Cheap and cheerful shutter options?

VPooler · May 19, 2014

Hello!

I am making myself an 8x10 camera just for the heck of it. I already have a lens and some holders but the lens, a lovely barrel 360mm Zeiss Apo-Germinar has no shutter. The rear opening is some 2 inches and I would much prefer to mount something behind the lens.
What are my options if I don't have much money? Variable speeds are not very important, just bulb and instantaneous, some 1/30 or so.
Ideal would be some old Thornton-Pickard focal plane shutter but where could I find one without breaking much bank?
Pondered about using the Galli shutter but that seems too much of a hit-and-miss to me.

All ideas are welcome!

pdeeh · May 19, 2014

I've looked into this a bit, and if one's budget is limited, the options tend to be too
If I had $70-$100 to spare, then a used Packard pneumatic would be my choice.

Or if you're good at DIY have a look at Joe VanCleave's excellent video which illustrates his solution: (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Or a guillotine shutter: http://www.largeformatphotography.info/guillotine-shutter/guillotine-shutter-construction.html

Ian Grant · May 19, 2014

You just need a standard Between lens T & I Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter it goes between the lens and the lens board preferably with a speed indicator. The alternative is the front fitting version. The only real difference between the two is the casings, the front mounting ones have a thinner back (faces away from the lens) and if used the other way screwed to a lens board the back tends to split.

The focal plane versions vary quite a bit some are just scaled up versions of the smaller shutters using the same fittings just longer rollers, others (rarer) have more sophisticated mechanism to vary the slit width, I have two to refurbish (both half-plate).

You should be able to find one large enough I have a few much larger than you'd need, I bought a similar sized Bausch & Lomb 14" lens.You can tap the release arm to take a modern shutter release.

T-P also made a Studio shutter but it's T only so not so practical.

Ian

VPooler · May 19, 2014

I have some rotary shutter parts at hand I stripped off an old movie projector. If I would make the shutter disk a bit larger with thin aluminum, that could probably work. But it would take lots of work.

VPooler · May 19, 2014

Ian Grant said:
You just need a standard Between lens T & I Thornton Pickard roller blind shutter it goes between the lens and the lens board preferably with a speed indicator. The alternative is the front fitting version. The only real difference between the two is the casings, the front mounting ones have a thinner back (faces away from the lens) and if used the other way screwed to a lens board the back tends to split.

The focal plane versions vary quite a bit some are just scaled up versions of the smaller shutters using the same fittings just longer rollers, others (rarer) have more sophisticated mechanism to vary the slit width, I have two to refurbish (both half-plate).

You should be able to find one large enough I have a few much larger than you'd need, I bought a similar sized Bausch & Lomb 14" lens.You can tap the release arm to take a modern shutter release.

T-P also made a Studio shutter but it's T only so not so practical.

Ian

Where would I find one of those marvelous things you just described?

Ian Grant · May 19, 2014

VPooler said:
Where would I find one of those marvelous things you just described?

I get mine from Ebay or camera fairs, just don't pay to much. When I finish moving house I'll be completing restoration of another 10 TP shutters and may be selling some but it's likely to be a few weeks.

Ian

Dan Fromm · May 19, 2014

Vallo, I know this will seem very strange but if it comes to that you can use a Polaroid MP-4 (so badged) shutter. This is a Copal Press #1 with no diaphragm. They're relatively inexpensive on ebay.com. You'll need a cup-shaped adapter threaded male M40x0.75 at the rear to screw into the shutter and threaded female at the front to accept the rear of the lens barrel. The adapter should be as short as possible to minimize vignetting.

Copal Press shutters aren't bad, are speeded 1, 1/2, ... , 1/125. I find them very useful.

A 360/9 Apo-Germinar's exit pupil is 40 mm in diameter. The #1 shutter's aperture is 30 mm in diameter. With the lens wide open you'll get full illumination (as from f/9) on the film plane but the barrel's diaphragm will have no effect on illumination on the film plane until you've stopped down far enough to make the exit pupil 30 mm in diameter. With a 360 mm lens that's f/12. At smaller stops the barrel's diaphragm will have the expected effect. The longest lens I hang in front of a #1 is a 610/9 Apo-Nikkor.

Good luck, have fun,

Dan

ic-racer · May 19, 2014

at are my options if I don't have much money?

Slow film, a timer and a hat.

If you want exposures less than one second you can use two darkslides:

VPooler · May 19, 2014

Dan Fromm said:
Vallo, I know this will seem very strange but if it comes to that you can use a Polaroid MP-4 (so badged) shutter. This is a Copal Press #1 with no diaphragm. They're relatively inexpensive on ebay.com. You'll need a cup-shaped adapter threaded male M40x0.75 at the rear to screw into the shutter and threaded female at the front to accept the rear of the lens barrel. The adapter should be as short as possible to minimize vignetting.

Copal Press shutters aren't bad, are speeded 1, 1/2, ... , 1/125. I find them very useful.

A 360/9 Apo-Germinar's exit pupil is 40 mm in diameter. The #1 shutter's aperture is 30 mm in diameter. With the lens wide open you'll get full illumination (as from f/9) on the film plane but the barrel's diaphragm will have no effect on illumination on the film plane until you've stopped down far enough to make the exit pupil 30 mm in diameter. With a 360 mm lens that's f/12. At smaller stops the barrel's diaphragm will have the expected effect. The longest lens I hang in front of a #1 is a 610/9 Apo-Nikkor.

Good luck, have fun,

Dan

I actually have that Polaroid branded shutter! Although I already have a lens mounted in that and I use it a lot. But I'll keep my eyes open for that!
I also saw a listing for an electronic shutter with a 40mm exit pupil. It is very thin so shouldn't have much of a barrel effect, which shouldn't be a problem in the first place anyway since the Germinar covers all the way to hell and back. I can make a timing circuit with a simple IC and some capacitors-resistors-transistors. Could try that!

Cheap and cheerful shutter options?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency