Hi, Gang!

Recently I acquired an 828 conversion kit for my Kodak Reflex camera - it was incomplete, having only the inner film mask and the adapters to take the 828 size film, and no viewfinder mask. I purchased this little item because I wanted to experiment with using 35mm film in a 620 camera, and 828 film was almost the same size as 35mm, but without the sprocket holes. So...I made a viewfinder mask by tracing the frame of the inner film mask onto a piece of firm, clear plastic and attaching it to the ground glass with a small piece of Scotch tape. Then, I took a discarded 120 backing paper (which I was able to get from the photolab that processes my film) and traced the frame size from the inner mask onto the outside of the backing paper. Leaving ample space, I was able to get 16 traced "squares" onto it. Then, I put a roll of unexposed 35mm film, a small piece of masking tape and a 620 spool into my changing bag, and spooled it up!

I have exposed it and had it processed and printed, and the results were such that I'm eager to try it again! I highly recommend this to anyone who likes to experiment with different methods of photography (and who wouldn't, who comes to this site on a regular basis?). Eight-two-eight conversion kits for Tourist cameras and others are regularly on ebay - that's where I found mine!

I found that, with the smaller film, a longer focal length was achieved, and close-ups could be made without a close-up attachment.

TRY THIS AT HOME! Have fun, y'all!

-- Pete Lutz (lutzp328@juno.com), September 22, 2001