L1/D3 "digital back" project questions ... any camera repairman out there?

[audidudi]

I'm adapting an L1/D3 body to work as a "poor man's digital back" on my 2x3 view camera because I need movements for much of the urban/back-alley stuff I photograph. Given the relatively short flange-to-focal-plane distances involved, I need to make the body as thin as possible thus I'd like to remove the "bump" on the right side grip as this will make it easier to fab an adapter to mount it on my view camera.

I removed the grip last night and discovered it does double-duty as a cover for the flash capacitor. Which brings me to my question: Can I simply remove the capacitor (I have no need for the built-in flash in this application) and then tape over the loose wire ends or will this somehow screw up the camera's operation? (FYI, my background is mechanical engineering, not electrical, and my knowledge of electronics is pretty much limited to vacuum tube audio gear, so I'm very much out of my element here.)

Also, can anyone recommend a good source for small quantities of camera-sized metric hardware? Unfortunately, the local shop I sourced this stuff from previously has gone out of business.

Thanks!

[Riley]

you err, do realise that flash capacitors can retain like 'deadly' voltages yes ?

why not invest in an Olympus shift lens and an OM adapter mount ?
or look into the Lensbaby system ?
or one of the DIY shift lens ideas around on the net ?

[mr_big]

Wow, this is way over my head. I can barely get the bottom cover off of my M8.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by Riley

you err, do realise that flash capacitors can retain like 'deadly' voltages yes ?

Yes, I do know at least that much! (In fact, I've worked with them in vacuum tube amps for over two decades and have learned to be very careful not to get "bitten" by them.)

why not invest in an Olympus shift lens and an OM adapter mount ?
or look into the Lensmate system ?
or one of the DIY shift lens ideas around on the net ?

As a preliminary step to confirm that my project had potential, I bought a Nikon 35mm/f2.8 PC lens and 4/3 adapter on eBay and did some shooting with it. However, I'm not yet convinced that 35mm-format lenses will have enough resolution to survive the extra magnification required of small-sensor images when printed and I want to leave my options open with regard to using lenses such as Schneider's Digitar series down the road when prices for proper digital backs fall within reach of my budget. Besides, I frequently use swing as well as tilt and shift, and there's no 35mm-format PC lens (at least that I'm aware of) that can handle all three movements at once.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by mr_big

Wow, this is way over my head. I can barely get the bottom cover off of my M8.

I'm not far behind you, believe me! Fortunately, I only had to remove two small phillips-head screws and the grip popped right off...

[MJLogan]

When the D3 was revealed, I wondered why Leica had left the hand-grip wedge in place--they'd removed the handgrips when restyling all previous Panasonic rebadges, including the D2. I thought it was a concession to the size and weight of the D3, but I guess it's more than that.

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by MJLogan

When the D3 was revealed, I wondered why Leica had left the hand-grip wedge in place--they'd removed the handgrips when restyling all previous Panasonic rebadges, including the D2. I thought it was a concession to the size and weight of the D3, but I guess it's more than that.

Indeed. I should also point out the capacitor is located on the inside of the body, not the outside, which means you'll also need to cut away the capacitor housing in addition to removing the capacitor itself in order to make the camera body thinner. Naturally, I'm a little hesitant to permanently modify my camera's body, but if I sell the lens -- any Olympus owners interested in it, feel free to contact me! -- the net cost of the body is low enough that I can justify dedicating it to use on my view camera for the next year or two and not worry too much about whether I've reduced its future resale value.

As for why I'm doing this project, how else can I end up with a new, current generation 7.5MP digital back for $1,299, less however much I can get for the lens? And don't forget that by shooting four frames per image (which I can accomplish in less than 30 seconds, including shifts and rises) and then flat-stitching them together, I can end up with what are effectively 20MP images!

Yes, it's all a bit Rube Goldberg-ish, but the price is certainly right!

[dugby]

Originally Posted by MJLogan

When the D3 was revealed, I wondered why Leica had left the hand-grip wedge in place--they'd removed the handgrips when restyling all previous Panasonic rebadges, including the D2. I thought it was a concession to the size and weight of the D3, but I guess it's more than that.

Funny thing, is that many owners of both LC1 and D2 all said they preferred the LC1 grip...!

[NickR]

You might have wanted to use an Olympus E-330 -the same mount, but available body only and a lot cheaper.

[chkphoto]

Product:HORSEMAN VIEW CAMERA CONVERTER

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by NickR

You might have wanted to use an Olympus E-330 -the same mount, but available body only and a lot cheaper.

I thought about it -- the tiltable LCD is a big plus over the L1/D3 setup -- but, unfortunately, the design of the body -- specifically, the grip on the right side -- makes the E-330 an impractical candidate. All 4/3 cameras share the same 38.67mm flange-to-focal-plane distance and the longest flange-to-focal-plane distance for commonly available 35mm-format lenses is the Leica R's 47mm, which leaves me just over 8mm to work with between the front of the camera body and the rear of the lens mount. Both the L1/D3 and Olympus E-330 grips extend further from the body than this distance and if they can't be removed, it will be necessary to fab a much fancier adapter setup than the flat-panel-with-a-flange-on-it that I envision using for the L1/D3. (A picture would be worth a thousand words here ... when I get home this evening, I'll post up a few that better show what I'm trying to accomplish and the obstacles I have to address...)

[audidudi]

Originally Posted by chkphoto

Product:HORSEMAN VIEW CAMERA CONVERTER

Alas, this setup requires a minimum flange-to-focal-plane distance of 90mm, which is fine for normal to long large- and medium-format lenses, but won't work at all with the 35mm-format lenses I initially plan to use because the flange-to-focal plane distances for these are typically half of 90mm; i.e., between 43.5mm (Minolta MD) and 47mm (Leica R). The 4/3 format's 2X magnification factor complicates matters further because the kind of wide-angle lenses one needs to use to achieve a wide-angle perspective typically have flange-to-focal-plane distances approximating their focal lengths. This means that withe 4/3's 38.67mm flange-to-focal-plane distance, it will be difficult to use any lens with a focal length shorter than 30-35mm or so, which net of the magnification factor, turns into a long-normal lens (60-70mm 35mm-equivalent) when used on a 4/3 camera.

Believe it or not, but I first explored the idea of using a digital SLR as a digital back with a friend's Minolta RD-3000 body way back in 2000. I actually cobbled to together a working setup but the cost of used bodies back then and the inability to use wide-angle lenses as required by my choice of subject matter (urban architectural stuff) put paid to that idea. It was only recently, with the introduction of the L1/D3/E-330 and their "Live View" provision that, uniquely among DSLRs, enables one to compose and focus on the LCD -- no swapping between a ground-glass and the camera body necessary! -- that my interest in this project was rekindled.

That and prospect of dropping another $375 on a 50-sheet box of film for my 8x10...