MIKONEKA A Wooden 4x5 View Camera

I'm a little reluctant to call this a "finished product", since already after taking 3 pictures with it I've decided to make two changes. I'll replace the pleated bellows with a self-made bag bellows (to allow more movements with the 150mm lens) and change the knobs to ones with a better torque. But in a sense it's a finished product; I did what I primarily planned and the result is a fully working camera. Behold the beauty:
 
 

Front View

BackView

Side View

"Portrait"

SideView with Film Magazine Inserted

Minimum Extension

Maximum Extension (approx. 60cm=24inches)

Demonstrating Movements

The first two sheets of film I exposed were ruined during the development. I developed them in a tank (Paterson Super System 4 development tank, which has now proved to be unsuitable for processing 4x5 negatives) meanth for 35mm and roll film and was so clever that I thought I don't need to use the center tube since I didn't use the film reels. Well, immediately after pouring in the developer I realized that the center tube also serves another purpose aside from supporting the film reels. It is a light trap and prevents your films from being exposed to light when you open the tank lid. So I ended up with two black negatives. But the grain was very small and the black tone nice and smooth. That was my first step in the large format photography arena.

The next morning I exposed a third negative and prosessed it with great care. It was a simple picture of some liliaceae (see photo below). This time the negative came out right and judging from it, the camera seems to be lightproof. That morning I had my first revelation related to large format photography. If I take a picture at my home, I can load one sheet of film, take the picture and process the negative in just about 30 minutes. If I'm not happy with the results, I can make adjustments to e.g. lighting and reshoot another sheet right away. I don't shoot still life much but for portraits of patient persons that might be usable.

To see more images taken with the camera, visit the gallery page.
 
 

If you have any questions about my 4x5 view camera project, feel free to email me at mikko.oksalahti@nic.fi. You can also visit my other photography site at http://www.nic.fi/~moksalah.

    Regards,
        Mikko Oksalahti
        Helsinki, FINLAND