Hard Aperture Stops on Large Format Lenses

[Dirb9]

Many Kodak lenses in Supermatic shutters have clicks for full stops. Given the nature of the click mechanism; just divots on the front plate, I don't think it would be too difficult a modification to add additional 1/2 or 1/3 click stops with a fine burr bit and some careful measurement.

 

[abruzzi]

They are removable on all of mine -- you can see the two screws that hold it in place. Each Fuji has a small number pertaining to exact lens that it is designed for. Here's a #53 for a 150mm f5.6 on a Copal #0

If you change the lens, and not the scale, exposures will be messed up.

If it comes off its very different than the aperture scales on a Schneider of Rodenstock version. On all of my Nikkor and Fuji lenses it is the entire ring all the way around the shutter including aperture scales and shutter speeds. Maybe its removable--my misunderstanding--but still that approach is harder to rescale since you need the entirering with both shutter and aperture. The interchangable scales on a Schneider Copal is very different:

Of course the scales need to match the lens elements--in several cases when I upgraded lenses to new shutters, I just transferred the scales easily, one lens I moved to former Nikkor shutter I just rescaled with a piece of tape. (I sent photos to SK Grimes and they weren't sure they could build a custom scale for the former Nikkor shutter.

 

[Oren Grad]

Also on her website Carol Flutot says some Copal shutters from Schneider had click stops: http://www.flutotscamerarepair.com/Services.htm#

None of my five Schneider lenses in Copal shutters have click stops.

Schneider introduced the click-stopped Copals at Photokina 2002, for delivery from 2003:

https://web.archive.org/web/20030306085220/http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/neuheiten/copal_e.htm

So for anyone who wants one, look for very late-production Schneider lenses, such as the Apo-Symmar L series, or other Schneider LF lens series with very late serial numbers. The S-K serial number list floating around the web has S/N 14,820,970 dated to Jan 2003, so higher than that might get you in the ballpark.

 

[David Lindquist]

Schneider introduced the click-stopped Copals at Photokina 2002, for delivery from 2003:

https://web.archive.org/web/20030306085220/http://www.schneiderkreuznach.com/neuheiten/copal_e.htm

So for anyone who wants one, look for very late-production Schneider lenses, such as the Apo-Symmar L series, or other Schneider LF lens series with very late serial numbers. The S-K serial number list floating around the web has S/N 14,820,970 dated to Jan 2003, so higher than that might get you in the ballpark.

Thank you very much for this!
David

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and input. I'll try them out.

 

[Doremus Scudder]

The numbers are probably on the top.
Can the lens plus shutter be rotated to the side?

All my shutters except for very old ones have both aperture and shutter speed markings top and bottom. For those that don't, a small dentist's or mechanic's mirror on a handle works well for me.

Doremus