The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

6x17 back on Cambo WDS

anyone

Well-known member
Hi,

I'm looking since a while into 6x17 backs for my panorama work. More recently I got into the Cambo system with a WDS and Schneider 80mm XL.

There seem to be controversial opinions about the focal length range that works with the 6x17 back. Would it work for my setup? The lens has quite good coverage.

Thank you!
 

anyone

Well-known member
It does cover 5x7, but I read reports that shorter focal lengths cannot be focused to infinity with these 6x17 backs that are fitted to a 4x5" camera.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
The 6x17 backs add a fair bit of extension, so they're usable at all only on bellows cameras that allow the front standard to be moved back to the new infinity position. Can't do that with rigid-body cameras that use helicoid-mounted lenses.

So, no go with the WDS. For the same reason, I can't use any of the 6x17 backs on my film-era Cambo Wide camera.
 
Last edited:

anyone

Well-known member
Thank you! That was maybe not what I was hoping for, but it does clarify that this won't work with my Cambo, even though my 80mm XL has a rear frame extension that could be omitted.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
...even though my 80mm XL has a rear frame extension that could be omitted.
OK, just did some homework I should have done first - I'd forgotten about the digital vs analog versions of the WDS and the system of spacers Cambo had available to make various lens + back combinations work. But how thick is your spacer? I'd be surprised if it's anywhere near enough, but I don't want to lead you astray - can you measure it?
 

darr

Well-known member









Good catch Oren. I use my 6x17 on my Linhof 3000, and my 6x12 Rollex on my Wide 650.
I took a couple of quick iPhone snaps of the backs to share the film plane differences.
There is a reason to have the custom ground glass attachment with a 6x17 back.

Hope this helps,
Darr
 

Shashin

Well-known member
If I remember my research correctly, there is also a limit on long focal lengths where the camera body vignettes the image. I ultimately went with a Horseman 6x12 back and a 6x12 camera. (I also found I enjoyed the 2:1 ratio better than the 3:1, which can be a challenge to use. But the is very personal.)
 

Oren Grad

Active member
I took a couple of quick iPhone snaps of the backs to share the film plane differences.
There is a reason to have the custom ground glass attachment with a 6x17 back.
Darr - thanks, that's somewhat less than I would have expected, very helpful. So it will be interesting to find out the WDS spacer thickness.
 

darr

Well-known member
If I remember my research correctly, there is also a limit on long focal lengths where the camera body vignettes the image. I ultimately went with a Horseman 6x12 back and a 6x12 camera. (I also found I enjoyed the 2:1 ratio better than the 3:1, which can be a challenge to use. But the is very personal.)
I think vignette problems with the camera body can occur when using ultra wide lenses. The widest I use with my 6x17 back is the Nikkor SW 90/4.5. While I like the 6x17 format, I find the 6x12 easier to use. The ground glass of the 6x17 back I have is not very bright and a bit cumbersome out in the field. If I was to work exclusively with 6x17, I would buy a dedicated camera built just for the format. I did have a Fotoman 617 years ago with two lenses and wish I had kept it. Oh well, it's all play with me anyhow. :ROTFL:

Edit: Is it longer focal lengths that cause vignetting? I thought it might be wider.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
I just measured the spacer. It's exactly 2.5cm.
So that's more than I expected. Darr's measurement and yours make this much more interesting, though probably still not satisfactory. If a 6x17 back has a film plane that's 12 mm further away than the GG of the 4x5 back, then removing your 25mm spacer will place the lens, set to infinity on its helical mount scale, 13 mm too close to the 6x17 film plane. You'd need to use 13 mm of helical travel just to be able to focus at infinity and more than that to get any closer. But does the focus mount for the 80 SS-XL even have that much travel? I have my Cambo Wide 750 (75/5.6 Super-Angulon) beside me as I'm writing this; its helical has a travel of roughly 5 or 6 mm.

It sounds like in principle you could achieve proper lens spacing with a custom-made spacer of the right thickness. But that's likely to be quite expensive. It also assumes that you're not going to get in trouble with vignetting arising from the lens cone and body geometry, which is hard to say anything about without seeing the camera in the flesh.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
It's a pity. Would have been cool to shoot 6x17cm Cambo images ;-) Thank you all for your help!
Apologies for my initial mistaken assumption, and thanks to all for the various responses and measurements that put this discussion back on the right track.
 

Shashin

Well-known member
I think vignette problems with the camera body can occur when using ultra wide lenses. The widest I use with my 6x17 back is the Nikkor SW 90/4.5. While I like the 6x17 format, I find the 6x12 easier to use. The ground glass of the 6x17 back I have is not very bright and a bit cumbersome out in the field. If I was to work exclusively with 6x17, I would buy a dedicated camera built just for the format. I did have a Fotoman 617 years ago with two lenses and wish I had kept it. Oh well, it's all play with me anyhow. :ROTFL:

Edit: Is it longer focal lengths that cause vignetting? I thought it might be wider.
You are right Darr. I was remembering that using a 6x17 back on a 4x5 camera that the body of the 4x5 will block the light cone from long focal lengths as you are still trying to project a 7" wide image through a 5" frame. I think you need to be in the 250mm - 300mm range before this starts happening.
 

darr

Well-known member
It's a pity. Would have been cool to shoot 6x17cm Cambo images ;-) Thank you all for your help!
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. :)
 

anyone

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:
 
Top