Topic: 8-by-10 Tailboard Camera: Overview Video

[JoeV]

Hi folks,

Several years ago I built a primitive tailboard-style nested box camera that uses a single element meniscus lens. It's main feature is a removable view screen that's replaced by the film holder. I use mainly paper negatives and Harman Direct Positive Paper with this camera.

It also has an accessory that attaches onto the front of the box, a mechanical, spring-operated rotating shutter.

Yesterday, I shot and edited an overview video about the camera and how it's used, which I thought you might find of interest. The link is down below.

~Joe

PS: I changed the video's privacy settings so it's now public.

http://youtu.be/-G3eI2kH8b8

[zapsnaps]

Hi Joe

Just watched the video - love the camera and the simplicity of its concept.

I bought a half-plate tailboard in the summer, but am still trying to get the half plate holder to take a 5x4 film holder. You've given me a much needed nudge to have a tinker and sort this out.

Cheers
David

[jojonas~]

Always nice to see a well built large format camera. Notbad results either!
but what I'm most impressed by is the shutter you designed. Well thought out with how you can regulate it. Whatkind of shutterspeedscan you get with it?

[JoeV]

Jonas,

I'm glad you liked the video. As for the shutter speeds, they vary from about 1/15 to 1/25, not nearly as wide a range as I had initially hoped. The speeds are adjusted by pulling out the short wooden dowel pin and changing the angle between both shutter petals, there being a series of holes that the wooden dowel pin can engage.

In actual practice, when I need a sub-1 second exposure time I use the shutter as-is, and modify the exposure with my choice of aperture plate, sorta like shooting in shutter speed priority mode.

I had initially thought about a spring-driven guillotine-style shutter (with the shutter blades travelling horizontally to negate the effects of gravity), but it ended up being too bulky and so I went with this rotating shutter idea.

~Joe

[Francois]

And the good thing over an horizontally moving shutter is that you don't need to lube it. Horizontal shutters have a lot of friction... I have one in my GevaBox and it was frozen when I got it.

It's a bit funny 'cause I would have thought of using a solenoid and a circuit to time the shutter

[jojonas~]

Well even if it's justone known shutterspeed it's great to have and work around