This is Part 1 of 3 in our series of assembly instructions for the F-Zero Camera. Make sure to watch them in order:
At the core of the F-Zero Camera is the Intermediate Sensor. This is the 8x10” surface onto which our objective lens will project its image, which we will then capture with our taking camera. The Intermediate Sensor consists of several parts:
- The sensor box itself, which is what houses all of the sensor elements
- The compression plate, which threads into the sensor box using eight M5 screws to hold everything in place. There will be some empty screw holes left over when we are done, and that’s fine.
- Two rubber gaskets to line the interior of the sensor box. These help protect the glass from scratches, and also prevent dust from entering the system.
- The sensor elements, consisting of our custom high-resolution ground glass, two Fresnel sheets, and three panes of anti-glare clear glass.
- Finally on the outside we can attach the bellows clips with these red thumbscrews
Don’t unwrap the packaging for the glass until you are ready to assemble your sensor – we want to make sure they are absolutely pristine, unscratched, and without any dust or smudges anywhere.
Now, assembling all the elements into the sensor box is a very delicate process. Before we begin, we will need to prepare our room, and make a decision as to how we want to assemble the sensor. There are a couple different ways to assemble it, depending on what your ultimate goal is. At the core of the sensor is our F-Zero High-Resolution ground glass, which is actually made of solid quartz and is extremely good at capturing a beautiful high-res image. But if we let our lens shine directly on that glass, we would see extreme vignette on the corners. For that reason, we use the Fresnel lenses, to help bend the light back inward and brighten the corners of the image.
Now, one Fresnel sheet is good. Two Fresnel sheets can make the image even brighter and more consistent at the corners. However, a second Fresnel sheet can tend to introduce artifacts in your image. Bokeh and specular highlights can have visible banding, and the two Fresnel sheets can sometimes cause interfere in a sort of moiré pattern. If your goal is the cleanest possible image, I recommend using just ONE Fresnel sheet, placed on the side of the ground glass facing the lens, with the ridges also facing toward the lens. Or, if your goal is the brightest possible image, you can use the second Fresnel sheet, on the opposite side of the ground glass, and this time with the ridges facing toward the camera.
Also note that there are two different focal length Fresnel lenses in the kit – a 300mm sheet and a 330mm sheet. I’d use the 300mm lens on the camera side, and the 330mm on the lens side. But if you mix them up it’s not the end of the world.
Also, you get three sheets of anti-glare clear glass to use in the assembly. You should use one on each end of the assembly, sandwiching all the delicate parts inside and acting as a protective layer. If desired, you can use a third sheet inside the assembly to help space things out if needed, for example to make extra space between elements if you want to try to combat moiré, etc. For this demonstration, I’m going to make a four-element assembly: ground glass in the middle, the 300mm Fresnel lens on the lens-side of the assembly, and two sheets of clear glass on the outsides.
When you’ve decided on your assembly, let’s collect all of our materials and prepare our working area. In addition to the F-Zero Camera components, you’ll want a 3mm hex wrench for the compression plate screws, a pair of nitrile gloves for your hands, and a small blower or can of compressed air. Also, make sure your clothing is clean and lint-free. Any dust or scratches in the sensor will affect our final image, so we want to do this in the cleanest way possible. I recommend using a room with hard floors, like a bathroom or laundry room. Avoid rooms with carpet. Turn off any fans or air conditioning – we want the air to be still. Mop the floor, and wipe down every surface you can with a wet rag. Leave the floor damp if possible, to help trap dust as it falls to the ground. After wiping everything and getting your materials together, wait a few minutes for dust to settle to the ground before you get started.
Okay, so my assembly is pretty straightforward. Although the Intermediate Sensor can technically be used in either orientation, I tend to think of the flat outer side with the logo as being the lens side. And the open side where everything goes in, as being the camera-facing side. So lay everything down. Make sure the rubber gasket is inside and properly aligned before setting your first sheet down.
As you pick up each sheet, inspect it to ensure there is no dust anywhere. Blow with your blower or compressed air to ensure cleanliness before it goes down. The outer glass layer goes down first. We want to make sure it’s nicely centered with just a few mm of overhang on each side. Next goes my 330mm Fresnel sheet, with the ridges facing down. If you can’t tell which way is which, you can run your fingers gently along the surface – the side that makes a zipper sound is the side with ridges. Next, the F-Zero High-Resolution Ground Glass, and finally one more glass sheet.
After all the elements are installed, grab the compression plate, ensuring the rubber gasket is installed and aligned. Set it down gently on your assembly.
Now remember that these are glass elements and are all quite delicate. So as we go to screw them in place, we want to be GENTLE. Too much torque can easily damage or destroy the interior layers. We want to tighten progressively, turning just a little bit on each screw, then going to the next, in an X-pattern to ensure no side gets too tight relative to the others. You want to land on a torque of no more than 1-2 Nm for each screw. If you need more torque than you can do by hand with a screw of this type, you’re probably overdoing it.
Finally, we have the bellows clips to install. There are two clips for each side, which should go on the top and bottom, with the long ends facing toward the glass. These help hold the bellows in place when assembled on the complete camera.
And that’s it! Your F-Zero Camera Intermediate Sensor is now ready to capture some unique and breathtaking imagery. Enjoy!