IR Darkroom Goggles, Part II - Refining Approach and Development by Inspection

In my first post on the modification and use of a night vision IR headset for use in the darkroom I discussed modification and construction of a prototype headset and the measurements of the IR light spectrum as they relate to the output of the IR LEDs in the goggles and the spectral sensitivity of modern panchromatic films. This post will discuss my experiences using the headset and the problems that I've observed with its use. I'll discuss my process for development by inspection using IR and how it differs from development by inspection using the traditional green safelight. Finally, I'll discuss my plans for further refinement of the equipment to achieve a more effective approach. 

First and foremost let me say that even though this system has clear areas for improvement, it has completely confirmed that the use of IR for precise development in the darkroom is not only possible at an affordable price but it is very effective as both an alternative and supplement to standard time and temperature development. 

As a primer, I've had a number of people ask why I bother with this if time and temperature is already established to work as a means of developing film. My answer to that deals with the fundamentals of how we approach the photographic process and the obvious visual limitations of time and temperature development. Not everyone, but most people familiar and skilled in the use of the zone system approach the photographic process as a series of actions which are heavily if not entirely structured upon visually based objective decision making. When we view a scene or subject matter we observe shadow and highlights and all of the gradients in-between. We make visually based objective decisions regarding where on the tonal scale or in the zone scale we want to place our shadow. In relation to our shadow placement we then observe where our most important highlight falls and we make a determination as to what type of compensation in development will be necessary to compress the recorded tonal range in order to achieve an exposure range that will print in our process of choice. Making the ideal exposure can get far more complication then that but that's basically the jist of it. At the other end of the photographic process is the printing of the negative which again is structured on visually based objective decision making. We look at out negative and make a series of decisions regarding the exposure, contrast grade in paper or filters, dodging and burning, masking, bleaching, etc., all of which lead us to the final print. Even after the print is completed we make a series of visually based objective decisions regarding the presentation of the print i.e. how it will be mounted, crop, size and color of matte, framing, etc. At this point there should be no confusion as to the importance of visually based objective decision making in the photographic process. Yet among all of this there exists a phase of the process, one of the most important phases, which is typically approached without even the slightest bit of an ability to make visual judgements; the development phase. As it is taught today, develop via time and temperature is understood to be accurate and effective in yielding consistent negatives. That is absolutely true when practiced correctly but there is no place in such a development process in which the photographer is able to visually observe the process and consequently no place to make judgements during the process as there are in every other phase of the photographic process. The lack of visual information during the development phase leaves most practitioners completely unaware of what is occurring during the development process. It is a mystery phase in which one must adhere to strict temperature, shuffling or agitation, and time stipulations in the hope of achieving repeatable results. The photographer becomes a slave to a series of steps to which he/she is visually disconnected. The photographer is are unable to make intuitive decisions during the process that would save film that would otherwise be lost if developed blindly and the photographer is completely unable to visually understand an entire phase of a highly visually based art form. To me, that's enough to warrant a change in process. For me, photography is a profoundly visually based multi-layered art form and one which demands control and facility. Plainly put, for me it was unacceptable to allow such a critical phase of the photographic process to be practiced blindly.

My Experiences with IR Development So Far:

I am fully convinced that IR development is the method I will continue to use and refine for the foreseeable future. It has completely confirmed for me the importance of being able to visually understand, observe, and manipulate the film development phase of the photographic process.

Use of the goggles takes a bit of getting used to. They can be uncomfortable at times and learning to move around while seeing through them can be a little rocky. Sense of depth perception is diminished when seeing through the goggles but not as much as I've experienced with typical photocell night vision. Perhaps some sense of depth perception is retained because these goggles are binocular. In reality they are monocular but you view the image binocularly on two screen. I do not know if the images are offset at all mimic partial stereo vision but depth perception is not totally lost. The image is clear and visually comfortable. I prefer the black and white image to the green of other night vision options. Also, the goggles need to be focused manually which takes a little getting used to but the focus capability of the Nyte Vu goggles far exceeds the advertised limitations. Focus down to just a few inches is easily achieved giving clear close view of what's going on if you need to get close.

