s.k. grimes inc

Its also practical to convert such non-threaded lens to a now standard sized metric filter receiving size, such as 46mm or 49mm. Such an adapter can be pressed permanently on to the lens and it will then be suitable for use with the range of currently available filters, shades and accessories.

<p>

These typically cost $50.00 each, made by me. I need the lens on hand here in the shop to make and install them.

<p>

See: <a href="http://www.skgrimes.com/product/adap/index.htm"> my site </a> for more about this.

For a "panoramic" camera you need to determine the length of the

conical tube needed. Do this by experiment: Arrange the lens to be

looking at a distant object and move a ground glass until an imaage

focuses clearly. Measure the distance between the frosty side of the

glass and the place on the lens where it will bear against the tube

you are designing. Some make such a tube using a threaded insert

which can be used to "tweak" the length and thus avoid critical

measurement.

<p>

The "nodal point" is only useful in the case of a "panning" (not

panorama) camera. In a panning camera the film is arranged inside a

cylinder and the lens is placed so that it is at a distance to focus

on the film. The nodal point is the axle around which the lens is

turned so as to pan around and make a travelling image painted onto

the film, usually thru a vertical slot.

<p>

This point (nodal point) can also be determined by simple

experiment: Arrange the lens so that it focuses at infinity on a

ground glass. The point at which the lens can be rotated (swuing

about a vertical axis parralel to the film) and the image on the

ground glass will not displace either left or right is the nodal

point. Finding this point makes the trick of the panning slot work

properly. Its usually right near the iris.

<p>

SKG

Louis at <a href="http://www.photogizzmo.com"> Photo Gizzmo </a> is a

dealer for these. He had a dealer sample on hand when I visited his

shop in NYC yesterday.

Possible:

1. Loose (adrift) or missing glass element.

2. Shutter blades not closing all the way.

3. Lens elements not screwed all the way to the shoulder of the

shutter due to wrong mounting on lensboard or wrong deco ring on the

front of the shutter.

4. Uncovered screw-hole in the lensboard, such as where the

Linhof remote cable release connector mounts.

5. Accidental mismatch of front and back elements. Be sure both

elements are for the same lens.

<p>

If you figure out what's causing it, there are lots of photographers

trying to have that result of sharp at the center and blurry

elsewhere.

The lens cells are different sizes and threads and are not

interchangeable between the Supermatic and Compur shutters.

<p>

SKG

The thread size of a Bessa II with a Color Skopar lens I have on hand at the moment is M35 - 0.5

SKG

Front lens thread for a Copal #1 shutter is M39X0.75, An adapter to

allow a more standard sized filter such as 46, 49, or 52mm is a

special made item which I can make and costs $50.00 See <a

href="http://www.skgrimes.com">www.skgrimes.com</a> for more info

about this.

<p>

Steve G.

I have heard that WeeGee the newspaper photographer who made front

page tabloid photos of dead gangsters on the sidewalk was always sure

to arrange the victims hat so that it appeared casually tossed off on

the sidewalk to edit/increase the shock value of the photo.

<p>

I have also known in my personal experience a journalist/tabloid

photographer who carried empty beer cans in his kit to place in car

wrecks to punch up the tragic impact of death scene photos just in

case there weren't any actual signs of inebriation at the scene.

<p>

And all that was way before PhotoShop. :-} SKG

Yes, same thing a mounting a lens to an enlarger lensboard.

<p>

Just like enlarger lenses some need to have the back element

unscrewed to assemble to the lensboard and others don't. Most lenses

used for photography have a shutter instead of the familiar enlarger

type iris barrel. But the principle is the same in both cases.

Robert Triffin is a real, actual lawyer.

<p>

SKG

Its necessary to replicate the diameters of the original lensbarrel

in the new shutter. Modern shutters have a logarithmic progression

to the iris control scale which makes the f-numbers evenly spaced.

You can, for this type, measure the diameter of a large stop and a

small stop then divide the spacing evenly to fill in the rest. Older

shutters have a non-logarithmic progression in which the spacing of

the numbers on the shutter grow closer together at the smaller iris

openings. On this type you need to measure the diameter of each stop

opening in the old barrel and transfer those diameters to the shutter.

<p>

See: <a href="http://www.skgrimes.com/iris/index.htm">my page about

iris scales</a> (The picture at the top is a compressing scale type

shutter and the others are more modern evenly spaced types.)

<p>

In all cases the actual iris diameters of the original should be

replicated in the new installation.

Note to avoid confusion: the lens diagrams on the catalogue page at

http://members.aol.com/jcpere/Goerz.jpg

<p>

are reversed in what looks like an original typo. the diagram of

the Artar and the Dagor are switched. The three elements of the

Dagor are cemented together and the two elements of the

Artar are air spaced, with no cement.

SKG

Yes, this switch to Press shutters can be readily done. Sometimes

wide angle lenses need extra attention to be sure the iris is in the

right place and the setup of spacers allows iris operation. I do

this work.

<p>

In New York City I have a good relationship with Louis Shu of Photo

Gizzmo on Christopher St. Call or visit him, I'm sure you'll find

him familiar with all this. 212-463-0130

<p>

<a href="http://www.skgrimes.com/">Steve Grimes </a>

I routinely enlarge holes in lensboards to specific sizes for $15.00

plus return postage to you. Takes overnight in the shop. See: <a

href="http://www.skgrimes.com/lensmount/shutmt/index.htm">

http://www.skgrimes.com/lensmount/shutmt/index.htm </a> for more

about this.

