calling all gurus- a lensboard question.

I've just recently acquired a very nice Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon

1:8/90 lens. Mostly I want to use this on my field camera, but also on my

Graphic View II. The problem is, I don't have a lensboard for it. :-(

 

My field camera, I believe is a Calumet Woodfield or other brand as it has no

name on it, takes lensboards that are 3-5/8" square. The ones that came with

the camera, which I bought used with two boards, also have a metal plate on

one side with a smaller hole than the hole bored in the wood. The ones I

have provide a 35mm hole.

 

The lens, which is in a Synchro-Compur shutter, seems to require a hole that

is 1 inch or about 25mm in diameter.

 

I guess I don't have to have the fancy-schamcy wooden lens board, but it

would be nice. Mostly, I want to start using this lens for some wide angle and

panorama work in the next couple of weeks.

 

Does anyone have the lensboard described, or a place where I can find the

lensboard? Is this a standard size? The local shops here in San Diego have

very limited supply anymore.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Ken<div></div>

Why not take a piece of plywood and saw it to right size, then drill a hole that is a bit smaller and file it to right size. It does not have to be so exact. After it is done you can then sand it and laquer it and even paint the back side black.

 

Black acrylic plastic is another option but harder to work with, may not be totally opaque unless you find the right sort of material and not as nice looking on a wooden camera. This is not rocket science or brain surgery. It is enough if it fits and is light-tight.

I'm no Guru...but these guys are:

 

http://www.skgrimes.com/lensmount/shutmt/index.htm

 

You probably need a "Copal 00" from your description, but my Super Angulon uses a Copal

0

 

You can send them your Lens and a sample lensboard if needed and they will set it up for

you...make you a board etc...

 

jmp

I purchased a Super-Angulon f8 90mm with the Caltar label a few months ago - if fits a Copal 0 shutter.

 

I made a lens board using a piece of 1/8" basswood laminated with a scrap of 1/8" mahogany paneling. Stained and varnished the outside of the board, and painted the inside flat black.

Make two step down washers, and use an existing board.

I think we have the same camera and the same lens (see last picture in link). I made a few lens boards for myself and a few to sell It's just as easy to make ten as it is to make one. It's more than getting a piece of plywood and drilling a hole you have to recess for the flange nut. Check out http://shop.vendio.com/richertd/item/719415446/index.html

A Super Angulon 1:8/90 should use a Copal 0 lens I think.

 

I have a Calumet recessed lens board, but it measures 4 inches square. Isn't this what the Graphic View II uses? Anyhow I was planning to sell it on eBay in the next couple weeks, but if you are interested, e-mail me.

Oops. I forgot to mention that the recessed board I have is drilled for a Copal 0 size.

 

It was actually used for a Super Angulon 1:8/90 lens on a Calumet CC400.

Hi Ken,

 

I have a Graphic View I (same lensboard as the II) which I don't use much due to getting a Shen-Hao for field work (much to the relief of my aching shoulder...), but when I was looking for a second lensboard, I bought a wooden one off of ebay. It turned out that the inner thicker portion wasn't routed out, so I had to rout it by hand with a dremel to mount the retaining nut for the shutter. If I had continued to add lenses, my plan was going to be to make my own as follows:

 

1) Chop a piece of hardwood plywood to 4"x4", 1/8 thick IIRC.

2) Chop a second piece to the inner dimensions of the light lock - don't have the dimensions here with me, but I can dig up a lensboard if you need them.

3) use a large (big as I can get away with that still fits on the board) keyhole saw to cut a hole in the inner piece, then glue the two pieces together. This saves having to rout out the inner piece to fit the retaining nut of the shutter on the board - where the shutter mounts the board is only 1/8 thick.

4) Drill a hole for the shutter - you can find a table of sizes at www.largeformatphotography.info

5) Sand, stain the front, paint the back black.

 

All in all, I figure this is going to be less work than it took me to "save" the board I bought off ebay.

 

Hope that helps!

Bill

That looks remarkably like the calumet wood field's lens board. Call calumet and check with them. As of two years ago, they were still selling the lensboards for that camera.

Most SA 90/8 lenses are in #0 shutters. But some are in #00, mostly those which were made when those shutters were still in production.

Hello and thank you all for your responses. Please forgive me, as usually I do find the time to respond to each person individually however lately that has not been the case. Photography is only my hobby, not my job...and of course it takes a backseat when the job dictates.

 

The shutter I have is definitely a #00 Synchro-Compur, and there are no lens boards at Calumet that will work. However, Jose at their repair center has graciously offered to make some adjustments for me for the price of $75 plus board, $69. for a total price exceeding my tolerance.

 

I have determined, along with the help of Jim at Midwest Photo Exchange (jim@mpex.com, who is a wonderful resource, by the way, and definitely not given enough mention here) that the camera is an Amba Woodfield, made for Calumet several years ago, and a very obscure now. So, I've got an out of date lens for an obscure camera...how nice..

 

So, my solution moving forward is to have a plate machined with a 26mm hole to accomodate the new lens, and then mount that on a 3-5/8 square piece of Ebony hardwood. In the mean time, I'm going to look toward a Zone VI, Wisner, Toyo, Tachihara, or other name brand and make sure I check shutter size in the future.

 

Lessons learned for anyone new to this world, and maybe, hopefully, to some of the veterans here.

 

Thanks to EVERYONE for your help!

 

Ken

I learned myself that standardizing on one or two lensboards is a good idea since I have everything from Orbit/Calumet 401 to Toyo and B&J cameras that take slightly different 6x6 boards. I settled on the Calumet 4x4 for most lenses and make up adapter boards as needed. Only my largest Copal 3 shuttered lenses seem to need something bigger than the 4x4, especially the wideangles with their large rear elements that are a bit too big for the 4x4 adapter opening.

 

IF someone is getting rid of a used 4x4 board, especially the recessed variety, I'd be thrilled to buy it at a reasonable price. I'm currently looking for one or two drilled for Copal 1 shutters but could use any and just have it drilled larger is needed.

 

TIA, Randy Hofland