Below are a few promlems I've found in using the goggles.

Problem: I've come to find that the placement of the IR light source at the same position of the camera lens/eye is not ideal for my purposes. The camera can at times be blinded by the reflection of the IR LEDs in the chemistry if I am not conscious to observe from an angle. This does get annoying and can cause visibility problems.

Solution: I will either cover or remove the IR LED's from the goggles and use an "off camera" IR light source. I've searched the available IR illuminator options and I've found a solution that I really like. Borris Tsitron provides the perfect solution in the form of a 120 bulb 940nm IR illuminator that screws directly into any house hold light fixture. The unit looks like a flood light bulb for security lights but is composed of 120 IR LEDs wired to some sort of circuitry and a standard screw base. It has a built in power supply that pulls energy from standard 110V sources. I received mine today and tested it in the darkroom. I lights up a much larger area then the 6 IR LEDs in the goggles should provide the perfect "off camera" light source. I plan on buying several of these to keep in the darkroom and to provide ample illumination for when using the goggles. 

If you would like to purchase some of these bulbs you can contact Borris directly at info@secureforless.com or purchase them from him on ebay. His ebay ID is bari7230. Also, if you mention that you heard about these bulbs from my website, Borris will give you 15% off! (FYI, I have no connection to the bulb business and I'm not getting paid anything here, just sharing a great resource and Borris has been very generous to offer a discount to my readers.)

Problem: Light color surfaces can be problematic as they reflect the IR light and cause cause flare in the camera. I've found that when the camera is blinded by flare or reflection it will try to compensate for the increase in light which will decrease visibility when the flare goes away. Sometimes I have to unplug the goggles from the battery source to correct this (there is no on/off switch).

Solution: I've taken to using black trays and wearing blue or purple rubber gloves instead of the usual white gloves. A reader emailed me to ask about reflectivity of skin so I should mention that here. I am biracial and olive skin toned (somewhat Mediterranean in color) and darker then most Caucasian people and my skin is light enough that it will reflect IR light and cause flare and partial camera blinding. I no longer handle my chemistry bare handed but if I did it would present a visibility problem. I don't know how darker skin tones would reflect the IR light. In any case, dark blue or purple gloves are readily available and solve the problem. I get mine from my girlfriend who works at a hospital.

On Developing by Inspection Under IR Light Sources:

There isn't really a wealth of information out there on development by inspection and there is pretty much nothing on the topic of doing it using IR. Traditionally, development by inspection (non-IR) makes use of a Wratten #3 or similar dark green safelight filter over a 15-watt bulb (I've heard of people preffering even lower wattage bulbs). In short, you allow for about half to 75% of your expected development time to pass and then turn on the green safelight and observe the base side of the film for emerging highlight densities. For more in depth reading on the traditional method of development by inspection I recommend reading Michael A. Smith's article on the subject. I have a lot of respect of Michael, his knowledge and willingness to teach has helped me a lot and he really knows what he's talking about when it comes to photography.

Development by inspection under IR light is a bit different then the traditional means under green safelight. First, you can observe the development from start to finish because IR light (940nm) is not within the spectral sensitivity of the film (assuming 100 or 400 ISO film). Second, density can be observed on both sides of the film. I've recently begun experimenting with developing roll film with this method and I noticed that for some reason the base side was preferable when developing 35mm film. I hadn't noticed this with sheet film so next time I develop sheet film I'll pay close attention to see if either the base side or emulsion side is better to observe.

