NEX with a 4x5 View Camera

[Thamnophis]

I bought a used Omega 4x5 View camera and noticed that it shipped with a male bayonet mount - turned out to be an OM mount and I had one for my NEX 5R, so I had to try it.

First thing I noticed was that the Schneider convertible lens on the 4x5 was essentially a telephoto with this set up. It barely focused to infinity, I assume because the sensor is far back of the normal film plane for this camera?

But its a great macro set up. Some quick pics at near maximum extension of the bellows below. These are full frame images reduced to 700dpi.


Sony NEX adapted to a 4x5 View Camera




A semi-macro shot




A mint leaf macro




At f32 and about 1/2 sec as I recall. Maximum extension of 4x5 bellows




A coin

 

[john-photoguy]

Sweet! I have wanted to put my NEX onto my 4x5. Enjoy!

 

[Thamnophis]

Even though I didn't do it, it looks easy to affix a male bayonet mount to a lens board.

Suddenly you have all the tilt /shift abilities of the large format in a little digital! The macro capabilities are worth investigating too.

Have fun!



Here are front / back views of the OM male mount on a lens board ...




Front




Back side or inside view

 

[Gato Amarillo]

For some view cameras you can simply cut a pieces of Masonite to size, then drill a hole and attach the mount. If your camera has sufficiently precise movements you can use camera shift and stitching to make high resolution images.

Gato

 

[ProfHankD]

Useful for more than macros. Here are the two relevant Instructables I wrote a while back:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Large-Format-Adapter-For-Your-Mirrorless-Camera/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Custom-Lensboards-For-A-Large-Format-Camera/

It's all pretty easy to do. Actually, it's even easier for me now that I've got a 3D printer. ;-)

Anyway, here's what the camera looks like with my homemade wooden mounting parts:

NEX-5 on my custom back for a B&J 4x5 press/view

NEX-5 on custom back for B&J Watson (a medium-format press/view)

B&J 4x5 with 135mm f/2.8 Elicar mounted on custom E-mount lensboard

B&J 4x5 with 150mm Rodenstock on custom lensboard



Some example images from my Instructables on this:

With 127mm Ektar on NEX-5 via BJ 4x5



[IMG width="400px" alt="With 19in "red dot" Artar on NEX-5 via B&J 4x5 "]http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FUC/8F51/H7431TQB/FUC8F51H7431TQB.LARGE.jpg[/IMG]
With 19in "red dot" Artar on NEX-5 via B&J 4x5

With 135mm f/2.8 Elicar on NEX-5 via B&J 4x5 with custom lensboard

With 150mm Rodenstock enlarging lens on NEX-7 via B&J 4x5 with custom lensboard

 

[Thamnophis]

Very good! Did you happen to make a lens board with a recessed fitting for the lens? Or a recessed fitting for the camera? I ask because it seems to me that the added distance from the lens to the sensor results in a telephoto lens - at least I think thats whats happening.

Also with my 135mm lens I have to squeeze the bellows to their most compressed possible setting to get infinity focus. That leaves me with no room for movements - shifts, rises, etc.

If the camera mount or lens mount were recessed I could maintain greater use of the view camera, correct? Or maybe I just need a longer lens.

BTW, Here's another interesting use of a 3D printer: 120 film spool extension I made for my old Kodak 3A




Kodak 3A converted to use 120 roll film. Note thin aluminum film gate adapters glued in place

 

[ProfHankD]

Did you happen to make a lens board with a recessed fitting for the lens? Or a recessed fitting for the camera?

Recessing the camera doesn't work -- the shutter button becomes inoperable if it is any closer to the back plate, and even a NEX-5 doesn't fit inside the 4x5 space (you'd need 5x7 or larger to align film planes, plus some kind of workaround for the shutter button).

Recessed lensboards are a pain to make by hand, but easy enough with a 3D printer. Catch is, the B&J 4x5 uses a 4x4" lensboard with a felt-lined baffle behind it, and the baffle is barely large enough to fit mounted-in-shutter lenses. The only one I use that way is a board I made for a 101mm Raptar, and I had to ever-so-slightly grind the shutter trigger lever in order to fit it. I've actually more often made and used extended lensboards that allow a reasonable focus range with very long focal length large-format lenses (like the Artar)... those are easier to make because there's no stuff in the way.

For what it's worth, I intend to soon be posting a 3D-printed tilt/shift/focus adapter that makes this whole approach somewhat unnecessary. I've also made a 3D-printed back that allows panorama stitching by shifting the camera mount (somewhat like those on eBay for $200 or so) -- it really wasn't worth the trouble in terms of IQ.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

I have owned a number of factory recessed lens boards over the years, even for boards as small as 4 inches square. Most of the 4x5 view cameras I have used needed a recessed board for lenses shorter than 90mm, and it was handy even for a 90.

With small boards there are space problems with some lenses and shutters, but they can work with smaller shutters. At one time you could even by special extra-flexible cable releases designed for recessed boards. Press cameras, with generally smaller boards, are more limited than full-size view cameras.

I'm not that familiar with the OP's Omega, but it looks to have a pretty large board and most cameras of similar design can handle a recess with no problem. I'd be willing to bet Omega made recessed boards, and there is even a good chance some other brands would interchange.

Gato