jco

It is easy to adapt any barrel lens to a shutter if you have a bid enuff shutter that you dont mind losing the ability to service.

Just cut some PVC pipe big enuff to fit the rear of the lens and

epoxy the pipe to the lens and then the pipe to the shutter. I have done this with great success with old shutters and lenses I got cheap. Old but not crappy lenses. Biggest drawback is the shutter

must me much larger than usual to prevent vignetting at large apertures. Try to keep the rear of the barrel as close as possible

to the shutter blades too.

I have 4 lenses at the moment I did like this and they work fine.

JCO

My solution to odd size filter threads ( or missing filter threads)

is to superglue a stepup ring to the front of the lens. Looks good and works great. also doesnt cost much either and allows you to pick

the size of threads you want.

JCO

Does an ALPHAX # 5 Shutter exist? I have been looking for one

as I like the #3 and #4, but to no avail. wondering if I am

wasting my time????

JCO

I use unicolor print drums for all my sheet film processing.

1-shot developers and constant agitation for the developer

and stop baths, intermittant for fixing. Works beautifully,

economical, and consistant. I use the simple drum rollers to

agitate and I built a circuit to control it intermittantly

for fixing.

JCO

I use my 5x7 and 8x10 cameras strictly for BW contact printing.

I have been able to do 4x7 scans of the 5x7 negs with an epson 3200 but whats the point? 4x5 seems to be good enuff for color digital enlargements. 4x5 is a waste for contact printing IMHO.

JCO

This page has data on the older Goerz lenses. I find it useful.

http://yandr.50megs.com/gz/pr/pr.htm

JCO

My answer is that using the best available lenses today, the differences will be very subtle because the film resolution is

dominating. But considering you can use movements to correct

the plane of focus to match the subject with a LF camera, Then

overall sharpness winner would be LF with some subjects. I am not

a big fan of using rollbacks on LF cameras except with very long

lenses because going backwards to MF severly limits the image quality

compared to using full frame 4x5 or larger. And the process is very

slow, even slower than using 4x5 because you have to keep putting

the back on and off. Roll film is nice for very long shots where using

4x5 would just result is a wider view that you would be cropping anyway.

JCO

I use the radioshack countdown timer for long exposures

and a lot for film developing. the beep at the end removes

you from the burden and possible errors of watching a watch.

I use enlarging lenses for both 35mm and LF photography but only

for closeups in the same range they were designed to do enlarging.

The results are spectacular. They are not very good for infinity

unless you are using very long ones which will only be using the

center of the image circle and even then they are not as good as

regular taking lenses at infinity. But for closeups, WOW!

JCO

I tried hole saws and they are very hard to keep centered. I trashed some boards with those things,,AVOID!!! What I have been doing for

the last few years is just cutting around a premarked circle on the

board with a scroll blade using a jig saw. No the hole doesnt come

out perfect looking but it works fine and I usually leave a little wiggle room and center the lens perfectly when I mount it. Much easier

than the hole saw. I have done this with both aluminum and wood and holes as small as copal 00 (25mm). What I have found works easier is

to mount the blade in the jig saw facing backwards and mount the jig saw in a vise upside down and use the jig saw like a table saw moving

the board, not the saw to cut the hole, works great every time.

JCO

JCO

Why buy a loupe for GG when you can make them very inexpensively

using camera or enlarging lenses and proper spacer using pvc pipe fittings. Magnification is 250/f.l. in mm I have some extra 50mm

enlarging lenses that will make great 5x loupes if anybody would like to buy for $10 a piece. hifisapi@gate.net

JCO

I recently bought a 15" F9 process paragon. I plan on using it on 5x7 once I find a suitable shutter. I had to disassemble it to clean it internally and it is a FOUR element coated lens, not SIX. Air spaced similar to a artar.

JCO

If you are referinng to the 108mm f6.8 raptars, I have two of them

and they are in rapax shutters (dont know shutter size # ).

jco

I use enlarging lenses for both 35mm and 4x5 Macro work with fantastic results. I think it would be pretty silly to spend over $1000 on the dedicated macro LF lenses. Just buy top end enlarging lenses and have them mounted in a shutter if needed. Cost is way less.

For 4x5, I use a 162mm, 210mm, and 300mm enlarging lenses for closeup on my speed graphic which has a focal plane shutter. You do not want to reverse mount the lens on the board unless you are doing closeups where the magnification is greater than 1:1.

JCO

Ignore my previous posts. I actually got my hands on some of their glass and it was very rough grinding. I cannot recommend it.

Sorry,

JCO

I have been getting superb results using ENLARGING lenses for

MACRO use both with 35mm and 4x5. these lenses are specifically

designed for 1:4 to 1:10 range typically and nowadays you can buy

what were once hideously expensive enlarging lenses for dirt cheap.

I use mine on a speed graphic because its built-in focal plane shutter. I use 115mm, 162mm, 240mm, and 300mm enlarging lenses for

closeups with 4x5. you can mount these in large shutters and still spend way less than buying the typical LF MACRO lenses.

For 35mm I use a bellows and 75, 105, 135, 162mm enlarging lenses and a SLR. Works great.

JCO

Last 105mm filter sized lens I had was the super-angulon 165mm F8.

Filters that size cost about $175 each which is out of the question for me. I ended up buying a set of military surplus Kodak 109mm filters and making a custom holder for them , worked to perfection and only cost me $50 total for 4 filters.

JCO

I would buy a mint Symmar-S MC lens used at about 1/4 the price if I were you.

JCO

oops: info@alettaphoto.com

JCO

Try these people. Custom sizes, with or without grid and cut corners. Good prices. I dont see why anyone would attempt to make it yourself considering this guy offers custom sizes / grids / cut corners no extra cost and is very reasonable priced, i.e. "Cheap"!

JCO

I make all my lensboards except for my cambo (those are metal)

using plywood and a simple jig saw. Cut board slightly large, sand to fit. cut hole with a scroll blade on the jig saw. Spray paint back side flat black. Spray paint or stain front side. your done.

Its easy and you only need plywood, sandpaper, and paint once you buy the jig saw. I really like the having the ability to make any size board and any size hole at any time I need one.

JCO

I have 5 large format cameras but I would never sell my speed graphic because it HAS a working FP shutter. I have about 10 lenses just for the speed graphic and eight of them are in barrels and require the FP shutter! Reason I bought barrels is I got them all dirt cheap. If your speed graphic has a working FP shutter it would be insane to remove it!

JCO

I develop all my sheet film in unicolor unidrums with a motor base.

4x5,5x7,and 8x10. I never load more than 2 sheets at a time per drum because multiple sheets move around. I do 2 4x5 or 2 5x7 in the 8x10 drums and 2 8x10 in the 11x14 drums. I use constant agitation and diluted developers to get reasonable times not too short or long.

Working in kitchen and in roomlight makes things much more tolerable.

JCO