Why have stock lenses and cameras ‘off the shelf’ when each photographer has their own personal vision?
the quest for unique vision begins with one of a kind tools to see in your personal way. let the quest begin
below is part of a solution to a lens received. a wild, fast optic made by Schneider Gottingen germany 125mm f/2.0 with full 3×4-inch coverage.
the above is a geared base / focus system w/ the front standard from a Linhof Technika. it will likely make lenses easily added on like the Schneider Gottingen Xenon 125mm f/2.0 (below). yeah FAST ! bellows will be handmade neoprene, wetsuit material that will be handsewn. looking for a wonderful color combo.
why might you think that a lens like this needs to be mounted to a hasselblad 6x6cm film body ? first off, the hasselblad mount can be adapted to canon EF also. second, with full 3×4 inch image circle will allow ample movements with tilt and shift. more on that later.
unlike the hasselblad flexbody, Zeiss hasselblad CF lenses were not conceived to handle movements, the lenses were designed with 6x6cm coverage only. so very limited lens movements, if any movement at all. llimited tilt/shift.
where do these ideas come from ? what feeds the ‘beast’ ? insert sinister laugh here. most of it comes from analyzing many pieces and owning different kinds of gear from the film days up until now. most of the gear now, digital and the like, lack ‘aji’ or flavor. also, finding ‘parts’ of functional gear that can be modified to quench the desire to see a unique way.
thanks to the meisterly metal crafting of artisan matt abelson www.abelsonscopeworks.com/, the speedgraphic swing adaptor was born. it allows front standard swing movement. why ? because the horizontal focal plane shutter, capable up to 1/2000th of a second, is only in a horizontal format. to get a vertical ’tilt’, one must turn the camera on its side to get a ‘vertical’ compostion. the swing in horizontal format, becomes a tilt in the vertical format. YAY ! thanks matt !
these images all made w/ an amazing lens called a Kodak Aero Ektar. sort of the noctilux of large format. shot on fuji 100c 4×5 inch instant film.
please check out my last post while on duty in honolulu, some behind the scenes images of the whitehouse press corps, president obama’s vacation in hawaii. wp.me/pvuuZ-3w
Corylum's Photo Blog 
Being close to a pool of artisan and craftsman also helps. And it takes endless patience and the ability to accept that not all projects will come out the way we think it will. Kudos to you Sir!
yes. very true on the first point. yes. yep, sometimes it causes the path of invention to go another way, serendipity rules !
Cory, looks good. In the same vein of my old Palm Press camera- 6X7 Mamiya roll film back (chosen because the 120 film had basically a straight path needed in cold weather), a piece of metal making the body, and a focusing mount that would take both 90 and 65 mm 4X5 lenses, and an optical viewfinder.
yessir. the palm press is a cool camera. norm, a wider lens w/ 6×9 coverage is the Mamiya Sekor 50mm f/6.3 for mamiya press or universal. its an amazing lens. currently working on a 3×4 polaroid back and 4×5 adapted version. it nearly covers 4×5 ! cheers, thank you kindly for swinging in and reading my blog. mahalo, cory