fin wax in the grooves to help make the shutter slide smooth and operate without any binding, which helps avoid camera shake.
Step 3: Design Elements 2 of 2
Image 1: Top Panel, outside (top) view, the neoprene seal is approximately 1/4 inch thick and has a razor cut down the entire length except for the ends. I aligned the cut in the neoprene over the cut in the wood by having the shutter (thin piece of plastic) sticking up out of the cut, which allowed me to slip the seal over it and hold it in place while the glue set.
Image 2: Top Panel, inside (underneath) view, here you can see the cut that the shutter curtain slips through so you can grab the top of it to open and close the shutter curtain.
Image 3: Bottom Panel, outside view, here you can see the Tripod Mount.
Image 4: Bottom Panel, inside view, shutter curtain groove was cut with a fine tooth hand saw.
In the next step you'll see how the panels assemble, how the shutter curtain seals off the rear of the camera (film plane) in between shots. All the design elements will come together and make sense if they haven't already.
Step 4: Assembly
Image 1: The side panels are attached to the rear (film plane) panel and you can see the how the slots for the shutter curtain are right in front of the rear of the camera and film plane.
Image 2: Shutter test fit. You can already see how the shutter fully seals of the rear of the camera and film plane so you can safely advance the film after taking a shot.
Image 3: A different angle so you can see the shutter in the open position. Note how the window frame cutout only allows light to fall on a 35mm section of film, this protects the unexposed area of the film so there is very little waste between shots.
Image 4: With the bottom panel on and the shutter in the closed position, you can see how the shutter slips into the groove at the bottom, creating a light proof curtain so the film can be advanced and be ready for the next shot. Just to play it safe, I keep the lens cap on in between shots.
Image 5: With the top panel on and the shutter fully open you can see how the piece of wood on the shutter curtain limits the upward travel to only what is necessary to expose the film.
Image 6: With the front installed you can see how the lens opening is aligned with the 35mm frame opening on the film plane.
Step 5: Final Touches
Image 1: Black masking tape seals up any possible light leaks at the seams and here you get a good look at the neoprene seal that prevents light leaks at the shutter curtain, which doubles as a simple view finder. The shutter is actuated by quickly pulling it up till it stops and then pushing it back down till it stops.
Image 2: Here you can see how I used an empty roll film from a disposible camera (courtesy of the local film lab) as the take up reel. I simply taped the film coming from the new roll of film on the other side to the little tail of film sticking out of the empty roll with clear tape. Then sealed all the way around with black masking tape to prevent light leaks. The camera is now loaded with film and I probably wasted around 2 or 3 more frames than you might with a store bought camera. The little spring metal tab you see serves two purposes, it prevents the spool from spinning backwards while you're trying to advance the film for the next shot, and it also allows you to count clicks so you can accurately advance the film with no waste. I figured out after the first roll, that less clicks are needed as you make your way through a roll of film, I didn't think it would be that significant but it is, in the beginnng it's about 12 clicks and buy the end of the roll it's closer to 9 or 10. It will make the difference of at least two extra shots. Waste not, want not!
Image 3: Nothing but the finest optics, lenses by Takumar a.k.a. Pentax. I'll be shooting with a 35mm f/2, a 50mm f/1.4, and a 75-260 f4.5 zoom. I don't think the zoom will be very realistic at much above 70mm due to the lack of a through the lens viewfinder, but I might just try it ;)
So, do you want to see some pictures I took with it?
Step 6