Good source for Wista/Linhof/Technika lens boards?

[Jeff Bannow]

I am looking for a cheap source for lens boards of the Wista/Linhof/Technika style. I will be using this on a Chamonix 4x5 camera.

The boards I am finding on the Bay are all offset drilled, and I need center drilled. The board I ordered from MPEX had a ring protruding from the back that won't fit into the Chamonix. Aarrgghh!

Anyone have a good source for cheap Copal #0 boards? This is getting frustrating.

 

[Keith Pitman]

Try this seller on Ebay: jinfinance


Good service and good product.


In addition, no need to be frustrated, lots of sellers on Ebay sell these; just look around.

 

[Jeff Bannow]

Try this seller on Ebay: jinfinance
Good service and good product.
In addition, no need to be frustrated, lots of sellers on Ebay sell these; just look around.

I have checked jinfinance and his boards are offset, not center drilled. I will send him a message and see if he can provide center drilled instead.

Any other sources out there?

 

[Ian Grant]

The ring on the back is quite standard, it's on my Wista, Technika and Toyo boards a well as a couple of Generics I own. They are also all offset towards the base. About $15-$25 is the going rate for these boards second-hand.

Sorry can't help more than that.

Ian

 

[Shadow Images]

I can look and see what I have left at home. They may be offset with a ring too. I had plan to sell all mine since I make my own boards.

 

[BradS]

Badger Graphic sell generic Linhof/Tech style boards for only $30 (last time I checked). They are available pre-drilled with either offset or centered holes in the usual sizes.

http://www.badgergraphic.com

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

They all should have the ring on the back, if they're really Linhof/Wista compatible boards, and they should fit your Chamonix. I went out shooting with "highpeak" and a few other people a while back and he tried out my 75mm Grandagon-N, which is on a Linhof recessed board, and it fit his Chamonix with no problem.

 

[Lee L]

Jeff,

I have some Technika/Wista/Toyo boards, with and without lenses mounted. So does John Powers. If you don't get it solved by next week's NEOH get together we can take a look there.

KEH has a large selection of used Technika boards.

Lee

 

[Jeff Bannow]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I think the ring might just be too wide on the generic board I got. I will have the camera and boards with me in Ohio and we can figure out where I went wrong. For the time being, I mounted the lens backwards on the board and it seems to work sort of.

It looks like jinfinance can drill me a center holed board, as well as Badger Graphic.

 

[Ian Grant]

Strangely I've noticed a few lenses sold on Ebay recently mounted on reversed Linhof style boards and wondered why. Maybe this is a problem of tolerances of Chamonix cameras sometimes causing incompatibility with the boards.

Just checking my boards they are all remarkably close in tolerance, Linhof, Wista, Toyo and Generic.

Ian

 

[BradS]

Strangely I've noticed a few lenses sold on Ebay recently mounted on reversed Linhof style boards and wondered why. Maybe this is a problem of tolerances of Chamonix cameras sometimes causing incompatibility with the boards.

Just checking my boards they are all remarkably close in tolerance, Linhof, Wista, Toyo and Generic.

Ian

I've seen this too recently. An ebay listing showing a lens mounted backwards in a Linhof tech style board...I just laughed, and thought what an idiot!

I wonder if Chamonix screwed up their front standard design? or if it is a manufacturing quality issue?

 

[wildbill]

I make my own linhof sized boards for my shen hao and for the adapter boar on my Wehman. There's no ring on the back of mine. All my boards work on my cameras and my friends Wista. They don't all fit on the Chamonix 4x5 i tried out. The tolerances are too tight, not that there's anything wrong with that.

vinny

 

[Barry S]

I have a variety of Technika style boards for my Chamonix--Shen Hao (Badger generic), Wista, Ebony, and some no-name boards. They all fit just fine on my Chamonix. The tolerances are close and the fit is perfect, so I'd suspect that the board in question is out of spec.

 

[Ian Grant]

Barry I suspect that it's the cameras at fault because the boards are easy to make to very fine tolerances. Like Brad when I first saw lenses fitted backwards I also thought what an idiot, but looking at other items being sold it was apparent the seller was quite knowledgeable.

I've also made some of my Linhof/Wista fit plain boards it's very easy and simple, but I prefer the real thing and they are now very cheap.

Ian

 

[Barry S]

I guess that's one possibility, but I don't understand the connection between Chamonix and the reverse mounted lens. Was it being sold with a Chamonix camera? I suspected the board because the two Chamonix cameras I've owned were very precisely built. Most Technika style boards go on cameras other than actual Linhof Technikas, so if the rear ring was off on a board, it probably wouldn't matter on most cameras. Chamonix may be a victim of their own tight tolerances not allowing for some "slop" in generic boards. It's also possible they messed up on drilling some front frames, but it still strikes me as less likely.