Basic "Carry" questions for LF from a newbie

Lens on boards, for sure. Don't want to be installing those in the field. For the cable releases - there is a short Linhof (I think) supplied cable extension - about 2" long. I thread those on each lens, and then its easy to install the longer cable in the field. Its no fun putting the cable release into the lens shutter if its cold and nasty, and this allows for easier storage as well.

You can see that the standard procedure is to keep lenses on their dedicated boards. The only problem comes when one wants to use a lens on two different cameras with different-size boards; then you need to have an adapter on one camera or remount the lens on the right size board. The former is easier by far.

If you are looking to minimize the size and weight of your kit, use small lensboards and small lenses. Many field cameras use Technika-style small lensboards these days. They are available cheaply. If your camera needs a larger board, an adapter might be in order. All my lenses are on Technika-type boards and adapt to the other cameras I have.

Personally, unless I had a lens set designed to have interchangeable cells, like a casket set or a Nikkor-T set, I'd never bother with changing cells on the same shutter. Modern lenses come with shutters; get working ones and keep lens caps on. It's dicey enough changing lenses in the field when the lenses are mounted on their boards (juggling two lenses in the wind, fog, on steep terrain, in inconvenient or even dangerous positions...) . I can't imagine fiddling with changing lens cells in the cold and juggling and storing the ones I just removed with the ones I'm about to mount. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me. Plus, this takes time, which is often at a premium when working in changing light, etc.

I'll break with some here and advise having a dedicated cable release mounted on each lens. Mounting cable releases in the field is fiddly as well, and it's all too easy to drop one down the nearest crevice or into the mud or sand or water. Transport your lenses in boxes. I make my own; stackable, but without tops so I have easy access and so there is no pressure on the release and its mount and damage is not an issue. In over 35 years working this way I've never damaged a lens from having a cable release mounted. Carry some spare releases too; they go bad at the worst possible moment


Best,

Doremus

Doremus Scudder said:

You can see that the standard procedure is to keep lenses on their dedicated boards. The only problem comes when one wants to use a lens on two different cameras with different-size boards; then you need to have an adapter on one camera or remount the lens on the right size board. The former is easier by far.

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This becomes an issue particularly when you work with different formats, in my case 5x4, 7x5 (half plate0 and 10x8. I've opted to keep all my main lenses on Linhof/Wista style lens boards and then made adapters to use these boards on my Kodak Specialist 2 half plate (7x5) and Agfa Ansco Commercial View 10x8 cameras. This gives flexibility, while in practice only one lens gets used with all 3 formats a 240mm f5.6 Nikkor W I could use my 300mm f9 Nikkor M as well but in practice it's unwieldy on my Wista 45DX as it needs almost full extension for Infinity focus so I prefer to use a 360mm 35.5 Tele Xenar instead.

It's surprising what adapter were made commercially. BS Kimar recently sold a Wista/Linhof adapter to take Pacemaker Graphic/Super Graphic lens boards (on this Forum), it's an adapter I could use as I have a set of lenses on Super Graphic boards.

The MPP MicroTechical MkIII to MkVII lens bards are identical in size/fit to the older Pre & Anniversary Speed Graphic lens boards, it's possible to make an adapter to insert Wista/Linhof boards, mine's wooden but ideally it wants milling from aluminium sheet.

Sometimes there are other issues my Kodak Specialist 2 uses a dedicated sunken lens board for it's Dallmeyer WA 4¼" (108mm) f6.3/11, viewing aperture is f6.3 widest taking aperture is f11. Kodak supplied theDallmeyer coated WA lens as an optional part of the outfit but there's no shutter, there's not enough bellows compression without a sunken mount. Instead I have a parts 7x5 Seneca City View and have ave made it to accept Wista/Linhof lens boards (the panel to take lens n=boards was missing anyway), but it's about simplicity and where possible using one type of lens board, like you suggest.

Ian

Ian Grant said:

... I could use my 300mm f9 Nikkor M as well but in practice it's unwieldy on my Wista 45DX as it needs almost full extension for Infinity focus so I prefer to use a 360mm 35.5 Tele Xenar instead. ... Ian

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Ian,

I made a top-hat board for my Nikkor M 300mm. It's just 4-5 cm and works great on my Wista DXs. I can focus down to 3 meters at least; fine for what I use the lens for. I keeps the bellows draw almost exactly where my 240mm is in focus; when I change back-and-forth between the two lenses I don't have to adjust focus much at all.

How much heavier is the 360mm Tele-Xenar than the 300mm Nikkor M anyway?

Best,

Doremus

I've not weighed my 360mm Tele Xenar but it's not a heavy lens, perhaps a touch heavier than a 300mm Nikkor M but Schneider state compact and light in weight. If I get a chance tomorrow I'll weigh them.

I'm rarely user longer lenses but the Tele Xenar suits me better for one project, I've had thought of making a Top hat board for my wista, the large rolls of Ilford paper have two black plastic bits each end of the box that locate in the tube the papers wound around and these would be great for a home made top hat board, I've had 2 on a shelf with that in mind for over 25 years

Ian

I have all of my lenses mounted to Anniversary style Speed Graphic boards. They're small, lightweight, and cheap (because they're made of wood). I also make my own adapters for use on other cameras. I basically just take a lens board from whatever camera, drill a big hole in the back, and then screwed and J.B. Welded a front standard in front of that hole. I find those parted out Anniversary Speed Graphic front standards online from either the auction site, or forums like this. Plus, I have an Anniversary Speed Graphic, and it uses the smallest lens boards naturally of all of my LF cameras, so it was the natural choice.

