Is it okay to go for after market lens board?

[losheng]

Hey guys,

I've recently bought a Toyo 45A, and also, separately, a Fujinon W 210mm lens that came mounted on a Linhof lensboard. I looked around on ebay and saw that there are after market lensboards with Copal #1 hole that goes for $30 or so. My question is: is it okay to go for these boards? Or do I really have to get original Toyo ones?

Thanks!

 

[M.A.Longmore]

.
If you can get an Omega, or OmegaView lensboard,
it's the same as Toyo and will be a perfect match.
Or any aftermarket board designed for Toyo, or Omega will do.
Try to avoid paying $30.00 for a lensboard whenever possible.


Ron
.

 

[losheng]

Thank you, Ron. What's a fair price for such lensboards?

.
Try to avoid paying $30.00 for a lensboard whenever possible.
.

 

[M.A.Longmore]

.
I gotten a few from The Bay, for $5.00 - 10.00.
With a little patience, and perseverance you can
get them when the price is right.

P.S. :
I would never pay $30.00 for a piece
of metal that had a hole in it.


Ron
.

 

[losheng]

Hey, Ron, that's good advice! Thank you!

 

[bspeed]

Toyo 45A field camera ? Not the same size lens board as the Omega view (monorail) cameras.

But there is (or was ) one other aftermarket brand of lensboard for your 45A. Sorry, I cannot recall the makers name. I did have one, and it worked fine.

 

[losheng]

Hey, Bspeed - as far as I know there are quite a few - one of them being the Bromwell. Then there are no-name ones from Hong Kong/China. I did a little search in the archives, and it seems that there are risks of ill-fittings with some third party boards. Probably a QC issue. One other option would be the Toyo adapter for Linhof boards.

Sigh ... a fine lens in my hand, and the only thing i can do with it right now is to look through it and have the fine image projected onto my retina instead. At least the focusing part is easy and I have no problem with the size of the image circle.

 

[2F/2F]

For a whole $30, I would just go ahead and get a Toyo lens board. They are in that price area from KEH in like-new condition. You may even get two or more for that price from a private party.

 

[bspeed]

I think it was a Bromwell I had. Seemed to be of good quality.

 

[AgentX]

If it fits, no reason not to use another brand. The issue is that unless you can try it out in person, you may not be 100% sure that another brand will fit perfectly...

I made the error of believing Toyo field and Canham boards were identical per the SK Grimes website--turns out there's a slight difference in thickness.

 

[ZoneVI]

I think your decision needs to be based on how much time and money you will waste if a lens board does not fit exactly right on your camera. The possible problem of a light leak and a ruined negative is enough to ruin anyone's day. How much money are you going to save in the end? $10? $20? Your decision will depend on what the value ends up being for you. Sometimes paying a few extra dollars pays off to get the right board to start with. I recently had a custom lens board made for my Zone VI camera. Although the work looked very nicely done, the lens board ended up being too tight a fit and the thickness was wrong. I also had an adapter board made for my Calumet SC2 so I could just pop in my lenses on the SC2 without having to dismount from my Zone VI lens boards. Again the workmanship appeared to be good but I discovered a light leak. Fortunately I was able to repair the fit with peel and stick felt. The only choice for adapter board is aftermarket and for me it was about convenience but it has to work right or its a waste of time money. In my opinion he same applies to regular lens boards.
Jason

 

[losheng]

Thank you, Jason. The reason I asked about aftermarket lensboards was because original Toyo-field ones seemed to be less readily available. So I wondered if aftermarket ones will work just as well. It was less of an price issue. Actually, being a newcomer, I didn't have any idea what's a fair price for used lensboard.

 

[ZoneVI]

www.keh.com should have what you want for about $30 to $50 bucks. When you buy it from there at least you can return it if its wrong. Make sure you know what Size Copal hole you need and if you are not sure which board is going to fit your 45A ( I think that is what you said you had) give them a call and they will help you get the right one. E-Bay is another source but ask questions before you bid and make sure its the right board for you. Also make sure there is a return policy so you are protected if someone attempts to sell you something with an irregular Copal lens hole or that does not fit your camera.

Jason