to see a larger version to get a better idea of the design.

8x10 Camera: 3D Visualisation - Click on image to large view

8x10 Camera: 3D Visualisation - Click on image to large view

8x10 Camera: 3D Visualisation - Click on image to large view