The Konica Instant press was probably one of my favorite camera, for those who are reading this, anyone who owns a hexar or any Konica lenses, know how beautiful the lines and cuts are, they are amazingly beautiful, using Konica Hexanon lenses are like having a personal samurai that slice and cuts the images in ways that even your eye cannot present to you.
Since I love pack film cameras a lot, the Konica Instant Press was one of my favorite samurai to use. But 1 day it died. This is how it all happend.
Nice sunny day, went out to shoot a few expired FP-100c. colors are coming out, stranger and stranger. Lines and lines of blue spirit appearing on photo, even if it was a light patch of blue, I could still feel something wrong with the photo.
I asked the camera in my head, “what’s wrong Konica?” I felt that the camera replying “I’m not feeling too well Jonju” I tried to cheer it up, and tried to take more shots, but it just got worst and worst. some photos were just so horrible I couldn’t scan them. This next photo was the last photo that came out from the camera.
After this shot, the lens was a little wobbly and I looked closer there was a broken screw in the middle of the lens and bellows. The camera literally said, “Jonju I had fun with you, we took great photos and and nice sunny walks, but its time to say goodbye”
I told myself, “Konica, I won’t let you leave me” I closed the camera, put it in my bag. I was busy for a month, until 1 day. I was surfing the net, I saw another dead camera,it was a faulty Polaroid 250, Konica came in mind. I got the broken polaroid 250 straight away. and Started an operation that took me 3 days to complete.
This is how it was made.
I took out the beautiful lens from the camera, there was 2 inner parts, 1 was to secure the copel shutter and the other is one is the back lens. after removing it. I brought a plastic receipt board thingy, those you use when you pay at the cashier.
drill a hole on at the right angle and secure the bellows to it and add light seals to the corner.
and lock the lens.
Now that everything is in tacked, its time to calibrate the distance on the rangefinder on the polaroid 250.
There are are 3 screws that helps the calibration in all directions.
after that, I even made a half case for the camera and some little tweaks to make it more matching. here is the completed version.
A combination of the sexy large Viewfinder with and it took me 20mins to Sync the lenses distance and the finder, the front plate is actually a board that clips receipts for restaurant uses. I reformed it, drilled a hole and attracted the lens. The only lost after the modification is that I lost 0.4m of focusing distance. This lens use to have the ability to focus at 0.6m but now it starts at 1m.
These are the photos taken by this camera after modification.
Next this was shot at the biggest aperture, and the bokeh in this photo is just sweet and solid.
I personally like this shot, it looks like the end of the world.
Another Depth of field test with this camera my homemade Konicoid.
Finally, the amazing Konica Hexanon lens came alive with the Polaroid body.
In my opinion, such a beautiful rebirth.
Apart from the rebirth of the camera, I had lots of fun with both of my teachers, Skorj and Ken. It was a cold cold Saturday morning.
In case you are wondering what we grown man with a camera do on a cold Saturday morning.
(to check out this photo in detail click on the picture)
This was the photo taken by Artsyken
http://www.artsyken.com/?p=439Thats all for now, More on my Konicoid soon.
