Building a Large Format Camera

I build a traditional 4x5 large-format camera from scratch in my home workshop. Commercial versions of this type of camera typically cost several thousand dollars, and even old, used cameras fetch high prices. Building one at home not only saves a lot of money, but is a very satisfying project for a hobbyist. It can be built without any specialized tools, and in fact, could be made with hand tools alone. This particular design is, however, not an appropriate project for a beginning woodworker. For photographers with very limited woodworking skills and budget, there are designs which are simpler and more forgiving.
This project requires several small, aluminum parts which can be made in the home shop without any specialized metal-working tools. I recently released a video showing more about cutting and shaping aluminum with woodworking tools. Here is the link to that video: • Shaping Metal with Woo...
I often post plans for my projects on my website. However, the early sketches and drawings that formed the starting point for this camera required many small changes on the fly, and I do not have a complete set of drawings with proven, accurate measurements that I can share.
I am far more careful with power tools than it often appears. Despite decades of experience with the table saw, for instance, I still rigidly adhere to a set of personal safety rules. Don't make the mistake of thinking that I am careless, no matter how my moves appear in the edited video.
For those viewers who want to make something similar, you can buy used film holders and lenses from a variety of camera stores, and online from sources like EBay. I bought the rack and pinion gears from McMaster Carr at www.mcmaster.com/contact/los-.... Local hardware stores will probably supply most of the screws, bolts, and nuts you will need, with the exception of knurled nuts and knobs and a few other items. I found the following on Amazon:
Knurled head screws • Shaping Metal with Woo...
Wafer head screws amzn.to/3bAZcOx
Threaded inserts amzn.to/2LKgNsC
Focusing knobs amzn.to/35D2ahI
T-track (matte black color) amzn.to/3qfpSIM
Aluminum angle stock amzn.to/3bETNpE
Fresnel lens amzn.to/2KfXzdY

[@jeanfrancoisim]

Very cool project, thanks for sharing!

[@josephvargas6166]

magnifique travail ...pour essayer d'en fabriquer un en ce moment , je connais la difficulté d'un travail aussi propre

[@robertyoung1777]

Glass plates, both coated and uncoated, are available from a company in Europe called Zebra Plates. I had a good experience ordering coated glass plates for my 100 year old 5X7 camera from them. I think they will make custom sized plates for customers.

[@constantinosschinas4503]

*would love to see the bellow making!*

[@tseumd58]

Awesome job thanks

[@easypeasy4374]

You're incredible

[@hdeno4009]

we want to see it working mmmaaaaannnn!!!!😉

[@normandcharpentier1918]

This is an amazing videos!!!

[@phillip2446]

this is so cool

[@wood_eaves]

wow 😍👌

[@MakarovFox]

amazing

[@rickkempf77]

I love your channel sir!

[@neilkehler7150]

As a photographer and woodworker I am blown away by this beautiful project. Inspiring!

[@WillN2Go1]

Looks great and should work well. My only question is why? There are so many 4x5 cameras in closets and garages unused for years. I've got at least two and an 8x10. I shot 8x10 as recently as 2010, but neither format since. No demand for it. I could see making a very large view camera. Be fun to see how you made the bellows. I figured this out some years ago, made a few paper tests. Interesting process and bellows are beautiful. The biggest issue with a bellows after does it work, and is it light tight? is reflections off the sides. With film if you can get - 5 to -7 stops lower light off the bellows it's good. (Another bellows tip. My 8x10 is a Horseman. I think they were almost $10,000 new, in the 1980s. I bought a used one with a smashed bellows for about $3000. Never did anything to the bellows except occasionally check it for pin holes. Worked fine.) The trick to aligning your camera or an enlarger is mirrors. Make concentric circles on the surface of the mirrors/plex (as a see through mirror) and align those. When all those circles line up you're good. All my view cameras were good when I got them and easy to reset back to zero. My Bessler 4x5 enlarger however was horribly out of whack - from the factory. I've heard that most of them were. They can and need to be aligned. The Besslers are fussy because the adjustments you can make with the screws on them are too wonky and large to be of much use. I can't remember how I did it, but it someone needs, I can go out to the garage and take a look at it.

[@user-em7fy4ls9n]

perfect system gold hand God blessings all life many art hunting

[@nguyenhuuliem2453]

Thanks Uncle. Now I know how to make it

[@LuigiBarbano]

Great job!

