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Subject: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-17 13:49:38
From: Mark

Hi

Figure it might be the best way to keep shooting 120- two fuji 120mms twinned and I'd more shots per rolls.

Do these exist?

Cheers

Mark

Subject: Re: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-18 05:45:45
From: Boris Starosta

I believe John Roll has twinned a pair of Mamiya 6 cameras, so he might have some advice for you.

While I wouldn't discourage anyone from shooting film, I do fear that time is of the essence, and building a siamese twin rig is not advisable for all the time it would take. If you want to shoot MF film, you should pursue the path that get's you a satisfactory camera as quickly as possible.

(That is, if you're looking forward to shooting color film)

cheers,

Boris

--

––––

Heretics are the only bitter remedy against the entropy of human thought.

–––– Yevgeny Zamyatin

Subject: Re: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-18 10:22:55
From: John Thurston

On 7/18/2012 3:45 AM, Boris Starosta wrote:

> I believe John Roll has twinned a pair of Mamiya 6 cameras, so he might
> have some advice for you.

I'm pretty sure John's camera is built from a pair of Mamiya
7II cameras. It is a thing of beauty. I got a picture of it
back in 2004 in Portland.
http://stereo.thurstons.us/nsa2004.htm

Mark, were you asking if anyone has ever twinned Fuji 645s,
or if anyone is making them to sell? For the right price,
anything may be purchased. Do you have a budget for this
project?

John Thurston
Juneau, Alaska

Subject: Re: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-18 14:25:24
From: Don Lopp

On 7/17/12 12:49 PM, Mark wrote:

> Hi

> Figure it might be the best way to keep shooting 120- two fuji 120mms
> twinned and I'd more shots per rolls.

> Do these exist?

They can exist, but not off of the shelf. I did pair 2 Fuji 120 cameras.
The optics were fantastic, but 3 problems arose: 1- Shutter
synchronization. 2-Focal length matching. 3-Matching of shutter speeds.
Problems, which I was not able to solve, which were compounded by having
one of the cameras adjusted so as to match the shutter speeds. The
shutter speeds were not able to be matched and the camera also became
inoperable. I therefor continued using the my "1995" homemade camera
which I have not been able to use since 2005, because of health
problems, and other reasons.

Incidentally, the Mamiya 7's cost John R about $17,000 to be Siamesed! I
don't know whether this included the cost of the cameras, and or the
lenses. The lenses are great, but not cheap.

Almost 8 years ago, I was was in a MF folio which included a member
that used a pair of Mamiya 7 cameras, but the results did not impress
me. I attributed this to the incompetence of its owner, not to the cameras.

The best,

DON

Subject: Re: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-18 20:40:30
From: David Lee

I have a pair of Fuji GS645S cameras with 60mm lenses. They are in excellent condition and I am willing to sell them.

David Lee

From: Mark
To: MF3D-group@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tue, July 17, 2012 12:49:41 PM
Subject: [MF3D-group] twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?

Hi

Figure it might be the best way to keep shooting 120- two fuji 120mms twinned and I'd more shots per rolls.

Do these exist?

Cheers

Mark

Subject: Re: twinning 645's - anyone does it or sell them?
Date: 2012-07-19 10:01:34
From: Boris Starosta

John's rig is certainly a Wonder of the World. The stereo viewfinder is a nice bonus!

Mark, I may have misunderstood your goals. When you asked, "Do these exist?" I thought you were asking about a "siamesed" rig. Twinning cameras - pairing up two relatively unmodified cameras on a bracket - is a much easier project. I think David Lee's offer would be attractive to you. If you shot with them vertical (mounted base to base), you'd get a nice landscape format 6x4.5 frame with a nearly normal interaxial separation (stereobase).

I'm currently shooting with a pair of Mamiya 6 cameras mounted just this way, for studio work. They are both mounted on a single thin metal bar, made possible by the off-center tripod threads, giving an interaxial of a little over 3.5 inches. The rig is just a tad large to lug outside, but I do it anyway, on occasion. The shutters are linked with a simple electrical circuit (with some diodes to suppress feedback). Pressing either shutter button releases both shutters with decent synchronization. Of course, you have to take care of matching focus and exposure manually.

Let us know what you decide to do!

Boris

––––

Heretics are the only bitter remedy against the entropy of human thought.

–––– Yevgeny Zamyatin