Reads like you have a lens board for a 2 X 3 camera. Regular Linhof

Technika lensboards are available from Linhof dealers. There are

also many types of good copies available at around $40.00 each.

Since you may have an odd sized hole needed it would be most

convenient to obtain a blank board and have the right sized hole

bored in it and the mount flange attached with screws, like the one

you have.

<p>

I charge $15.00 to bore the lensboard and affix the flange, which you

supply. I can supply the Technika type copies at $40.00 or obtain a

genuine Linhof board from a Linhof dealer for you if you don't feel

like shopping.

<p>

Steve G.

This spotted appearance of the elements is common in older Schneider

lenses. The phenomenon is due to voids/defects in the paint on the

edge of the lens. The element looks good and the paint appears

perfect.

<p>

I don't know what, if any effect this has on the optical performance.

It sure reduces the selling price however. Its really easy to make it

much worse and is probably best left alone. To repair involves

removing the paint from the edge of the lens, cleaning the glass and

applying a good adhereing opaque black paint to the angled ground

edge of the element. This is done at the factory by skilled workers

using a potters wheel sort of thing and applying the paint with a

brush as the element is spun at about 100 rpm.

<p>

It takes a lot of practice to get this right and its not a simple

matter of "what's the secret paint?" I can do this work and rate it

at about a $125.00 job for one element or about $200.00 if front and

back done at the same time.

<p>

Skilled amateurs should practice on junk lenses to experiment and

perfect their techniques.

34.7mm See:<a

href="http://www.skgrimes.com/lensmount/shutmt/index.htm">This page

about Copal number hole sizes</a>

<p>

SKG

These are the same board as the Toyo 45G and available from Calumet

and other dealers. Try Calumet part # TY46550 <a

href="http://www.calumetphoto.com"> Calumet </a>

<p>

SKG

Go down to the hardware store and purchase one each of all the likely

candidates of threaded nuts, such as 8-32, 6-32, 10-24, etc as they

may have available. These will cost you about $0.012 each for a

total investment under $1.00. The assortment of these are usually

located in a display of drawer like cardboard boxes that may

say "pick a nut" or some such thing on them. Avoid carrying the

camera into the hardware store; they'll think you are crazy and blow

you off. If pressed for a reason why you need these nuts (The

hardware store guy always has to know why you want them) just

enthusiastically say: "I'm working on a perpetual motion machine; let

me tell you more....." This response will get you quickly steered to

the right shelves without further questions. Then try these nuts on

the threaded shaft to see which (if any) fits properly.

The iris scale on the shutter does not match the lens. The shutter

may have been replaced/exchanged for a different one and the original

scales may not have been compatible with the replacement shutter.

New shutters are supplied without iris scales. It's expected that

the user will take the original scales from the old shutter (along

with any spacers associated with the lens) and install them to the

new shutter. There are variations between old/new models of the

shutters. The shutters are all accurately made and, as a practical

matter can be interchanged. Its expected that attention be paid to

keep with the lens elements any spacers (they look like thin washers)

which may have been installed at the factory.

<p>

See: <a href="http://www.skgrimes.com/iris/index.htm"> my page about

engraving iris scales </a> for more about replacement iris scales.

As a practical matter <i>f</>-6.8 is not drastically different from

<i>f</i>-5.6 and the lens/shutter may be useable as is, although you

may notice some inaccuracy in the exposure similar to the innacuracy

from errors in shutter speed.

Click<a href="http://www.skgrimes.com/products/index.htm"> here </a>

(scroll down the page to a table of various shutter hole sizes.

<p>

SKG

As a practical matter the Sinar DB lenses are useable only with the

Sinar system -- the auto iris is operated by the Sinar auto shutter

and has no manual setting as a free standing lens. The elements,

however can be unscrewed and fitted to an ordinary shutter. You will

also need to obtain/make an iris scale for the shutter.

<p>

Price for me to do this, complete with the shutter is $225.00 or

$275.00 depending on whether you want the Sinar DB board back or not.

<p>

see: <a href="http://www.skgrimes.com"> www.skgrimes.com </a> for

more.

This can be done by making an extension tube that threads into the

lensboard and stands the shutter out a half inch or so from the

lensboard. The tube is smaller in diameter than the outside of the

intended mount flange. I have been able to fit #5 Ilex shutters to

Technika type lensboards using this method. It costs $75.00 to

$100.00 plus the price of the lensboard. SKG

Any "positive" (Magnifying) lens can be used to make an image. The

Symmar and Apo Symmar lenses are comprised of two positive lenses set

up to be used at the same time. The nature of the way they work

together has to do with the original design and intention of the

engineers who developed it. The older designs were also represented

as "convertibble" which recognizes that each separate lens group can

also be used to make an image. Although that's still true with the

modern version the manufacturer no longer represents it that way;

perhaps because of the difficulty of explaining the feature and/or

perhaps because the quality of image of the single element is not

compatible with the intentions of the engineers.

<p>

This will work with any lens: Unscrew and look at and thru the lens

group. If it works like a magnifier it will form an image. If it

works like a "minifier" (makes the image of what you are looking at

thru it smaller) then it cannot make a projected image or be used as

a camera lens.

<p>

This is of the nature of experimentation by the individual

photographer and good bad or indifferent results can be had. Like

any modification or alternate use of any product the manufacturer

leaves such uses entirely up to the owner and is smart to not have

any advice about it.