Introducing FrankenKamera VI...
Dec 16, 2019
5
Now that I'm convinced my infrared photography (which I do using a DIY converted NX500 and Contax / Yashica lenses) isn't just a passing infatuation, I decided to dedicate a camera to this setup instead of switching back and forth with my A7R and other lenses between outings.
Since I include a lot of architecture in my photos of late-night street and alley scenes, I need at least rear rise / fall movements, which I was able to incorporate by creating a pancake-type tech camera around the front standard of a Toyo VX23D medium-format view camera.
Here's the result, shown with the C/Y 28-70 zoom I recently acquired for this outfit:

The camera has a total rear rise / fall movement range of 28 mm, split 10 mm fall and 18 mm rise, which is more than enough for my purposes and the lenses I'm using. Oh, and unlike the typical shift adapter, the rise / fall movement is geared, which makes it easy to use in a very precise manner.
Without the NX500 and lens attached, the bare camera weighs 1 lb., 9.6 ounces, which is lighter than every tech camera I'm aware of, both commercially available and DIY.
And I already owned the VX23D, so the cost of this conversion was just over $125 for the materials I used, which is not too bad, especially as I didn't modify the standard in any way, so I can quickly reassemble it back into a VX23D if / when I need the greater range of movements a proper view camera can provide.
All in all, I'm very pleased with how this project turned out and thought I'd share this with others to motivate them to think outside the box and come up with solutions that do not require a visit to the B&H or Adorama websites.
Here are a few sample photos I took recently using with this camera / lens combo:


