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6x17 back on Cambo WDS

darr

Well-known member
Actually, also that doesn't work in my case, since the film plane is different to the digital back adapter plane (I do have the newer digital back mount that is compatible to the digitally mounted lenses) :shocked:
Do you have a ground glass calibrated to the camera's film plane?
Who made the plate adapter for your digital back? Can you focus via Live View?

Curious, as I can achieve focus with my digital backs (P45 and CFV50c) with all my 4x5 film cameras (Sinar Norma, Cambo Wide 650, Linhof 3000).
I can also use them with my ALPA cameras without having to use the calibration kit that came with the P45 years ago.

Also, does the helical for your lens allow proper focus on the ground glass?
Only asking because your digital back should be able to focus with your camera if you can focus the lens on the ground glass.

I found hyperfocal focusing can be off when using digital lenses and digital backs.
It is not like shooting with film in a lot of instances.
 

anyone

Well-known member
What I meant is that my digital back adapter plate was never intended to be used with film lenses.

The WDS-611 matches with 'WDS/WRS lens panels with Digital Series Lenses':
https://www.cambo.com/en/view-cam/wide-ds-series/wds-611/

That means: a different spacing. My film lenses cannot be used with my digital back adapter. But lenses with their newer digital mount can.

You probably have a Graflock adapter that fits to the international back.
 

darr

Well-known member
All that matters is achieving focus at the film plane regardless if the lens is made for film or digital.

I have used a circa 1880 brass Petzval lens on my Sinar Norma with the CFV50c and had zero focusing issues. I shoot old Hasselblad “C” film magazines on my ALPA cameras with no focusing issues. It sounds like you are saying the digital back adapter does not allow focusing at the camera’s film plane, but if Cambo manufactured it, it should work on the Cambo camera’s film plane.

Hopefully another Cambo camera shooter can help me get my head around this.

Edit: You added the graflock back info after I posted. Yes, all my 4x5 cameras are equipped with graflock backs on purpose; I would not buy them if they did not have this versatility.

So your film lenses are not helical mounted for your camera model?
 

anyone

Well-known member
Cambo had a two-fold approach:
(1) They offered a Graflock digital back adapter. This one is in the same plane of focus as any film to be used, either 4x5" or a 6x12cm. I do not own this one. Film lenses are geared towards this adapter. This would be for my digital back the WDS-506: https://www.cambo.com/en/view-cam/wide-ds-series/wds-506/
(2) They offered another digital back adapter that is suited for their digital lenses. It is not compatible with their film lenses. I do own this one. In my case, this is the WDS-611: https://www.cambo.com/en/view-cam/wide-ds-series/wds-611/

So, if I would own (1), all would be fine to use my film lenses digitally. Since that was not my aim, I opted for (2), as I want to shoot digital lenses with the digital back. I know, it's somewhat difficult, I also just recently learned about this.
 

darr

Well-known member
That is interesting.

ALPA started making their medium format cameras during the film era. Their film lenses and cameras easily adapted to digital, as did the older Hasselblad 500 series of cameras that I know you also shoot. What kind of tolerance is going on with the mentioned Cambo plate I wonder.

I find Cambo looks to be a great system although I just learned one of its quarks (if I can call it that). I always go with the graflock system for its versatility. Hopefully you can have the option to do so.
 

anyone

Well-known member
I don't own it for long, so I cannot really comment on the versatility that much, but from the few test shots I made locally (I was showing one of them in the 'fun with MF images' thread) it seems to pretty much deliver what I wanted from it in the first place: great 6x12 images.

The digital thought came a little later. I will shoot my Hasselblad V lenses digitally using the Cambo. Of course, out of curiousity, it would have been great to see how the SK80XL performs on digital - but in the end, I didn't aim for that.

All my 4x5" gear is of course Graflock-compatible and easily interchangeable. Maybe one day I get a Graflock-digital-back adapter plate too. But in my experience, the gear usually performs best in the way it was intended.

It doesn't seem to be a tolerance issue, but rather a design decision to jump on the opportunity to bring the digital back closer to the lenses and thus enable more wide angle possibilities.
 
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darr

Well-known member
I was looking at Cambo wide cameras last year when I decided I wanted to dedicate a simpler camera to making panoramics while traveling other than using my Linhof 4x5. This is the back of the WDS I was looking at:





It appears to be a newer version of the Cambo Wide camera I own minus the lens. Then I thought long and hard about how simple I wanted this pano camera to be. I decided I wanted the widest lens at 65mm and a longer lens if made. It had to have a graflock back so I could use my 6x12 and 6x9 magazines and a ground glass viewfinder because dark cloths and my long hair have never got a long well.

Then I looked at the Cambo Wide 65 and found out they did make a 100mm lens version. So I have the 65, enjoy it, and on the hunt for the 100mm lens. I see the 90mm comes up periodically for sale, but not the 100mm.

I like how simple the camera is, and lightweight compared to the Linhof.
 

anyone

Well-known member
Quick update: I was in touch with Cambo, they do manufacture a 10.2mm spacer. If we all calculated right, this should be enough to reach infinity focus and even give a little bit of room for focusing?

Here's my math:
Omitting original spacer: - 25mm
617 back: + 12mm
New spacer: + 10.2 mm
Helical mount focus travel: + 7mm

The only concern I have is that our measurements are not precise enough, and the error accumulates and leads to this that cannot focus on infinity.

Does this sound about right, or do I have somehwere a logic error?
 
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alajuela

Active member
You can using your digital back. Here is a huge test image (86 inches across after cropping - looks better larger) I did playing with my CFV50c and Cambo Wide 650:









I know it is not film, but until you figure out how you'll get there, you can always do it with your Cambo and digital back. :)
This is really pretty. Real nice!!
 

Oren Grad

Active member
Quick update: I was in touch with Cambo, they do manufacture a 10.2mm spacer. If we all calculated right, this should be enough to reach infinity focus and even give a little bit of room for focusing?

Here's my math:
Omitting original spacer: - 25mm
617 back: + 12mm
New spacer: + 10.2 mm
Helical mount focus travel: + 7mm

The only concern I have is that our measurements are not precise enough, and the error accumulates and leads to this that cannot focus on infinity.

Does this sound about right, or do I have somehwere a logic error?
Unrelated to the focus spacing, you're still going to need to worry about whether the cone geometry will allow the lens to project a 6x17cm image without cutoff. You might be able to do some experiments with the pieces you already own to... um... shed some light on that.
 

anyone

Well-known member
It's sort of an expensive experiment. I'll wait until I get to know someone around who has that back, and then I'll make a mockup with that spacing to see whether it can work. I read also in another forum that the back plane is taken back by 38mm, which is a whole different story, so there seems to be differences by the manufacturers as well. For now, I will stick to my 6x12 back.
 
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