Camera Builders
A refurbished Crown Graphic camera
Quite a few people have built their own large format camera, monorail or flatbed, simple or elaborate. Below you will find links to a number of camera builders. If you are considering building a camera, some of these links may help you planning your project.
Instructions and plans for monorail and flatbed cameras
- Jon Grepstad (monorail camera)
- Rayment Kirby (flatbed camera)
- Tony (flatbed camera)
- James Vail (8 x 10 flatbed camera, the Internet Archive)
- Edward A. Hoover (simple large format camera)
- Rudolf Mittelmann (monorail camera made of wood and aluminum)
- Gavino Tavera (flatbed camera, in Italian)
- View Camera Construction FAQ
Monorail cameras
- Mikko Oksalahti’s Mikoneka (camera based on my design)
- David Benson’s monorail camera (based on my design)
- Donald Booth (camera based on my design)
- Victor E. Doak (cameras based on my design)
- Greg Orlando (camera based on my design)
- Richard Söderberg (camera based on my design)
- Achim Fechtner (camera based on my design)
- Robert Fallis (camera based on my design)
- Lluis Romero (camera based on my design)
- Henri Melaanvuo (camera based on my design)
- Lucky Dragon (rail camera based on my design)
- Jonathan Woods (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Runar Matsui-Li (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design and 5 x 7 flatbed camera)
- Laureth Barthelemy (camera based on my design)
- Ralph Y (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Cees de Groot (camera based on my design)
- Marcus Carlsson (8 x 10 monorail camera based on my design)
- Giorgio Lanz (8 x 10 monorail camera based on my design)
- Larry Floyd (8 x 10 monorail camera based on my design)
- Marek Mzyk (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Carl Topkin 1 (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Carl Topkin 2 (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Renato Cocco (5 x 7 monorail camera based on my design)
- Locus Landers (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Quendrim Hoti (4 x 5 monorail camera based on my design)
- Miguel Alho (4 x 5 monorail camera) (Text and video in Portuguese)
- Elmo Alves (4 x 5 monorail camera)
- George Anderson (metal camera)
- Svein Øye (4 x 5 monorail camera of birch)
- Enzo Ciminelli (4 x 5 monorail camera and other cameras)
- Steampunker (monorail camera, in Russian)
- Maurizio Polese (8 x 10 monorail camera, in Italian)
- Iván Jiménez (8 x 10 monorail camera, in Spanish)
- Former Bender Photographic site
Flatbed cameras
- Göran Ellqvist (4 x 5 flatbed camera)
- Mats Wernersson (4 x 5 flatbed camera and other cameras)
- Sandeha Lynch (flatbed camera)
- Doug Bardell (flatbed cameras made of cherry and oak) [The Internet Archive]
- Jean d’Avignon (4 x 5 flatbed camera)
- Gavino Tavera (4 x 5 flatbed camera)
- Fabio Quadarella (4 x 5 flatbed cameras and enlarger)
- Mike Hadley (flatbed cameras)
- Tony Smith’s Lisjohn camera
- Titio View 5 x 7 flatbed camera
- James Vail (8 x 10 flatbed camera, the Internet Archive)
- Matthias Schürfeld (8 x 10 flatbed camera)
- rafael a garcia (8 x 10 camera)
- I build a camera: biyeun (flatbed camera)
- Gino Mazzanobile (5 x 7, 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 cameras, in Italian)
- Luigi Giancristofaro (8 x 10 flatbed camera)
- Ben Dolman (8 x 10 and 8 x 20 cameras)
- J.B. and Susan Harlin (4 x 10 and 8 x 20 cameras)
- W. Underwood (4 x 5, 8 x 10 and 12 x 20 cameras)
- Camera Builder’s Log (ultra-large format project)
- Dennis Manarchy (prototype 4.5 foot x 6 foot camera)
- Dieter Schneider (4 x 5 wet plate camera)
