Topic: Help me, I'm having a hack attack!!

[beck]

Please don't. Well, I was up to my old tricks again and decided to hack my beloved Polaroid Colorpack....AND, gulp, my...Diana...my original Diana, mind you. I, mutilated her. I am so sorry honey. Not to worry, I have three more. She was old and haggard....like me.
 
So I didn't know what I was doing, what else is new...I was more or less, assuming. That's a start, right? Right. After destroying my poor Diana to use some of her parts like the film tabs from tops and bottoms and the film winder...I then used the film pack from the Polaroid I had left over and constructed a metal film tray to hold film and take up spool. It required a bit of effort I must say and half of the evening. Thankfully, I was assisted by my trusty Dremel set. If you do not own that super tool kit, get yourself one. Perfect for making parts and pieces fit.

So the tray is done. That was the hard part. I then hot glued the tray down on to the closing lid inside of the Polaroid camera. Cake. I also cut a small film counter window rather than guessing and clicking unnecessarily. I placed a cardboard mask in the otherside in front of the lens to produce square photographs. So I'm thinking.

tray

 
I just assumed, when everything was put together, film rolled on and up nicely and closed up for picture taking...the aperture setting on a Polaroid dial are 3000 for black and white and 75 for color. Or is it the other way around. Whatever, again, I just assumed since the two, the black and white setting with it's small aperture opening, I would use it for sunny days, and vise versa for color and cloudy days. Understand?

mask

 
Well, I couldn't wait for the next day to use my new homemade camera. I even loaded it with some C41 cause I get very, very, excited. I had my suspicions before hand and worrying whether or not the lens was too far from the film plane. Well, it was and while it did advance nicely, and only took 8 frames, I cut the hole wrong...I took my film today to get processed...and....there was nothing...only blank frames. There were indeed frames, big ones too, but no images.

camera outfit


big fat nothing frame

 
Boy that's a lot of talk up there. Forgive me. So I have to think of how this thing is going to take photographs. When I constructed the tray, my only option was to have the film paper side down against the lid so I could see the numbers when advancing, and film side up. Capice? I think I have to reverse that so film is on top and closer to the lens. Or figure out aperture settings, though I'm not sure is that is feesable. I think...
 
Any suggestions how I could get this thing to take pictures?
 
There's the results....a big fat nothing. But hey, I tried...

[db]

Serves you right!!!
Imagine cutting up a Diana.  akk. coff.. I'm sure the plastic Gods would have smiled on your labour if you'd used a Holga instead.

Actually, my guess (and I have little experience with pol) is that the numbers refer to the film speeds of two different polaroid film types, so you may be best to stick to the 75 and load 100asa film. Also I think that the metal polaroid packs spring load each new sheet to the front of the pack which would 1/4 inch or so closer to the lens. You could glue a pad behind the paper roll (with a hole for the numbers) to replicate this, however that problem shouldn't cause you to get blank frames- just really blurry ones.
I'm sure someone else will know more about this.

(better luck next time)

[Ed Wenn]

First off, well done for the mod. It looks very sexy and if you can get it working then I think it'll be awesome.
Secondly, I agree with Don re the Diana...use a Holga next time, they grow on trees 
Thirdly, that tiny distance away from the film plane will make a dig difference for sure, so do try and get the film as close to your new mask as possible or you'll never get anything even remotely in focus.
Fourthly, how are you winding on the film? It's not clear from the photos.

Now, as to why you can't get a photo from your new baby....hmm, that's a bit tougher. I don't have a Colorpack here for reference (I only have a succession of Land cameras), so the only thing I can suggest is to make sure that you can see the shutter opening and closing when the back's off and you're looking through the carboard mask. OK, don't kill me, I'm sure you've done this already, but it's the only thing I can think of. I assume that you got a roll of nothing back as opposed to a roll of completely exposed film?

[Francois]

Are you sure the film is at the right plane? The film to lens distance seems very wrong.
Exposure doesn't seem like a problem since you got both black & white on the image.
Though, do check the electronic shutter, just in case

[beck]

I'M SORRY. Well, I did manage to save parts and pieces...and the lens.

Ed, I used the film winder from the Diana and hot glued it to a ground down plastic spool, minus the one flange end, took the cap winder and fit the other end of the flange neatly inside and then glued it to the film roll itself...drilled the necessary openings at the top of the camera to advance film. It worked too. It wasn't included in the picture above as I had to take it apart to give to the lab. All I have to do is repeat the same process.

The shutter works fine even when using the Colorpack as is and thought for sunny days, the setting with the smallest opening would be for bright sunny days. And so with the wide opening for cloudy. I thought it would actually work...sort of. The film strip was indeed of exposed frames, just nothing with an image...even when scanning. I did use colored film.