[@PoignantPirate]

Do you have any photos taken with this yet? It's an amazing bit of workmanship, and I would love to see the result as well.

[@artfulcoyote]

Would like to see those as well...

[@SickOfJunk.]

I built a large format camera during covid 2020.... mine is a lot more simple design... i wish i seen this video...thank you for all the ideas

[@yt66228]

Job well done. I think I will make mine with brass.

[@karlgoebeler1500]

Perfect project for a school shop class

[@kidonlsd6256]

Amazing work of engineer art

[@thethirdman225]

Wonderful work. A credit to you.

[@joegarrison8611]

I really like this project. Meticulous.

[@hfkwong109]

Amazing work.

[@ocediis]

As a woodworker and a large format photographer, I'm totally inspired by this! Thanks not only for the assembly part of the video, but also the lessons learned throughout.

[@csreiter]

Very cool!

[@shedactivist]

Magnificent!

[@adamcoe]

and built the bellows too. damn that is incredibly impressive. definitely post pictures you take with this gorgeous piece.

[@maheshmehendale9210]

Very intricate piece of work !!!

[@AlexanderLakidon]

awesome! very enjoyable production video!

[@bluzizalright]

Beautiful work and camera.

[@rodneykiemele4721]

Heck of a project

[@2logj]

Wow what a great artist you are.keep us inspiring with your DIY.

[@jeffw2055]

What a satisfying video. Definitely going to build one of these one day.

[@johnward2964]

This is some of the best wood working on KZbin!

[@leiflundquist468]

Fantastic work!

[@shedtime_au]

Beautiful work, congratulations on a project well made.

[@Lisbikes]

Thank you!

[@jeswinpk]

Brilliantly explained. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@rickciaburri5722]

Wow! It's beautiful as well.

[@rosswilliams3283]

Thanks for sharing. Really cool project

[@edualbergaria10]

You are my hero!

[@AlbosNoggins]

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing! Would love to see the construction of the bellows.

[@sickofjunk]

I love you video.. it is what I was looking for... good information and a video to follow along your build... Thank you Thank you Thank you

[@jpcgordon]

Absolutely incredible build.

[@MarceloCN]

One of the greatest tutorial of building something i ever see. Great work great editing.

[@supplanterjim]

One _loves_ to watch human creativity in action!

[@Paul-mx2yj]

Very nice work !

[@JohnHReed-xp4dy]

I love and hate this video. Love the camera and details and the content, and I want to build one to shoot with... Hate that it reminds of how far I have to go with my woodworking ;)

[@gschiavon]

Fascinating! Great job!!

[@jsollowsphotography]

I’m a photographer and woodworker. I’ve always been interested in doing this but have found few resources to help. Closest I’ve come is to restore an 1870 Watson & Sons plate camera that was missing its back.

[@alext8828]

You do a lot of thinking. Good planning. I want you to think about using hollow-ground screwdrivers from now on. The walls of the driver are more or less verticle for better contact with the screw slots. I don't think I'm telling you anything you don't know.

[@Josh_Luijsterburg]

Well done my friend. Proud

[@shutterbugf5]

are you offering plans/detailed measurements... i could totally do this... i just picked up a ton of rough cut cherry that will be perfect for it.

[@stevenlennie]

That is some incredible craftsmanship.

[@ulpilotrmh]

Wonderful project Patric. back in the 70s I had a deal with a local Hobby Shop to build and display any new plastic kits that the shop recieved. None of the cameras I owned could do justice to the quality of the models I could build at the time and I found a view camera was what I needed. The camera I built uses the back portion of a polaroid portrait camera and the lens is from an antique Kodak Folding camera because it is self contained with shutter. I taught myself how to make the bellows by dissassembling the bellows on the kodak. I made the bellows using Contact Paper shelf liner, heavy black construction paper and black cotton fabric and it is still 'light tight' today. By the way the camera worked. I would add Photos of the camera if I knew how to do that here.

[@tury315]

I could see this over and over again. I dont have the tools you have but are there kits or plans that we can built part by part to achieve a working camera? Thank you.

[@black-and-light]

A beautiful camera. I would buy it immediately. However, as a wetplate with appropriate plate holders and at least 8x10, or larger. Very nicely done, thanks for the video!

[@phooesnax]

Excellent job!

