Anybody Here Using the Plaubel Peco Junior?

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Nokton48

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Plaubel Peco Junior with 100mm f5.6 Symmar and Makina Pop Up Hood. Numerous 120 6.5x9cm Makina Roll Backs, and a few 6.5x9cm Makina Film/Plate Holders. And the Magnifying Hood. Lenses offered with the camera in the catalog I have. Top left 47mm F8 Super Angulon Compur, 65mm F6.8 Angulon Compur, 135mm F5.6 Symmar Compur, 150mm F9 Apo Ronar Compur, 150mm F5.6 Symmar Compur, 135mm F3.8 Xenar Compur, 180mm F5.6 Symmar Compur, and 210mm F5.6 Symmar Compur.
All boards light trapped final step coming up is painting the rear lensboards with flat black Krylon applied with brush.

Camera body fully light trapped and ready for test rolls and plates.
 
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Nokton48

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My Second Peco Junior sold as junk by Nokton48, on Flickr

I bought this camera a few days ago from Adorama in New York City. It was advertised as basket case junk nasty parts camera. I decided to buy it for parts, especially the rail Now that it's here it looks to me in some ways better than the one I already have! Came with original lensboard #0 hole worth a few bucks I can tell you. So quite a deal for -seventy dollars-. Too choice to chop up for parts. Has another Makina Back with Plaubel Groundglass needs cleaning but totally usuable.
 
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Nokton48

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I have completely finished grafting the Jim Galvin Graflex Back 2.5"x3.2.5" to a Plaubel Makiflex flat rear board. I hold it together with tiny brass hobby screws on both sides. I had to light proof foam after assembly all seems to be good to go. I have six 2x3 Graphmatics, right now loaded with Fuji HRU XRay film. Also have about ten Graflex type sheet film holders. I stocked up on the film so that's another option. Camera completely ready and I've been shooting some tests on 120 Makina film backs. The Graphmatics are quick.... I did attach a custom sized fresnel to the rear of the film back. I prefer fresnels for viewing on my cameras. Camera shown with the Sinar Symmar 210mm f5.6 which is about as long as you can go especially closer up. The 180mm f5.6 Symmar has been working good too. Both lenses Compur shutters
 

KGH

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I am using a Plaubel Peco Junior since several years and have made quite a few modifications to it, e.g. added extra possibilities of movements, a new camera back and tripod connector. More detailed descriptions are here: https://kghinzen.de/category/camera/


 
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Nokton48

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WOW! This is cool stuff. Wonderful attention to detail. This is giving me some new ideas for these cameras. Thank You for posting!
 

Randy Stewart

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These are really sweet rigs. I haven't seen a Peco Jr for about 30 years. I've got a similar rig, but based on a Galvin, which is a much cruder body arrangement and harder to use as a result. The "fussy factor" on a Grafmatic is high, but once you use it enough to have muscle memory, it is an extremely convenient way to burn though six shots. I last used mine about 30 years ago in a very dark part of Upper Antelope Canyon, before all of the tourists discovered it.
 

KGH

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Great, would be great to see your equipment.
Basically what you see in the picture of my Plaubel is a combination of parts from two Pecos. I also transformed the rail of the second one into an extension for #1, made an extra bellows and a new standard to connect it, so I can use my 360 mm Schneider with it (I still have to write a blog about it).
I would have loved to be in Antelope Canyon 30 years ago, too man places are overrun these days...
 
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Nokton48

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SONY DSC by Nokton48, on Flickr

I wanted a small incogneto digital back, to go on my new Plaubel Peco Jrs. So I took the $60 18mp Sony Nex C3 body, and JB Welded it on to a Peco Jr board with #0 hole. I put a popup hood generic type, with a moncular magnifier that folds out of the way, and viewing is very good with this! Great for lens testing, and eliminates the need for expensive Fujiroid instant material. Exposure readouts in the viewfinder great for determining base exposures through the lens. Shown here with the chrome 100mm Schneider Symmar, ina a later vintage Compur shutter. I am trying to collect the lenses that were originally offered in the Plaubel catalogs of the day. This will be a useful tool for me in the studio, also in the field. I can switch back and forth between digital and B&W film of allsorts in rolls and sheets. This will be fun to field test.
 

KGH

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Very interesting design! Can you say how much of the 6x9 the Sony covers and how in detail the 'welding' worked?
 
