Electric Packards?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-SHUTTE...538&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&sd=280530014100&

Does anyone know of plans to build a simple shutter box for lenses like this, to give adjustable speed? Or even use of a handheld device such as an ipod or iphone as a controller?

I imagine these could be pretty accurate, and really open up shuttered lens options for 8x10, or 4x5 non-speed graphics.

Electronic Ilex and Melles Griot (successor to Ilex) shutters aren't that rare or expensive. Control boxes are a whole 'nother thing.

But, and I haven't tried to make one, http://www.chemie.unibas.ch/~holder/shutter/index.html

I recently built an external mount box for my LARGE Packard shutter. http://tom-overton-images.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/external-mounting-a-packard-shutter.htmlbut it looks as though this might be small enough to fit inside most LF cameras. You are probably limited to a top speed of roughly 1/30s, but for LF, that is not a serious drawback. If you can regulated your pulse accurately, you may get a range of speeds below that. From the pictures, though, it looks like it kicks like a mule. You could end up with camera shake. As for the controllers... I'm sure there's an app for that - or at least an app to control solenoids. Such an app could easily be written. Sounds intriguing. If you do purchase one, please let us know how it works out.

Cheers,
Tom

re-inventing the wheel

EASmithV said:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELEC-SHUTTE...538&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=1&sd=280530014100&

Does anyone know of plans to build a simple shutter box for lenses like this, to give adjustable speed? Or even use of a handheld device such as an ipod or iphone as a controller?

I imagine these could be pretty accurate, and really open up shuttered lens options for 8x10, or 4x5 non-speed graphics.

Click to expand...

This is only my 2 cents worth. But I have been using Packard shutters since 1947. I like the air release because it does not shake the camera. Instantanious is 1/25th (usually, shutter bulbs and hose varies this a little). If you open the shutter in bulb mode on the first letter of click-uh, and close it on the h, that's 1/10th of a second. click is about a fifth, one chimp is 1/2, one chimpanzee is a second. Practice with "one chimpanzee until the second hand of a watch or clock says you've used up one second. This air release has been used on these shutters for 120 years, and is still in use. Learn it, and love it!!

premortho said:

This is only my 2 cents worth. But I have been using Packard shutters since 1947. I like the air release because it does not shake the camera. Instantanious is 1/25th (usually, shutter bulbs and hose varies this a little). If you open the shutter in bulb mode on the first letter of click-uh, and close it on the h, that's 1/10th of a second. click is about a fifth, one chimp is 1/2, one chimpanzee is a second. Practice with "one chimpanzee until the second hand of a watch or clock says you've used up one second. This air release has been used on these shutters for 120 years, and is still in use. Learn it, and love it!!

Click to expand...

i feel the same way about old wollensak studio shuters ...
with an air release ( degroff piston ) you can get it pretty fast ( 25th )
and depending on how you squeeze it you can slow it down or actually
get the shutter to stay open like a bulb mode ... the bulb releases are worth their weight in gold ..