Lenses stay mounted on boards for sure, and if you have a camera that uses larger boards like Sinar or Deardorff, but you are using lenses in smaller shutters, then an adapter board with smaller boards for the small lenses is ideal, unless you’re only carrying one or two lenses.

I always leave the tripod plate on the camera just in case I forgot it. Nothing stops an LF shoot faster than not being to use your tripod that you've worked so hard to carry. I also have paint brush to dust off my holder before I insert it into the camera.To store a lot of film holders, a clean cooler helps. My latest is my smartphone. I use it as a meter, reciprocity calculator/timer. My meter app also allows me to log exposure as well as GPS location.

jnantz said:

now if the OP is wondering how to attach lenses to lensboards without a mounting flange ( nut ) .. tape, wire, cardboard and a prayer works really well.

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A suitably sized snug fitting O-ring (or two or three) also work well in a pinch to replace a missing mounting flange.

Doremus Scudder said:

Ian,

How much heavier is the 360mm Tele-Xenar than the 300mm Nikkor M anyway?

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Turns out a lot heavier than I thought, the 360mm f5.5 Tele Xenar weighs approx 660gms and the 300mm f9 Nikkor M is only 320gms, so more than twice the weight. However because the Tele Xenar is so much larger it's eels light for its size

Ian

Mainecoonmaniac said:

I always leave the tripod plate on the camera just in case I forgot it. Nothing stops an LF shoot faster than not being to use your tripod that you've worked so hard to carry. I also have paint brush to dust off my holder before I insert it into the camera.To store a lot of film holders, a clean cooler helps. My latest is my smartphone. I use it as a meter, reciprocity calculator/timer. My meter app also allows me to log exposure as well as GPS location.

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Which app?

Love following this. Thank you for continuing to post. One of my View Camera books has the author say, "I keep my lenses on their own boards with their own cable releases attached... that way, I always have a spare release." So we'll go with the lenses on lens boards and more than one cable release - though not necessarily attached (could rattle around even inside one of those Tenba lens wraps and chaff the outside of the lens barrel or something). My Arca Swiss (Model B) mega plates are humongous, but I have enough for my needs..... except for the new MACRO lens I bought to do some flower shots with. For now on this camera, everything is big. I look longingly at a Chamonix 4X5 Folding View camera and their comparatively smaller, more portable form factors... but that's another day.

Ian Grant said:

Turns out a lot heavier than I thought, the 360mm f5.5 Tele Xenar weighs approx 660gms and the 300mm f9 Nikkor M is only 320gms, so more than twice the weight. However because the Tele Xenar is so much larger it's eels light for its size

Ian

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Ian,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to weight lenses for me. I might snoop around for a Tele Xenar 360mm now. I wouldn't be carrying it much on hikes or the like, but it would work on my field cameras and it's a focal length where I kind of have a hole at the moment.

Best,

Doremus

JWMster said:

... So we'll go with the lenses on lens boards and more than one cable release - though not necessarily attached (could rattle around even inside one of those Tenba lens wraps and chaff the outside of the lens barrel or something). ...

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Once you drop a cable release into the water or mud or down a hill or into a canyon while you're trying to attach it to your lens with cold fingers in the wind, you may change your mind and keep them permanently mounted. Just don't ask me how I know...

Doremus

If you simply must carry a particular lens or two, a good casket lens set could be a better answer to the rest of the ranges you'd want along.

Always leave the lens board fixed with each regular lens, there is no need to introduce another factor that might spoil your image capture, if done incorrectly or suffering from repeated placement and removals

IMO.

Doremus Scudder said:

Ian,

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to weight lenses for me. I might snoop around for a Tele Xenar 360mm now. I wouldn't be carrying it much on hikes or the like, but it would work on my field cameras and it's a focal length where I kind of have a hole at the moment.

Best,

Doremus

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I use this lens a lot more than I thought I would when I bought it. It's great for portraits. It's great for distant landscapes, like mountains. Mine has the compound shutter, which can be a bit of a problem to use. It seems to change speeds based on the humidity and air pressure. I once calibrated it at my house, and then drove into the Rocky Mountains to find it was WAY off. I still was able to recalibrate it in the field (it has a calibration screw, and you can alter the end caps on the pistons), and came away with some good photos. So it's not the end of the world. But if you can find one of the newer ones that are gear driven, I'd go for that.

jim10219 said:

I use this lens a lot more than I thought I would when I bought it. It's great for portraits. It's great for distant landscapes, like mountains. Mine has the compound shutter, which can be a bit of a problem to use. It seems to change speeds based on the humidity and air pressure. I once calibrated it at my house, and then drove into the Rocky Mountains to find it was WAY off. I still was able to recalibrate it in the field (it has a calibration screw, and you can alter the end caps on the pistons), and came away with some good photos. So it's not the end of the world. But if you can find one of the newer ones that are gear driven, I'd go for that.

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Mine's also in a Compound shutter, like all Compound shutters the Air piston can cause speed issues and may simply need cleaning and lubricating. The shutter doesn't need disassembly to do this, my 12" Dagor's Compound shutter was erratic and I cleaned the piston when I bought it with my 110x8 camera 16 or 17 years ago and it's still runs smoothly in all conditions.

Ian