- Darren Samuelson (ultra-large camera)
Other cameras
- Monsieur Be (medium format view camera and other cameras)
- Roland Givan (4 x 5 camera)
- mattthegamer463 (6 x 17 Panoramic Camera)
- Jamie Young (20 x 24 “hobo style” camera)
- Greg Roberts (large format wide angle and point and shoot cameras)
- Eric Constantineau (wide angle 8 x 10 camera)
- Nana Sousa Dias (4 x 5 point and shoot camera)
- Dirk Fletcher (ultra lightweight 4 x 5 point and shoot)
- Tom Hart (rebuilt Burke & James 5 x 7)
- Andrew Bieber (5 x 7 camera)
- 5 x 7 camera
- Timo’s Camera Builder’s Log
- David Vickers (sliding box camera)
- Cary Norton (Legotron, camera made of LEGO bricks)
- jb7 (ultra-large format camera)
- Tim Pearse (ultra large camera)
- Mark Hilton (ultra large camera)
- Shane Arsenault (16 x 20 bellows camera)
- The medium format camera project (Peter Johansson)
- Lee Lira (6 x 14 cameras)
- Joe Van Cleave (8 x 10 box tailboard camera, video)
- Handmade precision cameras (Arturo Rebora)
- Handmade 6 x 17 panorama camera (M.R. Alvandi)
- Wet plate camera and more (René Smets)
- The world’s smallest wet plate camera (Kevin Klein)
- Darkroom enlarger turned into large format camera
- Fabrice Pejout (60 x 60 cm collodion camera)
- Richard Learoyd’s giant camera
- Afghan Box Camera Project
- Afghan Box Camera
- How to build a kamra-e-faoree (Afghan box camera)
Articles on building, restoring and modifying cameras
- Jack Campbell: Building a view camera
- Daniel R. Mitchell: Folding roll film cameras – hints and tips for making ultra-cheap replacement bellows
- Laurent Barthélémy: Construire sa chambre est-ce facile, est-ce une bonne idée ?
- Bernard Ardaud: Construire une chambre légère pour la montagne
- Vincent Cabanes: Construire soi-même une petite chambre monorail 6×6.
- Gilles Barbier: Hybris 90
- Photo Studio: Chambre Photographique à soufflet. Format 18×24 cm
- Bruce Wehman: What happens when you decide to improve a Super Graphic?
- Tom Fuller: Do It Yourself – Panoramic View Cameras
- Kevin Bourque: Some notes on restoring an 8 x 10 Burke and James View Camera
- David Hoyt: View Camera Restoration
- Jo Lommen: Repairing classic Press Cameras
- Frank Marshman: Camera Restoration
- Restoring an Eastman Kodak 2-D
- Jean-Claude Bertin: Construire soi-même un appareil 6×9 léger à partir d’éléments Mamiya-Press
- déclencheur: Fabriquer son appareil photo
- How to build a camera obscura (Åke Hultman)
- Giorgio Carboni: Una macchina fotografica panoramica
- denis MO: Boitier appareil photo réflex maison “homemade SLR camera”
- Plans for a sliding-box camera (Leigh Lundin) [pdf]
- Magnorama (various cameras)
- Glass plate carrier (for homemade 8×10 view camera)
- Scott Perry: Classic and Large Format Camera Repairs, Customizations, Rehabilitations, and Use
Bellows
- J.B. Harlin
- René Smets
- MakingBellows (YouTube)
- Doug Bardell [The Internet Archive]
- Franz-Manfred Schüngel (German)
- Instructables
- Stockhomviews.com
- Salihonba
- Photo Studio (French)
- “Arca Irish” 8 x 10 bellows construction
Enlargers
- A Speed Graphic Enlarger (Jerry Sparrow)
- 4 x 5 Enlarger (Claudio Bottari)
- 4 x 5 Enlarger (Franz-Manfred Schüngel, in German)
- 4 x 5 Enlarger (Victor E. Doak)
- 8 x 10 enlarger (Leslie Wright)
Miscellany
- Frank Lakiere: Using 120 Film in 620 cameras
- DIY large format accessories (Franz-Manfred Schüngel, in German)é
- A lens made of wood (René Smets)
Tripods
- Home Made Wooden Tripod (Dick Streff)
- Handmade Wooden Tripod (Dave Hoyt)
- Wooden Camera Tripod (Matthias Wandel)
- Making a Sturdy Tripod (Chauveau Mathieu)
- Home Made Wooden Tripod (Marcus Carlsson)
- Wooden tripod (Matthias Wandel)
Mailing lists and forums
