I came across Project Infidex 176 recently and it looked like it would be right up my alley. A 3D printed camera that shoots wide panoramic photos on 35mm film! And uses a lens I already have! Perfect!
Well, the lens it calls for on the latest version is a Mamiya 80mm TLR lens like you’d find on the C33. I attempted to remove the lens from its mount, but it wouldn’t budge and I didn’t want to cause permanent damage. I opted instead to order another lens that this camera could use, salvaged from an old Lomo 166B.
This lens was much easier to remove and mount – just 4 screws. It doesn’t have much in the way of shutter speeds, isn’t very fast, and even thought you can focus on the lens you’d have to guess (or come up with some sort of guide), but it works and is simple enough to use.
I’m happy enough with how the camera turned out. It took me a few tries to get the body right, and I still think I could improve it a little, but it works. Adding a light meter and some sort of viewfinder would really help – for now I’m using an app on my phone and just sort of… pointing it at stuff.
I took a few test photos which I had to convert to black and white, however, due to the fact that my chemicals are starting to show their age and it’s time to whip up a fresh batch. Still, the images are sort of interesting considering they are just some test shots taken on a rainy day.
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