So it has to be the film not being close enough to the lens...I did make a camera once before from a camera box and it did work...with images. I may have to use a different speed as Don mentioned and see. I definitely have to put the tray closer..somehow and that will no doubt require effort and thought...and more holes drilled through the palm of my hand. Again, no images on the negative, but clearly an exposed one. Because of the lens in front the cone/tunnel like housing on the Polaroid, creates a distance even more from the film plane, as apposed to the cardboard box camera I made...which is square and flat. I'll look at this again and see what I can come up with...I won't give up.

Thanks for all your advice and comments...more soon.

[Skorj]

Oh my god, my brain hurts with all the possibilities here. Let me have a re-read and see what I can think of... Too many things. Will try again when brain can cope with the concept.

(Me thinks I would have started by adding a Diana lens to the Polaroid back. But, that's just the Polaroider in me talking. Plus, the Color Pack you're using has a triplet, and the Diana is a singlet. Snork.)

[moominsean]

defnly keep the iso at 75. 3000 is for really high speed polaroid and the aperture is really, really tiny. the fuzziness might have something to do with the focal length, too. that seems to be my prob with all my hacks. can't quite get the focal length right so it's always all blurry... or maybe it's really leaky?

[Francois]

Once you get to that aperture, you could drill the 3000ISO aperture to make it bigger (I think)
But do use some software to calculate the size properly so you can get decent results (3000ISO is pretty fast for film, you would be stuck having to use TMZ at 3200)
I think F/stop calc or something like that would be a good bet. They have tons of links at
http://www.xs4all.nl/~wiskerke/html/toollink.html

Can't wait to see the results...

[beck]

I had it on 75 for the bigger aperture. I gambled thinking the more light there would be to come through the better chance for an image. I thought about drilling it wider and bigger....but it already is that wide and you don't see none of the mechanics like you would if your holga or diana was set on sunny looking through it up in the light...it's wide open with the colorpack. I thought too lights leaks, but I taped everything, including the window and around the film advance winder. Maybe not enough up there. I would have liked to change lenses to the Diana...but I couldn't figure out how to dismantle the one already there. I even thought about shearing off part of the housing that holds the lens, minus the viewfinder and work around it to bring the lens board closer and without upsetting the shutter mech. I might do that anyhow cause I get an itchy feeling in my pants when I mess around. I can always get another Polaroid..I see them all the time. I'll get this right and will make MILLIONS...MILLIONS I SAY.

Sean, you're the crafty rascal of the bunch, take one of your colorpacks and do this same thing only with results. C'mon. Mark, get back to this and add your thoughts after brain surgery. Thanks, kids...and the link.

[Andrea.]

Just leave it as it is and add it to the 'nothing' collaboration 

[Francois]

I know these things are pretty well designed and assembled...
Don't hack the lens off. What's the point in putting a Diana lens on a Polaroid when you could have just kept the Diana in the first place?
Now, if the plan had been to make an instant film Diana, I would have said "go for it girl".

Something you could try is to put the aperture on 75 (which is the widest, about 6 stops wider than 3000ISO so it has the shallowest depth of field), put a piece of black tape on the light sensor (forcing longest shutter speed) and set the lens to infinity. With a piece of tracing paper, try to find the plane of focus. You will have to be fast but shutter should be slow enough to see "something" (black shirt tied around the back as a darkcloth?). This should help a lot.

Once you have found the plane of focus for infinity (which is always the closest focus point to the lens), or at least something close to it, you will know how much material to remove to make it work.

Hope it helps...

[Skorj]

Hmmm... had a think, and back home on a nice Sunday... Try these:

o Lens and focal plane? Measure distance of Diana lens to film plane, then compare your Diana on Polaroid case effect. You will need to bring the Diana lens a heap closer as the Polaroid is 110mm+ and the Diana 85mm or something? Out of focus seems to be expected otherwise?
o Make sure you remove the inner one (or maybe two) lenses on the Polaroid as the outer (focusable) lens of the Polaroid is only the focusing element, there are another two elements inside (behind the aperture slider).
o Shutter, is it opening? Can you see a flash of light inside at night when you've got clean batts and hold it up to a light source? Remember, the click you hear does not mean the shutter is actually opening.
o Aperture, do not even think of the ISO3000 (B&W) position. f60 something will mean death for ISO100-400 film.
o Your sample pic could just be light leaks galore.

Before you kludge up the front and the lens too much, try adding the 120 film back effect you've got going to the original Polaroid lens? This way you're making a step at a time, and this will allow fixing of faults to occur in a similar manner, one at a time. Too much going on otherwise. Look forward to more results! Skj.

[formica]

i'm still in shock/awe that you hacked up a diana. but i'm curious to see how this hybrid progresses...

         william

[db]

Saw this Lomo-roid hack at

http://www2.flickr.com/photos/missha/302021947/in/pool-42482680@N00/

OK, not so much hacking going on there really. Results down in the comments section of the page. I liked the comment from helpful person who pointed out that they were having trouble with the back because it was designed to go on a Holga, not a Lomo... I'm still trying to figure if that's a serious comment.
anyway.. enjoy

db