Focussing with 75mm

[Virgil Caine]

I sold my Horseman LE45 (4x5 monorail) to a guy in England, a beginner.


He is now claiming that the camera is faulty because he can´t focus with a 75mm that he has?


The camera performed fine for me, though I only had a 150mm.


Surely the question of focussing is dependant upon the distance between the lens and the ground glass and cannot be a defect of the camera?


He also has the wide angle bag bellows.


Does anyone have any advice/knowledge about this?

 

[Ian Grant]

It's not the camera at fault, it's years since I used a similar Horseman but it can definitely be used with a 75mm lens.

According to the specifications with WA bag bellows the minimum extension is 60mm more than enough for a 75mm WA. at Infinity the flange to screen distance of my 75mm f5.6 SA is about 9cm/90mm. He can of course use recessed lens boards.

If the camera has a fresnel with the focus screen it's not as easy focussing with a lens wider than 90mm and that maybe the problem. I find this with my 65mm f8 Super Angulon on my Wista but I cope. I'm just starting to use a 75mm f5.6 SA as well.

Ian

 

[LJH]

Remove the bellows and spin the standards over. They are not symmetrical. Trial and error will let you work out the correct configuration.

 

[Alan Gales]

I have never used a Horseman but on a Cambo you have to position both standards on the same side of the rail clamp or tripod block (whichever you want to call it) to get the standards close enough together.