Last night I tackled the project of a 35mm version of my medium format pinhole Lego camera. It turned out to be easier than I expected. I should probably have spent the time making better instructions for the medium format version, but rest assured, those are in the works. Anyway, here are a couple highlights of this camera’s design that are different from the medium format version…
After making the Lego conversion of my old Polaroid 95a, I decided to tackle another Lego challenge: a medium format Pinhole Lego Camera. I had several goals for the lego camera:
First, I wanted to make sure that the film advance knob only turned one direction.
Secondly, I wanted to have a film counter in addition to the red window.
And last but not least, it would be nice to have some sort of viewfinder.
After being overshadowed in my collection by my Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 1a, I finally got around to shooting a roll of film on my Lubitel 166 Universal. The Lubitel is the poor man’s twin lens reflex camera. Being made of plastic, it is sometimes lumped into the toy camera category, but it does have a glass lens and other features like several aperatures and shutter speeds. Despite the apparent ability to “control” this camera, I have to admit that this isn’t my favorite machine. Although bright, the screen is really hard to focus. It has a ground circle in the center and a small magnifying glass to help with the task, but the results don’t seem worth the effort. You are almost better off estimating the distance Holga-style. But all-in-all, it is capable of taking pretty sharp photos, and if you are willing to put up with its idiosyncracies, it can be a nice little camera. Here is a link to my Lubitel 166U gallery for your amusement.
Ebay is my favorite place to find deals on great old cameras. Here are the Lubitel 166 Universal cameras on Ebay right now:
 | US $335.00 End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 23:59:05 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $335.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $305.90 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 14:21:20 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $337.95 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $289.99 End Date: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 14:13:10 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $289.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $349.95 End Date: Saturday Sep-18-2010 17:18:31 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $349.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $339.95 End Date: Tuesday Oct-05-2010 10:51:43 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $339.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $339.99 End Date: Thursday Oct-07-2010 18:15:18 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $339.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
My friend Bennett gave me the perfect gift last weekend. He found a pinhole camera kit at a bookstore and past the treasure on to me. It is called a Hole-On Ex (don’t ask me why) and it is pretty easy to put together. The instructions say it only takes 2 hours, but that seems a little unrealistic. I used Elmer’s glue, so maybe you could save some time with a faster drying glue!
In my haste to test it out, I forgot to reinforce some of the walls with the included black paper. After wasting a roll of 35mm film, I used my aluminum tape to be extra sure there weren’t any leaks. The Hole-On Ex is a welcome addition to my ever growing camera collecion.
Ebay is my favorite place to find deals on great old cameras. Here are the pinhole cameras on Ebay right now:
 | US $79.45 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 2:58:13 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $79.45 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $59.99 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 2:58:31 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $59.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $19.97 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 5:00:15 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $19.97 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $32.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 7:41:34 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $36.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $44.98 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 7:46:15 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $44.98 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $35.99 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:19:13 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $35.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $35.99 End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:19:15 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $35.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $31.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:25:39 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $31.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:26:10 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
 | US $0.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Sep-08-2010 8:40:11 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
The Polaroid 95a Land camera was manufactured from 1954-1957. It is a beautiful camera, and it is a shame that they don’t make film for it anymore. When my friend gave me this camera, I knew I had to modify it somehow to make it usable. I came close to modifying it so I could use it with my Polaroid 545 back, but I couldn’t bring myself to hack off the back of this camera. So, I decided to convert the Polaroid 95a to accept medium format 120 film. A quick measurement showed that I should be able to get a 6×10 image on 120 film. Here are the instructions for how to modify a Polaroid 95a to a usable 6×10 medium format camera. Oh, and I fabricated most of the new camera assembly out of Legos.
I gave you a teaser about the Polaroid 545 pinhole camera I have been building in my post about how to make a homemade shutter. Well, my camera is finished, and here are a couple of its features and how I built them…
I have owned two Pentax ZX5′s. My first one was stolen, and when I had a chance to replace it, I jumped at the opportunity. The Pentax ZX5n is completely automatic, but like any good SLR, it can also be completely manual. My favorite part of this camera is that it has old-school knobs that you turn to adjust the shutter speed and ISO. For anyone who learned on a Pentax K1000, like me, this camera is very user friendly. Perhaps that is why this camera is the choice of teachers now that the K1000 is getting harder to find. If you are looking to purchase your first SLR, I highly recommend this camera.
Ebay is my favorite place to find deals on great old cameras. Here are the Pentax zx5n cameras on Ebay right now:
 | US $9.99 End Date: Friday Sep-24-2010 13:46:13 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $9.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
As far as I can tell, my camera is the Ikoflex 1a model made between the 1930′s and 1950′s. When it was in production, it was competing with the infamous Rollei’s, but it was never as popular. Although it was mechanically competitive with the Rolleicord, it is thought that it’s lack of popularity was due to it’s less stylized and more “function over form” approach.
The Agfa Isola is a medium format camera that could easily fall into the toy camera category. However, unlike the Diana clones and the Holga, the Agfa Isola has several features that set it apart. It has a glass lens and a plastic and metal body. For a camera made from 1957 – 1963, it has a modern look to it thanks to the silver metal of the lens.
The Holga is a fun camera made almost entirely out of plastic. Even the lens is plastic, and its unpredictable characteristics make it ideal for artists that appreciate happy accidents. Besides being affordable (under $25) the Holga’s redeeming qualities are that it shoots medium format 120 film and can easily be modified. To view some of the photos I have taken with my Holga visit my Holga gallery.
Found Photography is where I document my camera experiments and photo adventures. I use the word "found" because my photos are rarely planned. I stumble upon them, accidently create them, or otherwise "find" them. You can also keep track of me on Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, or my personal blog. Thanks for visiting and come back often!
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