shawn
Mentor
This was a fun project. I have had a Polaroid 110A for years that I have wanted to convert to Instax Wide. I waited to long to get the BelAir Instax back before it was discontinued. Now there is the LomoGraflok back available.
Albert had a destructive conversion available to fit the LomoGraflok back on a Polaroid 110A/B. He just released the STL files and instructions to do this non-destructively.
I wanted to take this a step further and also convert my 110A to a 110B type finder as it is blocked less by the back. Polaroid 900s are cheap and plentiful and their rangefinder and top can be swapped into a 110A with some work. But it takes some work. First the 900 RF was very hazy and hard to see. I took it all apart and used an ultrasonic cleaner on all the glass and both mirrors and that made a huge difference. It is bright and clear now.
The main mounting screw for the entire 900 RF does not have a corresponding screw hole on the 110A. So that required drilling the top and using a screw with washers on it to prevent it from going to far into the metal as the screw hole comes out in the track for the folding mechanism. If the screw projects into that at all the camera won't hold. The other gotcha in the conversion is the stud for the 900s RF mirror and the 110A mirror are different sizes and different threading but in the same position in the body. The 110A is small so the hole needs to be drilled/tapped for the 900 RF stud. You can't use the 110A mirror as it is all wrong and the 110A stud is too short for the 900 RF mirror. The
You swap the plate below the RF between the two as well and 3 out of the 4 screw holes match up.
I also added a washer to one of the holes the secure that side of the RF a little more.
When test fitting it all look at the bottom of the frame line assembly. At close range it will hit the top plate of the 110A a little and prevent it from shrinking down all the way. You could mill/grind a little recess into the 110A top to give it more clearance. I missed this until after I had it together so I skipped this as I didn't want to take it apart again.
You also need to swap the RF cam over.
You can also swap the actuator for the framelines.
After all of this it is basically assembling per Albert's instructions. One of the screws on the 900 cover is in a different place than the 110A. Could drill that or just skip it.
I used a very different method of calibrating focus and the RF than in Albert's instructions. He is using the wrong screw to adjust RF. The screw he shows is half of the vertical alignment. After I swapped everything vertical alignment was way off. I calibrated that then tackled optical focus.
Put your ground glass in the camera and put an X on it. I used tape over the empty cartridge. Use another camera focused at infinity (mirrorless is great for this) and look into the Polaroid lens this way. When the X is sharp (zoom in) the infinity position is properly calibrated to the film plane. Make sure to squeeze the mount to take out the play there when the cover isn't on the camera. Once I did this the focus scale was accurate.
When I had the optical focus correct I focused at infinity and then adjusted the cam position till infinity RF was aligned. Used the focus scale to check a few other distances against the RF and it all looked good.
Put it all together and then realized I hadn't put batteries in the Lomograflok and had to take the top off to get the adapter out to put batteries in it.
Three test shots so far but it is working and close in focus looks very good.
Because the actuator for the frame lines is adjustable it should be possible to set that so that the framelines are closer to the actual captured image size on Instax Wide. I haven't tried that yet but it should just be twisting the actuator on the rod that the RF cam is on too.
Shawn
Albert had a destructive conversion available to fit the LomoGraflok back on a Polaroid 110A/B. He just released the STL files and instructions to do this non-destructively.
I wanted to take this a step further and also convert my 110A to a 110B type finder as it is blocked less by the back. Polaroid 900s are cheap and plentiful and their rangefinder and top can be swapped into a 110A with some work. But it takes some work. First the 900 RF was very hazy and hard to see. I took it all apart and used an ultrasonic cleaner on all the glass and both mirrors and that made a huge difference. It is bright and clear now.
The main mounting screw for the entire 900 RF does not have a corresponding screw hole on the 110A. So that required drilling the top and using a screw with washers on it to prevent it from going to far into the metal as the screw hole comes out in the track for the folding mechanism. If the screw projects into that at all the camera won't hold. The other gotcha in the conversion is the stud for the 900s RF mirror and the 110A mirror are different sizes and different threading but in the same position in the body. The 110A is small so the hole needs to be drilled/tapped for the 900 RF stud. You can't use the 110A mirror as it is all wrong and the 110A stud is too short for the 900 RF mirror. The
You swap the plate below the RF between the two as well and 3 out of the 4 screw holes match up.
I also added a washer to one of the holes the secure that side of the RF a little more.