Success with development by inspection is dependent on a basis for comparison. You need to know what the film should look like and what various densities look like so I started off by developing some film under established time and temperature conditions and I observed the film developing using the goggles. Identifying what proper highlights looks like under the IR was easy and within 4 sheets of 4x5 I was developing by inspection under IR as if I'd been doing it for years. I'm installing some new equipment in my new darkroom so I haven't been able to develop for a while so I'll probably do the time and temperature exercise again to reestablish my basis for comparison. I'll also shoot a series of zone steps on film (white paper metered and photographed at various shutter speeds to produce zones on film) and develop them and then measure my accuracy using my densitometer. I think exercises like that are a good idea when first starting out and will help to sharpen the eye for developing using this method. 

I've begun to experiment with developing roll film by inspection and so far things look promising. Surprisingly, 35mm film is not to small and highlight densities are easy to observe in film even of this small size. When I get back to developing film I'll hopefully refine this process and I'll write more about it then. If you're wondering why I'd want to develop 35mm film by inspection just take a moment and think about it. It would allow a single roll of film to be exposed at various ISO ratings and each frame can be developed accordingly. It would also allow for greater exposure control. The meter in my Leica is fantastic but a spot meter is better and I can meter a scene more efficiently with a spot meter and develop the frames accordingly via development by inspection. I still have a lot to work out with this but I'm hopeful that it will work out to be an effective method of developing 35mm and 120 roll film. By the way, developing roll film by inspection is nothing new and has been practiced in the past for legends such as Cartier-Bresson and is still used today by a few very well known photographers including Sebastiao Salgado.

Future Plans

At this point my primary concern is to finish my work on the darkroom so I can get back to developing and printing. I will implement the changes to the goggles discussed above and I will set of Borris Tsitron's bulbs as my IR light source so that I can view the film's development without reflections and visibility problems. Once this is taken care of I am confident that the process will fulfill all of my development needs. Lastly, I've had a few requests for demonstrations which isn't really practicle but my goggles will allow video captue so if there is enough interest I will work on a way to set up a video feed so that I can put up a YouTube video showing the process. Let me know if you'd like to see this in the future. 

Take care everyone!

New Live/Work Schedule and a Perspective on Making a Complicated Life Work

It takes a lot to be a working artist in the real world. Artist's create out of a need to do so equally as strong as their need to breath. Many people don't understand this concept. There is a proverb which tries to explain it: 

A man goes to his guru and tells him that he wants to be successful. He explains that he wants to achieve mastery over his trade like the guru has achieved mastery of his spirituality. The guru takes the man by the hand and tells him that if he wants to master his trade then he will meet him by the oceanside at 4am the next morning. The man is puzzled but complies. He arrives by the ocean side at 4am to find the guru waiting for him. The guru walks out into the frigid water and calls to the man. He tells the man to walk out into the water. The man hesitates and the guru tells him that if he wants to succeed he will walk out into the water. The man reluctantly walks out into the ice cold water. The water reaches the man's waist and the muscles in his legs and groin begin to cramp and seize in excruciating pain. The guru tells the man to walk further into the water. The man objects and the guru replies that if he wants to master his trade he will walk further out into the water. Through his pain the man continues out further into the ocean and the water reaches his shoulders. His upper body begins to seize like his lower body and his chest begins to cramp. The guru instructs him to move further into the water. The man nearly turns back but continues to follow the guru's instruction. The water reaches just under the man's nose. Salt water splashes up into his nostrils and he takes small bits of water into his mouth. The guru commands him further and as the man turns to retreat the guru grabs him by the head and forces him under the water. The man flails and struggles against the guru's strength but the guru holds the man under the water longer and just before the man loses consciousness the guru lifts him up and carries him to shore. The man screams at the guru and accuses him of trying to kill him. The guru asks him if the cold of the water was painful. Through his exhaustion the man nods his head. The guru says if you want to master your trade you must be willing to accept discomfort and pain. The guru then asks the man, "when I held you under the water what did you want to do?" The man replies, "I wanted to breath." The guru then explains to the man that only when he wants to master his trade as badly as he wants to breath, then and only then will he become a master. He goes on to explain that most people prefer comfort over pain. Most people will turn back when following a path that may at times seem illogical. Most people would rather not make great sacrifices to achieve what they feel is most important to them and those people will never reach mastery. Only when love for your trade is as great as your need for air will you be able to reach mastery. You do not want to breath because you get paid to do it nor do you want to breath because of how you look when you do it. You want to breath because if you don't your heart will stop and you will die. Just as life without air means certain death, life without your trade must mean the same to you. Only then can you reach mastery.

