The sweet spot for home turntable enthusiasts on a budget seems to be the $200 mark. This might be the best of the bunch.
One can only imagine the sake-fueled club hopping that led to the development of the Seiko Frequency drum machine watch.
Steampunk Polaroid Travel Camera
By James Grahame
RA Friedman writes, "I've produced a working Steampunk Polaroid mod that uses Fuji pack film. I have to calibrate the focusing scale and make some other improvements, but the beastie works.
An old Polaroid 405 back, some foam, a rubber band, a small bungy and a bit of cogitation and voila! The camera is only about four pounds and takes big 3.25 x 4.25 shots. The final version will be able to fold up easily and won't need bungies. I also hope to add a ground glass for more accurate focusing. Why you ask? Well a Crown Graphic is a bit big to carry around all the time and this will easily fit in my travel bag.
I'm not really sure what brand this camera actually is. It's sort like a Voigtlander Avus, but more cheaply made. It has a Deckel shutter and a Zeiss lens, so it's not trash, but it lacks a tripod socket on the bed , so thus the funky tripod arrangement using a flash bracket.
If the bellows look new, it's because they are. A very nice gent named John Fyfe made a new set for this baby and also overhauled the camera and shutter so it works like new. What would I do without people who do stuff like this?"
Friedman's Tsirkus Fotografika Flickr pool is filled to the brim with steampunk portraits and brilliantly distressed experimental shots. Heartily recommended.
