Photographer Erik Mathy has a problem: he has a hard time doing the same thing twice. For every project he takes on, he wants to use some new combination of camera, lens and film. When Bobby Wintle announced the Mega Mid South ultra endurance race, Erik decided to build his own camera to bring with him to Stillwater, OK. In this latest edition of Obscura, Erik shows us his latest handbuilt large format camera and explains how he went about putting it together.
“This is my camera, there is only one like it, and it is mine.”
My journey into large format photography began 9 years ago when I decided to ride Route 66 with a 4 x 5″ camera as a cancer fundraiser in memory of my cousin Brian. Brian was a supremely detail-oriented guy. I, on the other hand, am not. After he passed, I tried to channel him into my photography to say my goodbyes. The most detail-oriented photography I could think of was large format, so away I went. A few years later, I started making my own large-format camera lenses. From there, it was only natural to start making cameras.
Handmade 4 x 5″ Film Camera Review
My first attempt at camera building was a sliding 4 x 5” box camera and handmade lens during the COVID lockdown. That went well, all things considered. I’ve even used it on two different Radavist stories and for a third piece for Mountain Flyer. When I decided to do a project on the Mega Mid South, my thoughts turned to what camera gear I’d use. I have a minor sickness in that every project is an excuse to try something different. Depending on the subject and location, there is nothing that’s off the table.
The Mamiya 75mm f/5.6 on a Copal 0 shutter and the Dayi 6×9/6x12cm roll film back.
I decided to do a from-scratch camera build centered around two things: a Mamiya 75 mm f/5.6 lens and a 6 x 12 panoramic medium format film back for 4 x 5” cameras. In 4 x 5” film camera land, a 75 mm lens is a wide angle, the equivalent to a 24 mm lens on a full frame camera. It’s also a perfect match for 6 x 12 cm panoramic images. A shallow body, wide angle, 4 x 5” camera became the goal.
Hand made camera #1: A 4 x 5″ sliding box camera.
With my prior 4 x 5” camera project being a sliding box camera, I wanted to avoid the problems I’d found in that design. I decided to use a M58 (58 mm) diameter focusing ring, which can be gotten from eBay or directly from Pixco, mounted to the camera body itself. People use these for macro photography on their digital cameras all the time. Because it has a threaded front, I had the option to add another focusing ring to it for longer lenses, like a 105 mm or 127 mm. Or I could use an M42 (42 mm) to M58 adapter and cut out M42 body caps to mount the shorter 75 mm and 90 mm lenses directly onto the original focusing ring.
(l) There is no guarantee that a square box will be perfectly square. After slicing it down, some additional fine tuning is always required to get a near to flat or flat surface for the film plane. ( r) The mounted M58 focusing ring and carbon fiber sheet.
The main box from which the camera is made is just a cheap, dovetailed piece off of Amazon. I measured the distance I wanted from the front to the film plane and sliced the rest off with a tablesaw. The wood is cheap and thin so I didn’t trust it to bear the weight of a lens for long. To deal with that I got some 3mm thick carbon fiber sheet to act as a mounting plate. Once it was cut down and epoxied onto the wooden box I added eight brass brackets. Those help spread the weight-bearing duties to the sides of the box instead of purely on the front. I used a 2.25” hole cutter on a drill press to cut the M58 focus ring’s mounting point. It took a little sanding (58mm = 2.258”) but I eventually got the M58 ring threaded in tightly.
Random hardwood, cut to size. This particular piece of the build is one I’d like to do a better, more aesthetically pleasing job of in the future.
I then cut some hardwood – I can’t remember what kind, I have a bunch of it laying around from other projects – to form the basis of the film back mount. There are four pieces in total. The part that the film holders push up against is a piece of copper set in place with three bolts. I wanted something that was held on securely that could bear pressure AND be made lightproof. The copper does the job well while looking pretty sweet.
The cold shoe mount slightly overhung the wood it was placed on and didn’t have a front stopper. I cut a custom piece of wood with a slight relief in it for the cold shoe to rest into and capped it with a piece of copper because it looked nicer that way.
I placed four threaded inserts, two on the top and two on the bottom, some L brackets, and cap head screws with washers to hold the film backs in place while the images were being taken. A 1 mm thick, adhesive-backed, light-proof foam was added to help deal with light leaks.
The darker the interior, the sharper the images. I should use a straight black paint for the interior but I just like using wood stain on wood. I’m weird. Also note the HUGE rear lens element on the Mamiya 75 mm f/5.6 lens. It’s sought after for a reason.
Last but not least the inside of the camera was then stained black. After the stain dried I used Permatex black rubber gasket maker on the inside perimeter of the focus ring and every inner edge to guard against additional light leaks. For the final details I added a cold shoe to the top for accessories (a flash, viewfinder, etc…) and a tripod plate to the bottom.
The box and externally mounted pieces of wood were stained with two different colors during assembly. Two layers of polyurethane were put on for weatherproofing.
So, What’s It Like To Shoot With?
To start with, it handles shockingly well. If I dialed a lens in for zone focusing and added a viewfinder, I wouldn’t need a tripod. Even with the 6×12 back and 75 mm lens mounted on it, the weight isn’t bad. That combo weighs less than my digital workhorse, a Fuji GFX50R. Swapping the ground glass for the film back can be a little finicky. It’s not a quick process. As with all things 4 x 5”, you’re best off being measured and methodical, even under pressure. When you don’t, bad things happen, like light leaks, because you didn’t have the film back in properly or tightened down snugly, for example. *ahem*
The two lenses I brought along performed quite differently. The Mamia 75 mm f/5.6 is incredible. At f/5.6 it’s really fast for a lens that covers 6 x 12 cm, and the Copal 0 shutter goes from 1s to 1/500th of a second. The angle of view on this lens is crazy wide, which is both a blessing and a curse. Did I mention it’s sharp as a tack? That might not show well with the film I used on the Mega Mid South project, but when you’re looking at something on the ground glass with this lens you can see a ridiculous amount of detail.
A rider on the Mega Mid South course, 1/25th of a second at f/16 on an overcast morning.
The Wollensak 90 mm f/12.5 I threw in on a whim at the last minute. I wanted something with a slightly longer focal length for when the 75 mm was just too wide. It’s also tiny, about 1/8th the size of the 75 mm. Image quality-wise it doesn’t hold a candle to the Mamiya 75 mm. When you’re focusing on the ground glass with this 90mm it takes longer because it’s really hard to tell when you’ve nailed your focal point. The shutter itself has a range of 1/10th to 1/200th of a second, which is rather limited. I did use the 90 mm for a few images and was happy to have had it along.
Lori Battles, General Manager of the Perry Daily Journal.
Overall, I’m really satisfied with this camera build. There is a small list of things I need to do to improve the camera itself. Things like double checking the light proofing on the back, making the film back retainers both easier to use and capable of tighter contact, adding a tripod mount for vertical images…that kind of thing. I also want to add a higher quality 90 mm lens and a 105 mm lens to the kit so I have three good lens options. I have plenty of 4 x 5” sheet film holders already, and the 6 x 12 cm film back, but some additional format backs (6 x 4.5, 6 x 6, 6 x 7, 6 x 9, Fuji Instax Wide) are definitely in the cards.
With some thoughtful body updates and additions to the kit, this camera will become one of my main photographic tools. I can mount a solid array of medium format and 4 x 5″ lenses to it, use every format from 6 x 4.5 cm to 4 x 5”, it’s light, compact and, most importantly, mine. I made it. If something goes wrong, I’ll fix it. If it breaks for good, I can make another in less than 8 hours of labor. What’s not to love about that?