This proverb is the only way I've ever been able to explain this concept to someone who has never experienced anything like it and the concept is still something that many people I encounter find impossible to comprehend. 

The last two years have been a struggle for me. I had to get a regular 9-5 job to help pay for my materials and my living expenses. I found myself in a relationship with a wonderful women who I adore. My work began being noticed on a level which I had not expected and I knew that I needed to keep up the momentum. The time required for me to continue progress in my work is equal to that of a 9-5 job and more. I could easily spend 18 hours a day in my darkroom and I have done so many times. It is not a hobby and I don't treat it as such. It is a full time job everyday and seven days a week. Introducing a regular 9-5 job into the equation complicates things and seriously diminishes the energy level available to me. On top of this work load, I have a serious and committed relationship that demands respect and attention. There are only 24 hours in a day so where is the time for all of this? Over the last year my relationship has suffered because of the lack of balance in my life. My love for Chelsea has never faded but it has been extremely difficult to give her the dedicated time and respect that she deserves while juggling a full time job and an unwavering dedication to my art. Now most people would say that a job pays the bills so pick between the relationship and the art. Well it doesn't work that way for everyone and if you don't understand why then I refer you to the above proverb. Chelsea and I nearly called a break from our relationship a short time ago. It got so far that she began to remove some of her belongings from our house and she stayed the night away from home. It was at this point that I took notice of what my options really were. If I had my way I'd quit my job and all of this would be so much easier but alas I need money to buy materials and share the financial burden of keeping us out of the rain. Sacrificing my art is not an option for me. Again, if you don't understand why try re-reading the above proverb once or twice or twelve times. Without my work I would become severely depressed and eventually wither up and die. With this evaluation it would seem that the only thing left to cut would be the relationship. Perhaps if I didn't love Chelsea this might be an option but love is a funny thing. Just as I love my work and am unwilling to sacrifice it, I love Chelsea equally so and I am unwilling to sacrifice my life with her. For me, this is where the guru's message comes in. To be without money would leave me unable to provide for the person I love and without the ability to continue my work. To be without complete dedication to my art would be an empty and meaningless existence which I could not endure for long. To be without Chelsea would leave a great void in my life and leave me feeling like half a person. I love her and life without her is not a viable option. So what is the solution? The solution is to place more hours in the day but because I cannot work such a miracle I'll do the next best thing. I am now committing myself to a new personal schedule which is built upon an early morning wake up around 4am. I spend from 4am to 8am (or a bit later depending on the day's work schedule) in my darkroom. From 9am to 5pm I work my regular job and from 5:30pm until I lay my head down to sleep I am dedicated to my relationship. Any free time I have outside of these set obligations is spent on my work and my weekends and holidays are divided equally between my work and my relationship. It is certainly an extreme way of living but it is the only way I can have everything that matters to me in my life. I will not be the first to live this way, many others have done it before me. Some have succeeded in this balancing act while others have not. I do not know whether I will succeed or fail but what I know is that I will sacrifice myself before I sacrifice the things which matter most to me.  Life is a complicated thing and the older I grow the more I realize that I control absolutely nothing. Likewise, the more I live the more I learn about who I really am. I suppose the key is to pay attention.

