Eastman 2-D shutter/lens help

[Ohliuw]

Hi all. We have been looking for a while to get into large format camera shooting, and we finally lucked out - we found an Eastman 2D in excellent condition with back rails and what seems to be very nice antique tripod (original?)

There seems to be an issue with the shutter curtain though - what seems like a black carbon transfer sheet is ripped off (normal give its age I guess?).

Any suggestions on what to replace it with? We would like to stick something old rather than something new to preserve the authenticity.

Thanks.

 

[ntenny]

I don’t think that shutter is an original part; it looks like someone mounted a roller-blind shutter on a 2-D lensboard, which makes sense for shooting barrel lenses but definitely isn’t required to use the camera. In a pinch, with a small aperture, you can use a hat as your shutter—in addition, of course, to using lenses in shutters, mounting a Packard shutter, etc.

-NT

 

[BrianShaw]

Thornton Pickard Shutter Rebuild

A reasonable material to consider is rubberized cotton pneumatic cloth used for player pianos. You will need to examine for pinpoint light leaks even though the quality is generally quite high. A couple of well-respected suppliesr:

Bellows Cloth for Player Pianos

www.player-care.com

Item No. CBSPC - Cotton-backed Striker Pneumatic cloth

Bellows Cloth Strip 3" x 55" For Player Piano Mandolin Rail Curtain Repair | eBay

3" x 55" strip of bellows cloth used for making or restoring the mandolin rail in player pianos. Simply cut it to the length you need.

www.ebay.com

 

[awty]

Thornton Pickard Shutter Rebuild

A reasonable material to consider is rubberized cotton pneumatic cloth used for player pianos. You will need to examine for pinpoint light leaks even though the quality is generally quite high. A couple of well-respected suppliesr:

Bellows Cloth for Player Pianos

www.player-care.com

Item No. CBSPC - Cotton-backed Striker Pneumatic cloth

Bellows Cloth Strip 3" x 55" For Player Piano Mandolin Rail Curtain Repair | eBay

3" x 55" strip of bellows cloth used for making or restoring the mandolin rail in player pianos. Simply cut it to the length you need.

www.ebay.com

Have you used this cloth and it works OK?
I have a couple I need to do.

 

[AnselMortensen]

That is an aftermarket add-on roller blind shutter.
To make your life easier, and your exposures more consistent, you might want to consider getting a lens in a contemporaneous leaf shutter...a Studio, Optimo, or maybe (best option) a Betax...and getting a new lensboard made by Ebay seller ' zbima1 '.

 

[jimgalli]

For the purposes of understanding authenticity, something I am sympathetic with to a point, enjoy looking through this 1923 Eastman catalog. Your camera is on page 26. Professional cameras were sold without lens and the customer would find a suitable for his needs lens or lenses. So the english or japanese roller blind shutter wasn't sold with that camera. Neither was the tripod, although it could have been bought from a dealer the same day I suppose. Pro equipment was all sold as separate pieces and then assembled by the professional to do whatever his task was. A landscape photographer would choose a different lens than a portrait photographer et al. What does the rear casement measure, where the backs snap onto it? When that camera was sold there were endless lens possibilities, including the lens you have there. But a lens in a leaf shutter is a good addition. Or as someone else has said, simply stop down for a long-ish exposure and do the hat trick. Or search for the "galli shutter" on google. What size film do you plan to shoot and what type images are you wishing for?

 

[Udor]

Concerning the tripod (since you are also enquiring about it): I acquired my Eastman 2D from the original owner decades ago and my tripod is very similar to yours. It's hard to tell from the photos if its the same, but it seems to be from the same period. The 2D is a fantastic camera. Enjoy!

 

[Ohliuw]

That is an aftermarket add-on roller blind shutter.
To make your life easier, and your exposures more consistent, you might want to consider getting a lens in a contemporaneous leaf shutter...a Studio, Optimo, or maybe (best option) a Betax...and getting a new lensboard made by Ebay seller ' zbima1 '.

how about Packard shutter? Not the most consistent, but it does provide this authentic feeling.

 

[Ohliuw]

For the purposes of understanding authenticity, something I am sympathetic with to a point, enjoy looking through this 1923 Eastman catalog. Your camera is on page 26. Professional cameras were sold without lens and the customer would find a suitable for his needs lens or lenses. So the english or japanese roller blind shutter wasn't sold with that camera. Neither was the tripod, although it could have been bought from a dealer the same day I suppose. Pro equipment was all sold as separate pieces and then assembled by the professional to do whatever his task was. A landscape photographer would choose a different lens than a portrait photographer et al. What does the rear casement measure, where the backs snap onto it? When that camera was sold there were endless lens possibilities, including the lens you have there. But a lens in a leaf shutter is a good addition. Or as someone else has said, simply stop down for a long-ish exposure and do the hat trick. Or search for the "galli shutter" on google. What size film do you plan to shoot and what type images are you wishing for?

