Cyanotype Camera Mk II

The first iteration of the camera worked well for the first few plates, but it turned out to be too flimsy to stay in focus. I redesigned it to be more rigid by using bolts to attach the plate carrier to the lens holder. The lens has an adjustment for fine focusing, but it cannot render anything up close. The focus is effectively fixed, but at least it will stay that way.

The body parts are 3d printed from a model made in OpenSCAD, available here.

Focusing is done with a glass plate onto which a piece of diffuse vinyl laid over it. A poor man’s ground glass. The focus can be observed though the hole in the back of the camera, which is taped over when making an exposure. The depth of field of the lens is next to nothing, so getting an acceptable focus is time consuming. But it’s worthwhile.

Detail from a cyanotype plate exposed on a sunny day for two hours. Focus at center is sharp, with a rapid fall-off. Reversed, desaturated, and with a bump in contrast, it gives a ghostly effect.