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Nokton48

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On the left back, a Plaubel Makina 35mm Roll Film Back (miniature size) on a Makiflex MX/525 Adapter Back. So 35mm film on the Peco Junior or my Makiflexes. On the right back, Sony 16mp Nex3 E camera body attached to another PJ 120x120mm lens board. As you can see the E chip is about 35mm size or so. The advantage of this new digital back is that is weighs practically nothing, and is about the size of my Makina Film Backs, with a lot less weight. Finally in the front left is a Canon Digital rear lens mount, ready to be bolted to another Plaubel 120x120 lens board. With a very short extension tube, the Canon 50D digital camera will clear the back, due to the bulging grip on the front of the camera. All this is quite usuable for photography especially digital testing of lenses and such. And of course the idea can be upscaled with an old Hasselblad or Phase 1 etc for medium format digital photography on the cheap. With the Makiflexes, I have to open the focal plane shutter at the "B" setting, then compose and shoot with the digital backs. Useful for testing and reads out correct exposures in the digital camera. So a quick and easy switch to 35mm or medium format/sheet film and digital back and forth easily.
 
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Nokton48

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Initial test of Makiflex Digital Back! Auto Makiflex #1 150mm f5.6 chrome Schneider Symmar Auto Iris Plaubel Makiflex lens mount. Key Day 1/160 F11 Auto ISO Easily hand holdable, great way to test all my lenses. Much fun ahead. If I want I can switch to film in 30 seconds, although the camera needs totally reset in that case. But so versatile. Same back works just as well with Peco Junior.
 
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Nokton48

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KGH said:
Very interesting design! Can you say how much of the 6x9 the Sony covers and how in detail the 'welding' worked?
Click to expand...

The teeny tiny Nex3 body is a good ergonomic "fit" to the Peco Junior mini-me view camera. Weighs nothing, about the same size as a 120 film back, with a lot less weight. I am handholding the camera, a tripod is not absolutely required with the Peco Junior At this point I have tried my 65mm F6.8 Angulon, which doesn't focus well, front lens mount needs to be recessed. They made a special attachment for the 47mm F8 Super Angulon, I have that lens, needs the special wide board standard for it. The view is completely usuable with the Nex3 sensor with longer lenses. I'll post more details as I discover them

Regarding JB Weld; I use it all the time around the shop to solidly attach things together. Also called aluminum epoxy?

JB Weld Epoxy & Adhesives - High-Quality Bonding Solutions | JB Tools

Shop JB Weld at JB Tools for the best in epoxy and adhesives. Whether for automotive, DIY, or industrial use, find the perfect high-strength bonding solution. Fast shipping and excellent customer service.
www.jbtools.com
 
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Nokton48

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This is the handheld camera I used to photograph the digital tree photo just posted here. Great for testing and checking lenses, Makiflex Automatic #1 has the Makiflex Auto Iris 150mm Schneider Symmar. I have only seen this lens offered in Europe after decades of looking around. Anyways cock the aperture and it stops down just before the focal plane shutter goes off. Hence "Automatic". Loving the digital back, cost no money and works a treat. Fits interchangeably with my mini-me Peco Junior view cameras. "Poor Man's Medium Format Digital with Moves".
 
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Nokton48

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This arrived yesterday from Germany, I made an offer it was missing ground glass. I replaced the glass with new and also attached a fresnel custom cut to fit behind the glass, so no focus shift, all is good! Sliding Roll 6x9cm Plaubel Peco Junior Back. Came with some Plaubel cut film holders, some loaded with glass plates. I put a Makina 6x9cm back on this, it is oerfect and currently loaded with Ilford Pan F+. I have a lot of Makina Backs (6x9 and 6x6) and over 50 Makina Cut Film Holders. Just when I thought I had everything they made for this LOL. This can be used in either portrait or landscape format. There is a lever that lock things up on the back. Well thought out item.
 

KGH

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Concerning the use of wide angle lenses: I have mounted my 75 mm and 47 mm Schneider lenses in a little cage, made from parts of the front standard of a second Plaubel Peco Junior, which can be put behind the front standard in the same way normally the bellows is attached to it. The bellows then is attached to the back of the cage. The photo showsthe 47 mm mounted with a bag bellows (also diy) which allows for (small) movements. The dials are al little hard to reach, but it works and focusing is no problem also at close distances.


 
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Nokton48

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Very clever design. I was wondering how to do it......
 

KGH

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The design is rather simple. The front part is a normal Peco lens plate, the back part is one half of the sliding part of a Peco front standard with an attached aluminum plate to adjust reduce the diameter of the hole to the lens size. Both plate are separated by four distance tubes. So to mount it, I just detach the bellows from the front standard, attach the lens-cage to the standard and then the bellows to the back of the cage and shoot...