When test fitting it all look at the bottom of the frame line assembly. At close range it will hit the top plate of the 110A a little and prevent it from shrinking down all the way. You could mill/grind a little recess into the 110A top to give it more clearance. I missed this until after I had it together so I skipped this as I didn't want to take it apart again.
You also need to swap the RF cam over.
You can also swap the actuator for the framelines.
After all of this it is basically assembling per Albert's instructions. One of the screws on the 900 cover is in a different place than the 110A. Could drill that or just skip it.
I used a very different method of calibrating focus and the RF than in Albert's instructions. He is using the wrong screw to adjust RF. The screw he shows is half of the vertical alignment. After I swapped everything vertical alignment was way off. I calibrated that then tackled optical focus.
Put your ground glass in the camera and put an X on it. I used tape over the empty cartridge. Use another camera focused at infinity (mirrorless is great for this) and look into the Polaroid lens this way. When the X is sharp (zoom in) the infinity position is properly calibrated to the film plane. Make sure to squeeze the mount to take out the play there when the cover isn't on the camera. Once I did this the focus scale was accurate.
When I had the optical focus correct I focused at infinity and then adjusted the cam position till infinity RF was aligned. Used the focus scale to check a few other distances against the RF and it all looked good.
Put it all together and then realized I hadn't put batteries in the Lomograflok and had to take the top off to get the adapter out to put batteries in it.
Three test shots so far but it is working and close in focus looks very good.
Because the actuator for the frame lines is adjustable it should be possible to set that so that the framelines are closer to the actual captured image size on Instax Wide. I haven't tried that yet but it should just be twisting the actuator on the rod that the RF cam is on too.
Shawn
peefeeniz
Never Again
That's brilliant. Nice explanation.
Not to bring you down but I owned two of Dean's conversions in the early 00s and boy those were painful to use in real life. An already to go Graflex Pathfinder Crown Graphic with a cammed Xenar or Ektar and a standard international Graflock back is just so much more practical at only a tiny margin of extra volume. I mean for photography. I know modding cameras is a thing unto itself.
Is that crazy Littman guy still around to sue you for patent infringement? LOL joking, kind of
Not to bring you down but I owned two of Dean's conversions in the early 00s and boy those were painful to use in real life. An already to go Graflex Pathfinder Crown Graphic with a cammed Xenar or Ektar and a standard international Graflock back is just so much more practical at only a tiny margin of extra volume. I mean for photography. I know modding cameras is a thing unto itself.
Is that crazy Littman guy still around to sue you for patent infringement? LOL joking, kind of
shawn
Mentor
Thanks, this is pretty simple to use. The back doesn’t block the viewfinder much, at least not when shooting right eyed. Nose basically fits in next to it. If it had the original 2 window finder it would have been more awkward. If I didn’t have the Pathfinder I might have grabbed a Crown Graphic for this. I was actually thinking of swapping an Ektar 127 onto the 110B but decided against it for now.
Shawn
Shawn
shawn
Mentor
Just an update on this, Albert posted an updated file for the Graflok adapter for the Polaroid. The new version has a cutout to allow the batteries to be changed in the Lomograflok back without having to disassemble the camera. I'm printing this version now. Albert also updated his instructions on how to calibrate focus using the RF cam to set infinity as I outlined above.
Shawn
Shawn
shawn
Mentor
The updated adapter that allows for the batteries to be changed works well.
I have had random light leaks with the camera. Finally took it apart to chase them down. The leak was between the adapter and the Lomograflok where it slides into the adapter. The shiny PLA was letting light bounce around in there and get onto the film.
A piece of self adhesive felt over that end of the adapter sealed it up.
Also felted the rest of the opening too, just in case.
And since mine is a hybrid of a 110A and 110B it lost the upper strap position in the changeover. Made a smaller leather strap that fits behind the 3d printed grip for a little extra security.
Shawn
I have had random light leaks with the camera. Finally took it apart to chase them down. The leak was between the adapter and the Lomograflok where it slides into the adapter. The shiny PLA was letting light bounce around in there and get onto the film.
A piece of self adhesive felt over that end of the adapter sealed it up.
Also felted the rest of the opening too, just in case.
And since mine is a hybrid of a 110A and 110B it lost the upper strap position in the changeover. Made a smaller leather strap that fits behind the 3d printed grip for a little extra security.
Shawn