Thanks for the input. It’s a 8x10, but it only came with the 5x7 film holders and glass (it also has some aftermarket 3.5 x5.5 glass and holders, which I was told is postcard format)

We plan to mostly use it for portraits. For now we plan to use it in 5x7 format. Maybe in the future we will upgrade to 8x10.

We also want to use the postcard format, but cannot find any film in that size. Any idea where to get it?

 

[ntenny]

I have a fantastically useful contraption built by my great-grandfather: a smallish lensboard with a Packard shutter mounted behind it and an iris clamp in front. My wife fabricated adapters to mount it on my 2-Ds (5x7 and 8x10–different lensboard sizes), and it allows the use of any barrel lens of reasonable size. It seems period-correct for the 2-D and, while a little pricey to build once, should come out a lot cheaper than buying multiple shutters.

-NT

 

[Dustin McAmera]

micro-tools (.com or .de depending where you are) sell shutter curtain cloth in a sheet 220x300mm.

 

[AnselMortensen]

how about Packard shutter? Not the most consistent, but it does provide this authentic feeling.

Packard shutter is a viable alternative.
Whatever works for your workflow and/or aesthetic.
I have found that I need a consistent, accurate shutter speed range from 1/60 - 1/2 second, and that is not something that I can achieve with Packard shutters. ( or Studio shutters, either).

 

[Tel]

micro-tools (.com or .de depending where you are) sell shutter curtain cloth in a sheet 220x300mm.

+1: I've done several Thornton-Pickard shutters with this cloth. Micro-tools get it from Japan Hobby Tool--it's new product and guaranteed to be light-tight.

 

[Ohliuw]

What’s the cheapest site to buy 5x7 film and processing supplies? Shipped to USA or Canada

 

[jimgalli]

Thanks for the input. It’s a 8x10, but it only came with the 5x7 film holders and glass (it also has some aftermarket 3.5 x5.5 glass and holders, which I was told is postcard format)

We plan to mostly use it for portraits. For now we plan to use it in 5x7 format. Maybe in the future we will upgrade to 8x10.

We also want to use the postcard format, but cannot find any film in that size. Any idea where to get it?

No ideas on the 3.5X5.5 film I guess you could cut down 4X5 and lose the extra length, which is sort of self defeating. 5X7 is a good place to start.

 

[Mr Flibble]

I've used Aki-Asahi.com shutter cloth to repair these type of roller blinds in the past. Not sure they sell the large enough sheets at this time, though.

 

[BrianShaw]

…

We also want to use the postcard format, but cannot find any film in that size. Any idea where to get it?

122 size film hasn’t been available for decades, by Kodak at least.

Cameras that use 122 film haven’t been made for much longer than that.

 

[Dustin McAmera]

I think postcard format is 3¼x5½-inch (three-and-a-quarter inch, not three-and-a-half); quarter-plate but an inch longer; if that's what your holders are, you might be able to load them with quarter-plate film, which Fotoimpex sells. If those are plate-holders, you may have to find or make some film sheaths.

 

[AnselMortensen]

What’s the cheapest site to buy 5x7 film and processing supplies? Shipped to USA or Canada

Probably Freestyle in L.A.
They have a good selection of 5x7 film, chems & trays

 

[AnselMortensen]

Does Ilford offer postcard/3A- size film for their ULF program?

 

[Dustin McAmera]

No:

https://www.ilfordphoto.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Consumer-ULF-Announcement-2023.pdf

 

[Ohliuw]

I got wollensak Optimo shitter and Velostogmat lens off eBay.

1. how do I open the lens for cleaning? There is no hole on the ring, not screws on the side?

2. There was a small loose piece of metal inside the shutter that came off when I removed the lens - it looks a bit like a screw, see the photo. The shutter seems to be working though

3. What’s the best way to clean the shutter without disassembling?

 

[Tel]

Start here:

https://www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/photographic_inter-lens_shutters-1.pdf

 

[Whir-Click]

That’s not a screw, it’s a small stud from the back side of the name plate that broke off. You can see the hole where it was in one of the photos.

The shutter can’t be cleaned without disassembly. Attempting otherwise can cause irreversible damage. Even with disassembly, Optimo shutters are complicated and finicky.

 

[Ohliuw]

That’s not a screw, it’s a small stud from the back side of the name plate that broke off. You can see the hole where it was in one of the photos.

The shutter can’t be cleaned without disassembly. Attempting otherwise can cause irreversible damage. Even with disassembly, Optimo shutters are complicated and finicky.

Thanks, does this impact the operation?

As for the cleaning - how about dusting it off with a can of compressed air?