Update on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 8:51PM by Francesco Fragomeni

I was blown away by how popular this post has been. I'd shared the link to the essay on of few of the online forums I frequent and I received a lot of responses in addition to the responses posted directly to this blog. I was happy that in addition to receiving encouragement I also received perspectives that cautioned against the possible perrils of trying to make something like this work. While some people seemd a bit bitter toward the hand they were dealt in life and delivered their opinions in rather aggressive and condemning language, most people who responded were very respectful regardless of their position. 

I am confident that I've made the right decision and I am now armed with some great insight that will help me avoid obstacles and avoid failures along the way. What I learned above all else is that I spend too damn much time on the Internet!

Cheers!

My 20x24 Mammoth Camera is More Portable Then I Thought!

Last night I was browsing ebay for random things that I really don't need when I came across a listing for a 20x24 camera that I've seen listed almost constantly for the last year. It is a 20x24 Golden Busch reportedly made somtime between 1983-1986. Its a good looking camera and it features full movements which is a nice plus. I got to thinking about buying it...but then I noticed that the seller hasn't changed the price since the first time I saw it...$11,000. Now that may seem like a lot but many of the current production 20x24 cameras cost much more so it's still a good buy. In the end I sent the seller a message to see if they were willing to sell it without the lens and other accessories that I don't need. I haven't heard back yet and I don't think they're be very willing to sell me just the camera body. Oh well. 

The reason I was even intrigued by the Golden Busch on ebay was because my 20x24 camera is a studio camera and is much less portable. The Golden Baush is a field camera design and folds up into a nice portable 100lb package. My camera doesn't fold. I even had to have a friend with a giant van help me bring it home because it wouldn't fit in the back of my SUV. As I've restored the camera over the past year and a half I've pruned off a lot of excess weight and random uncecessary knobs and rods in the hope of making it more portable.

Tonight I began contemplating making a 20x24 out of reinforced cardboard. Yes this is possible and when done properly it would be just as strong as wood. I was ready to start drawing up plans when I went out to my studio to look at the 20x24 and noticed that there was a way to remove more unnecessary parts which would allow me to easily remove the front, middle, and rear standards from the bed. This is something I initially did not anticipate being able to do. This meant that the camera became much more portable and would in fact fit in my car disassembled!! I began working on the project and sure enough the camera had a few surprises for me...wonderful ones. It seemed that I and some lucky assistant would need to carefully run the three standards (really two becuase the middle standard is a floating standard) off of the track gears in tandum to disassemble the camera. This would be difficult because the three standards together are quite heavy. This also meant that threading all three back onto the camera together would be at least a two person task. Turnes out the camera is designed to seperate into 4 light weight pieces i.e. the bed, front standard with front bellows, middle floating bellows and frame (which appear to actually be a set of extension bellows that I was very lucky to get), and the rear standard. Technically there are five pieces including the ground glass frame/sping back. The pieces detach from one another easily which means that each piece can be removed from the camera one at a time! This is a huge deal because it means I can actually mange assembly and disassembly of the camera in the field...by myself!! I'm very excited about this.

Im in the middle of finishing tests of Harman's Direct Positive Paper (testing it in 5x7) which is looking very VERY promising. I'm developing a color palate which will make color to ortho-tone referencing a useful and effective part of the exposure process and once I finsih developing my special contrast control process I plan to use this paper extensively in 11x14, 16x20, and 20x24. The entirely unique nature of a direct positive image makes it something truly valuable and important in the world of fine art photography. Each image is one of a kind. There is no negative so there is no transfer process which inevitably involves loss of information, this also means that every image is one of a kind and not reproducable. This is a big deal to someone like myself who comes from the painting tradition.

Keep an eye out for me soon on the streets of Phoenix with the biggest camera you've ever seen!

IR Darkroom Goggles

When I first learned how to develop film I was taught time and temperature development as most people use today. I used this system with great success for years but the whole time felt as if I was missing out on observing a critical phase of the photographic process. Eventually, I became fascinated with the development by inspection technique that was the standard development technique in the earlier days of photography when film was not quite as sensitive as it is today. Photographers used this technique to watch the film develop in the developer and then at the right moment they would pull the film from the developer and move through the rest of the chemistry. My photographic process is very heavily based on my ability to make visually objective decisions throughout the process so naturally I longed for the ability to watch film develop in the developer and to have the refined eye to select the perfect moment to stop development. 

