Toyo 45CX

[arvay]

I'm entering the LF.

As the cam already exists and no bad comments are accepted :)'cause they are

late, please advise me on the following:

- Lens for "wide" landscapes. I guess it should be 90 mm and shorter. But any

advice will be interesting and appreciated.

- Bellows. Bag bellows for wide angle or it will bear it with standart?

- Lens boards. As numbers of the lens boards, such as "0", "1" or "3" tell me

almost nothing, please give me the direction what means what.

- Roll film backs. What are compatible 6x7 and 6x9).

 

Thanks in advance.

[michael_briggs2]

Do have any any lenses already, or are you starting with a wide-angle lens? For 4x5, 90 mm is fairly wide. If this is going to be your only lens, I wouldn't pick anything wider. It is also harder to use shorter lenses. Very wide lenses don't illuminate the ground glass uniformly. My most used focal lengths are 180 mm (a very slightly long normal) and 110 mm (a moderate wide).

 

The lens board numbers tell you the size of the hole, which needs to match the size of the shutter. Modern shutters are sizes 0, 1 and 3. You need get a lensboard with the correct hole size for the shutter of your lens. The lens manufacturer or seller will tell you the shutter size, plus it is usually written on the shutter, or you can measure the shutter. Almost all recent 90 mm lenses use size 0 shutters (f4.5 Grandagon-N uses size 1).

 

I haven't used the Toyo 45CX, but have used several cameras. My experience is that any camera that can use long lenses works much better with short lenses with a bag bellows or equivalent. The normal or long bellows is too restrictive when compressed.

 

Since the Toyo 45CX has a Graflok back, you should be able to use any roll film back. There are two styles, one style slips in like a sheet film holder. The other style is thicker and requires a camera with a Graflok back, this style clips onto the camera.

[arvay]

Great! Thank you!

 

But questions are coming and coming...

 

Lens board. I have read this cam takes 110 mm square lens boards. Does it mean that I need to look for the lens board from Toyo only or some others like Linhof, Sinar or Horseman will fit?

[michael_briggs2]

Here is a table of shutter sizes: http://www.skgrimes.com/products/index.htm. S. K Grimes also has a table of lens boards: http://www.skgrimes.com/lensboards/index.htm. Linhof boards are a different size from Toyo. From the table, Sinar/Horseman are also different. Keith Canham makes lensboards that are same size as Toyo.

 

Here are two discussions of roll film holders: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0097uY and

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Ghpi. Look under "Roll Film" and the "Film and holders" categories of the forum archives for more discussions, e.g., various models.

 

You will probably want to know how to mount your lens to your lensboard: see http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003k3c, http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0090M8 and http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Ev3Q.

[arvay]

Thanks Michael! Very helpful indeed!