I've always wished I could afford a 4x5 field camera, but they are way out of my price range. I did, however, pick up an old 9x12 plate camera off the 'bay a while back. It is in good shape, and came with a 135mm Xenar lens - with enough coverage for 4x5 (which isn't much bigger than 9x12 cm anyway).

Originally I thought I would just use 9x12 film (I even made a few homemade film sheaths for the plate holders that worked fine) - but film choices in 9x12 are pretty limited these days. So, I began to ponder a conversion to 4x5. The camera came with an old pack film back - which I used as the basis for building a 4x5 adapter for the camera.

I started by removing the hinged rear cover of the film back, and then building a 4x5 frame from ABS to mate with the remaining front plate of the holder - the part with the grooves that fit onto the camera.

This arrangement of course moves the film plane significantly back, so a new ground glass was required. I simply took an old wooden film holder and took out the aluminum plates, replacing one side with a 4x5 sheet of wax paper sandwiched between two clear plastic sheets. I will probably make a proper groundglass later, but this worked fine.

The GG / film holders are held onto the new adapter by means of strong elastics that have plastic (ABS) hooks on them. These hooks hold on to the edges of the open camera. This takes up any slack in the arrangement.

Test pics (using paper negatives) confirmed the conversion worked fine - the new GG location matches the new film plane.

So, aside from the lack of tilts or swings, (the camera has only front rise and shift) I now have a $50 field camera.

Here's the most important part: the 4x5 ABS frame mated up to the front half of the pack film holder:

the GG and the elastics

the camera before mounting the adapter:

the adapter in place:

the GG banded on:

the camera ready for action! I'll post a sample pic later tonight.

here's a sample picture (nearly life size on film).

That's brilliant....  !!!

That's so very nice!  Imagine, it's almost 2008 and you've just converted a plate camera to 4x5 sheet film.  There's something elegantly timeless about that concept.  Hope to see more images soon.  This looks like it could work well as a portrait camera.

~Joe

Nice conversion, and another old relic gets a new life.

Innovative and resourceful you are. Good show. Delio  

thanks, all, for your kind comments.

Joe, I too see a kind of poetic irony of converting this camera to film at this time. That old Xenar certainly has some life in it still - though a check on its serial number indicates it was made probably in mid-1929 or thereabouts!

If anyone wants to try a similar conversion feel free to contact me for more details.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Really nice work, Dennis!
I chuckled when I read Joe's comment and your reply. Of course, now you're going to have to make prints using one of the historic processes, such as cyanotype, VDB, albumen, salt, etc  
Eschew factory paper  

Quoted from gneissgirl

Of course, now you're going to have to make prints using one of the historic processes, such as cyanotype, VDB, albumen, salt, etc  
Eschew factory paper  

some day I hope to do so - but it won't be for a while, sadly.

besides, "silver gelatin prints" are becoming more and more "alternative and historical" every day!

in other news, I just found out that I have been accepted to join a local art collective & gallery in my hometown. this means I get to have my own solo show once per year, as well as participate in group shows with the other artists. i'm very excited about this! you can see the collective's web site at

http://www.fortgallery.ca

Yay!!!
Congratulations, Dennis. That's great news!

Congratulations, Dennis! Great way to start the new year!

That's excellent.

I have a couple of those 9 x 12 cameras which I was planning a similar conversion for.
Unfortunately I have about twelve thousand and seven other things to do as well so it may take a while.


Steve.