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#1
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De Vere Monorail?
Hi,
I am farily new to large format photography, but I have seen a De Vere monorail camera that might be within my price range. The camera seems in good condition, but will need new bellows and a new focus screen. Does anyone know if I would be able to get replacement parts for this camera? Thanks, Andrew McCall |
#2
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Andrew McCall wrote in
: Hi, I am farily new to large format photography, but I have seen a De Vere monorail camera that might be within my price range. The camera seems in good condition, but will need new bellows and a new focus screen. Does anyone know if I would be able to get replacement parts for this camera? There are at least two companies in the United States that can custom make a bellows to fit pretty much any camera, for prices ranging from (IIRC) $100 up (the lower end is for small, simple bellows; tapers are likely to be more, as are larger bellows or special materials). Ground glass is very simple to replace; you can find it on eBay any day of the week, both glass and frosted plastic (polycarbonate or acrylic), which is cheaper, lighter, and won't shatter, but is more prone to scratching by a loupe base or other wear. You can even make your own ground glass with a sheet of window glass the correct thickness, a jam jar, and a tube of fine valve lapping compound from the auto parts store ($5 for the valve compound). Proprietary parts like knobs and hardware are likely to be much harder to obtain, but bellows and ground glass aren't a major problem -- just take the cost of replacement into account when buying the camera. -- The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions. -- Ansel Adams Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth and don't expect them to be perfect. |
#3
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Andrew McCall wrote in
: Hi, I am farily new to large format photography, but I have seen a De Vere monorail camera that might be within my price range. The camera seems in good condition, but will need new bellows and a new focus screen. Does anyone know if I would be able to get replacement parts for this camera? There are at least two companies in the United States that can custom make a bellows to fit pretty much any camera, for prices ranging from (IIRC) $100 up (the lower end is for small, simple bellows; tapers are likely to be more, as are larger bellows or special materials). Ground glass is very simple to replace; you can find it on eBay any day of the week, both glass and frosted plastic (polycarbonate or acrylic), which is cheaper, lighter, and won't shatter, but is more prone to scratching by a loupe base or other wear. You can even make your own ground glass with a sheet of window glass the correct thickness, a jam jar, and a tube of fine valve lapping compound from the auto parts store ($5 for the valve compound). Proprietary parts like knobs and hardware are likely to be much harder to obtain, but bellows and ground glass aren't a major problem -- just take the cost of replacement into account when buying the camera. -- The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions. -- Ansel Adams Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth and don't expect them to be perfect. |
#4
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Andrew McCall wrote:
Hi, I am farily new to large format photography, but I have seen a De Vere monorail camera that might be within my price range. The camera seems in good condition, but will need new bellows and a new focus screen. Does anyone know if I would be able to get replacement parts for this camera? Oh, I guess I should have looked at your posting address -- there's also a custom bellows maker in the UK, they should be able to get you what you need for the bellows... -- The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions. -- Ansel Adams Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth and don't expect them to be perfect. |
#5
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Andrew McCall wrote:
Hi, I am farily new to large format photography, but I have seen a De Vere monorail camera that might be within my price range. The camera seems in good condition, but will need new bellows and a new focus screen. Does anyone know if I would be able to get replacement parts for this camera? Oh, I guess I should have looked at your posting address -- there's also a custom bellows maker in the UK, they should be able to get you what you need for the bellows... -- The challenge to the photographer is to command the medium, to use whatever current equipment and technology furthers his creative objectives, without sacrificing the ability to make his own decisions. -- Ansel Adams Donald Qualls, aka The Silent Observer http://silent1.home.netcom.com Opinions expressed are my own -- take them for what they're worth and don't expect them to be perfect. |
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