I began to research development by inspection after reading an article in View Camera magazine about the use of a children's IR headset for darkroom work. I read many online forum posts about this and the opinions were split down the middle as to whether it worked and whether it was a good idea at all. Eventually I got tired of reading back and forth debates that led to nowhere and I forgot about the issue entirely. Then, about a year later I was introduced to a very talented photographer who I was told uses the children's IR headset (called EyeClops) to develop film by inspection. He explained how the goggles work and he told me that he had done testing to see if the IR light produced by the goggles would effect his film (it did not). We parted ways and the idea of development by inspection was once again alive in my mind.

I still needed convincing that the infrared light produced by a night vision headset would not effect film i.e. fog, so I began researching various modern panchromatic films and the manufacturer data sheets provided for them. My primary films over the past few years have been Kodak TMAX 100 and Ilford Delta 100. Recently, Kodak discontinued TMAX 100 in 5x7 and larger and since I frequently use large and ultra-large format cameras I made the permanent switch to Ilford Delta 100. Ilford's datasheet for Delta 100 (Wedge Sensitivity to tungsten light (2850K)) says that the film tapers off and becomes basically insensitive around 660nm which is just bordering on the edge of infrared. The other ISO 100 speed films I investigated were very similar. It is important to note that as ISO increases, most films become increasingly more sensitive to infrared light. Most IR headsets within my price range were equipped with 850nm IR LEDs. I needed to figure out if the 850nm wavelength of light produced by these IR LEDs would be far enough outside of the sensitivity range of the film. I acquired some 850nm IR LEDs from a local electronics store as well as some 940nm IR LEDs. The 850nm IR LEDs produce some wavelengths of light which are still in the visible light spectrum and as such they produce a slight but noticeable red glow. This became a major concern. Conversely, the 940nm IR LEDs produced wavelengths of light much further into the infrared spectrum and outside of the visible light spectrum. There is a very faint almost unnoticeable hint of visible light produced by the 940nm IR LEDs but it is so slight that I was confident that it would not be registered by ISO 100 film even after substantial exposure. 

I began to research IR goggle technology and I investigated everything from the EyeClops toy headset to $30K military grade thermal night vision goggles. I settled on a set of Nyte Vu night vision goggles which could be had for a couple hundred dollars. These goggles do not use the super sensitive photo cell in military grade goggles (the kind that produce a glowing green image) which are very delicate and can easily be blown out if allowed to come in contact with normal light levels. The Nyte Vu goggles use an extremely low light sensitive camera which sends an image into the eye piece of the googles which shows up on two precisely spaced LCD screens. The image produced by these goggles is not green like conventional night vision goggles. Instead, the image is purely black and white (I was very attracted to this). The goggles have brightness and contrast control as well.

The goggles arrived about a week after ordering and upon opening the box I began to plan how I would go about modifying them to meet my needs. First, the IR LEDs that come in the Nyte Vu goggles output the slightly visible 850nm wavelength range of light discussed earlier. I disassembled the goggles and replaced the 850nm IR LEDs with 940nm IR LEDs. I also disassembled the head brace and strap of the goggles and mounted them in a set of welding goggles with the protective glass removed. This provides a light tight seal on my face which prevents visible light produced by the LCD screens in the goggles from reflecting off my face and exposing the film. This is an important note to make; although the IR LEDs (940nm) will not cause fogging during the time it takes to develop film, the light produced by the LCD screens in the goggles is very much in the visible light spectrum and if not kept from coming in contact with film it will cause fogging.