 

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A friend had one, he loved it. I also wanted one, if only to be ready for the inevitable question "what camera do you shoot?". Answering that I used "a Plaubel Peco Junior 6.5 x 9 monorail" would have been a lot of fun.
 
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Nokton48

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Peco Jr 65 F8 SA CF65F8 Magnifying Swiveling Hood by Nokton48, on Flickr

This is my Plaubel Peco Junior with Baggy Bellows 65mm F8 Super Angulon. According to my Plaubel literature, the Peco Junior fully utilizes the full range of movements possible with the 65mm F8. This will become one of my main lenses for this camera I am thinking. Shown with Schneider 65mm F8 SA Center Filter, and Minolta SRT Cable Release. Pretty wide small with extreme movements possible. Nice. The Magnifying Hood swivels left and right for brightest viewing and works a charm with this lens. Can easily see the entire screen and focus, as well as movements set visually

Peco Jr 65 F8 SA CF65F8 Sony NexC3 Back by Nokton48, on Flickr

Not real sharp but still successful in some ways. Modeling lights only, Tim Kelly Broncolor lighting test. Peco Jr Body Baggy Bellows, bought a new to me 65mmF8 chrome Super Angulon from Roberts for $189 not bad Sony NexC3 Back, Schneider "Center Filter For 65mm F8*" attached. Not bad as a way to test lighting before commiting expensive film. The Peco Junior was designed (according to Plaubel) to be able to fully utilize the 65mm SA. It is a great lens and an olde favorite of mine. Mounted on this camera system it will certainly be a main lens to use. Also in the wings I have a mint 65mm F6.8 chrome Schneider Angulon, it will be interesting to see the differences, the Angulon is a Dagor derivative, and also looks great through the Peco Junior

Peco Jr 65 F8 SA CF65F8 Sony NexC3 Back by Nokton48, on Flickr
 

Randy Stewart

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KGH said:
Great, would be great to see your equipment. ...
I would have loved to be in Antelope Canyon 30 years ago, too man places are overrun these days...
Click to expand...
The Galvin 6x9cm is basically a monorail view camera. Full swings, tilts front and back, and front rise and drop. Everything is friction lock, ungeared with only marked "zero" points. With everything being geared on the Peco, it must be a dream to use by comparison. The Galvin takes Graflex sheet holders, Grafmatic back and Graflock roll backs. There was even a custom adapted Polaroid back. I've adapted lenses to it: 47mm Super Angluon, 56mm Grandagon, 80mm Planar, 105mm Color-Solinar, 180 Rotelar, and 270mm Rotelar. All but the SA and Agfa lens were salvaged from a Grflex XL system I got stuck with in my early days. That was a disaster for another time, the only saving grace being that the value of the lenses covered nearly all of my investment .
 

abruzzi

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The Galvin back is pretty brilliant, since you don’t have to remove the glass and put it in a pocket to mount the roll film holder.it will stretch past even the largest 6x9 roll film holders.I bought a few extras from glennview.com in case I want to adapt the to Linhof or Arca.
 
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Nokton48

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Voila! The Galvin Back from Glennview.com, mounted onto a Makiflex Rear Panel, and onto a Plaubel Peco Junior. Yes Folks it stretches waaaaay out. Shown here with a 2x3 Graflex Graphmatic Back; I have six of them. I put a fresnel behind the glass as well. There is a Guy on Ebay who custom cuts fresnels to any size for me. I had to cut notches in the fresnel to clear the bail on the back. Twas easy
 
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Nokton48

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I've been shooting with the jewel-like Rodenstock 150mm F9 in Compur, on the Peco Junior, in the studio. Setting up some new lighting and running tests. Ilford Pan F+ in a Plaubel Makina 6x9cm back. Also shot the same scene with my Plaubel Makina IIIR with the sharp F4.2 Orthometar. Will be interesting to see the differences. The backs interchange between these cameras. Need to run soome film! The Peco Junior is fun to use
 

abruzzi

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right now my main 6x9 lenses are 150 G-Claron, 105 Nikkor-M, and 50mm Mamiya. All very nice. It took a good while to find a good, affordable Nikkor-M 105, they seem to be pretty rare, butits abeautiful and tiny lens. I have a bunch of more classic lenses as well--Skopar, Heliar, WF Ektar, etc.--but I wanted some reletively modern (and coated) lenses as my primaries. I do need something between the 50 and the 105. I have a 75mm Super Angulon, but the shutter needs servicing.

I'm guessing the rodenstock is in the same ballpark at the G-Claron? A process lens used as a taking lens? (why are all process lenses f9?)
 
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