[@antoniomoscato2152]

I believe that you are all around the Best woodworker ever seen! My congrat's! 😳

[@patw999]

How about a video on the small wood plane you show using once in a while? I would like to see one about it. Thank you.

[@johanwithag2432]

The position of glass plate and the film cassette are critical. The film surface should be positioned exactly at the position of the inner site of the glass plate to get sharp pictures. Thats a complicated mechanism. Dit you solve this?

[@constantinosschinas4503]

trully wonderful build. it looks beatutiful and original. great craftsmanship.

[@mike747436]

Congratulations for attempting this. I thought about doing something similar, but every time I look at my Chamonix 4x5 I realise I couldn't make a better job of it.

[@imaginarypoint]

When on watches this man's video. One is watching a master at play!

[@richardlewis8557]

About 45 years ago or so I built a 4.5 cm X 6 cm view camera. Mine didn’t have rack and pinion adjustments as I built it on a monorail as I already had the bellows on hand. I used it for several years and always wished I had done it in 4 x 5 format instead. This has given me the urge to build one again. The bellows construction really intrigues me. Wood love to see how it’s done. Thanks for sharing.

[@WilliamAlanPhoto]

Fantastic. Well done. 40 years ago, I wanted one of these so bad!

[@karlh6700]

A beautiful project but next time please use brass.

[@tcsyme]

Nice job Patrick! I would love to see the bellows construction as well, as I am currently drawing plans for a 5x7 camera similar to your 4x5. Thanks!

[@nicbuo8319]

Patrick, well done fantastic content

[@stevestamper3509]

Absolutely Amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[@cdbflynow]

A great project done well. Thanks for sharing Paul

[@craftwerk6762]

Wow... very artful work, Sir. 👍

[@jimscheltens2647]

It would be nice to see some photos taken with the camera. Always enjoy your work. Thanks

[@stephenbird9714]

That's fantastic, thank you for taking the time to share it.

[@idiotluggage]

WOW! That is amazing! Look forward to watching a video on making the bellows.

[@t_h_visuals]

What incredible craftsmanship. Thanks for sharing.

[@Dadmadeit]

Awesome project and well executed. Thanks for sharing!

[@larrymatney52]

Well done and very instructive. Thank you for posting this.

[@robert.aleksander]

Amazing skill and great looking camera!

[@ElRel]

Magnificent video. Your take on woodwork is very special to me

[@jasonbailey9139]

That is a true labor of love--so much precision and time went into it that build!

[@sematagi9291]

I'm glad I stumbled across your post, fantastic, inspirational, I love both crafts, photography and woodworking, what a synthesis!

[@seanlennon5044]

Awesome, love to see you develop this further.

[@karlh6700]

There's a pun there someplace

[@stevenscherbinski1512]

Nice job! What a great looking camera.

[@ryber3]

Brilliant work! As a long-time photographer and new woodworker, I found this fascinating to watch. I do hope you upload a bellows video. Thanks for sharing.

[@tonyja661]

Your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me. Wonderful build

[@no-one3795]

Nice work. it's amazing to see that we can actually make our own camera.

[@user-ip3yw8hc1k]

💥

[@mccafferyfamily]

Nice looking camera … my 5x7” large format camera died and i made 11x14” camera but now would like to try and build a 16x20” view camera….Like your approach, I’ve got a lot to learn with woodworking first but at least seems like with some effort should be feasible …

[@MarkPrimavera]

Amazing workmanship and planning! I've always been fascinated by view cameras and would have like to try one out. Thank you for sharing!

[@billpickle2875]

Excellent job. I have always fancied trying this myself and i think i could manage most of it. The part i always seem to have a mental block on is properly measuring and placing the focus screen to the correct place relative to the film holder.

[@Larken42]

You make this look easy, sir. Truly a gift to watch a master craftsmen at work.

[@denisblack5689]

wow, that is something new, unusual and interesting! thanks for showing;)

[@creiij]

That is a beautiful peace of art worthy a thousand pictures =)

[@scottb.2022]

Awesome project and well executed. Love to see some pictures taken with it.

[@TheBjargu]

This is without a doubt one of the most interesting woodworking videos I have ever seen ! This is not only practical, but also gorgeous ! Congrats !

[@thomaskarsch9495]

Whish I had your skills. Thanks for sharing this amazing and motivating video. Craftmanship at its best!

[@constantinosschinas4503]

someday i will build a scanner camera i have been dreaming since 2002, on your advise. thank you.