I tested the goggles and with the changes I made (speaking mainly to the IR LED switch and the light seals to protect against light spill from the LCD screens) there is absolutely no visible or measurable exposure to the film (ISO 100) with the use of the goggles. Using a calibrated X-Rite transmission/ reflection densitometer, I verified that there was no measurable exposure to the ISO 100 film under the 950nm infrared light over a period of direct exposure well in excess of the amount of time required to develop film. 

There are a couple of tricks I’ve had to implement as well. I prefer to use my hands during development as opposed to tongs and I found that the white rubber gloves (standard hospital gloves) I use reflected too much IR and threw off the sensor causing a major loss of contrast and the inability to see much at all. The solution was a switch to dark blue/purple gloves that my girlfriend brings home from her job at a hospital. They are more opaque and much darker and do not reflect anywhere near as much as white gloves and therefore don’t throw off the camera sensor in the goggles. 

The most amazing thing about the experience was finding that under the IR light, the negatives glow like they’re sitting on a light box! Completely sharp visibility! The image begins to come up within the first 10 seconds and learning how to judge where the highlights should be was very easy. I set up the darkroom to develop some 4x5 test sheets (images of various contrast levels) using my already established time and temperature scheme. I did everything as I would normally using time and temperature with the addition of the goggles so that I could observe what was going on visually. This gave me a very clear idea of where highlight placement should be with various contrast situations and within 4 negatives I was developing by inspection like I’d been doing it my whole life. One more important note is that typically when speaking of development by inspection (under green safe light as most people do it) you look at the base side of the film to see the highlights coming up through the milky base of the film. With the IR setup, that is completely unnecessary. Looking at the emulsion side of the film in the developer tray, you see every tone in the image as clear as if you were looking at it developing on a light box. Quite remarkable.

Modified Mamiya m645 for Free Lensing

I've fallen so heavily in love with the free-lensing modification I did to my Panasonic Lumix GF1 that I wanted to implement the same mod to a film camera that would produce a decent size negative i.e. not 35mm. I settled upon the perfectly sized Mamiya m645. Of all medium format cameras I've encountered, this one is probably the least intrusive and clunky. It produces a 4.5 x 6 cm negative, much larger then 35mm and not too much smaller then 6x6. I still wish that Mamiya had found a way to make this exact camera in 6x6. I deeply enjoy photographing in square format but square format cameras tend to be just slightly larger then my ideal carry camera. Even the legendary and quite petite (when compared to other 6x6 cameras) Hasselblad is a little larger then I prefer. The Mamiya m645 slims down because the camera does not use a removable film back. Instead, it uses film inserts/ cassettes that fit right into the body of the camera. The lack of a removable back saves a couple of inches in size and several ounces in weight. Even with the optional prism finders and power winder grips, the camera doesn't feel much larger then a full frame DSLR. I prefer to use mine with no grip and with the waist level finder saving even more size and weight yet.

The modification entailed machining an adapter to fix a set of bellows and lens to the face of the camera. I used a Pentacon 6 to m645 adapter ring which I disassembled, did some minimal machining, and then epoxied to a fresh set of macro bellows with frame. To the front of the macro bellows, I attached a 1930's era Ektar f4.5 lens. I used mainly gaffers tape for this because I wasn't sure if it would work the way I wanted it to and because I share the lens and adapter assembly with a Bronica S2A with Type II bellows. I used a larger spare filter adapter to build up the area around the lens so that it would be easy to manipulate. Now with all of my free lensing modifications, I've found that some type of counter balance system is very effective in stabilizing the hand during lens movement. My favorite solution to this is the use of elastic bands. I created eyelets in the lens assembly through which an elastic band could be looped through on the right and left and through some creative looping I was able to arrange the band perfectly around the camera to provide the proper counter tension with built in adjustability. The last touch was to add a shoe mount to the body of the camera to hold my portable Gossen Digisix light meter. I removed an area of the cameras leatherette covering and using a favorite non-destructive technique, I attached a shoe mount the the underlying metal. This is the ultimate compact free-lensing camera!