Short lenses on Tachihara 5x7?

I have a 5x7 Tachihara. It's about 2" longer than the standard camera. I guess it was custom built as a macro camera for someone, I'm not sure, I purchased it used at a fine camera store in the Midwest.

Anyway, I'm having an issue with 150mm and shorter lenses.

Two metal screws that attach the rear standard brackets to the bed brackets have rather tall heads. These screw heads bump up against the front swing plate and prevent the front and rear standards from coming together for shorter lenses. A Fujinon-A 180 will focus OK at infinity, but my 150 Computar won't work.

It is possible to tilt and push back the front standard to close the distance (I think Clyde Butcher and other's do this) but, it is very awkward.

My question is: Do all Tachihara's have this issue, or is this a result of the custom-built camera? Will your rear standard "slide under" the front swing mechanism?

Does your camera also have a "stop" in the center of the bed that prevents the front standard from moving back past the front of the bed?

I guess I could look for flat screw heads. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Larry

Hello Larry,

After reading your post, I went out to my car and grabbed my Tachihara 5x7 field camera. I have used it a great deal and I have not had the problems you describe. But, the shortest lens I have used on it was 150mm. Mine is a standard design.

I can get the film plane to with in 4 3/4 inches of the lens plane by moving the back of the camera as far forward as it will go. At that point, the smaller tightening knobs then hit the large knobs that move the front of the camera back and forth. The swings on the front still work at this setting as the swing plate goes under the wood on the back of the camera.

By taking the lens support out of the verticl rail at the bottom, just like if you were going to fold down the camera, and leaning the verticle uprights back--using front tilt-- I was able to move the lens board to about 1 3/4 inches of the ground glass. I tightened the lensboard in place with the two round flat screws at the top of the front verticle supports. The front focus mechanism worked fine even when the ground glass and and lens board were that close together. At its closest setting, the bellows is scunched together (a nice technical term) and prevents the front from going back any farther.

I tossed on my 90 mm lens, a Schneider Super Angulon XL-100*, and it focused fine at infinity.

Hope this helps.

Allen Friday

Allen,

Thanks for going to all of that trouble to answer, I appreciate it very much.

On my camera, about 6 and 3/4 is the closest, about 2 inches more than yours, which is just about the extra length of my apparent "custom" camera. I can use the 150 in the manner that you describe using your 90.

I'll look around for some shorter screws to see if I can get the standards closer together. Even an extra inch would help.

Thanks again.
Larry

Larry H-L said:

I have a 5x7 Tachihara. It's about 2" longer than the standard camera. I guess it was custom built as a macro camera for someone, I'm not sure, I purchased it used at a fine camera store in the Midwest.

Anyway, I'm having an issue with 150mm and shorter lenses.

Two metal screws that attach the rear standard brackets to the bed brackets have rather tall heads. These screw heads bump up against the front swing plate and prevent the front and rear standards from coming together for shorter lenses. A Fujinon-A 180 will focus OK at infinity, but my 150 Computar won't work.

It is possible to tilt and push back the front standard to close the distance (I think Clyde Butcher and other's do this) but, it is very awkward.

My question is: Do all Tachihara's have this issue, or is this a result of the custom-built camera? Will your rear standard "slide under" the front swing mechanism?

Does your camera also have a "stop" in the center of the bed that prevents the front standard from moving back past the front of the bed?

I guess I could look for flat screw heads. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Larry

Click to expand...

The ability to use short lenses on the 5x7 and 8x10 Tachihara's without a recessed lens board is their only drawback. On my 5x7 Tachi the shortest lens I can use with a standard lensboard is 120mm and it just manages infinity focus. The problem is the focussing knobs come into contact with one another and you just cannot shorten the distance between the front and reat standards. I suppose smaller knobs would help but I suspect that would make focussing more difficult?

Is your Tachihara the same model as mine? See Dead Link Removed

Mike

Mike,
The metal brackets on your camera look to be of the same type. Just inside of, and in front of the rear focusing knobs are some small screw heads that hit the front standard on my camera. If they were 1mm shorter, or if the front swing plate was 1mm higher, they would slip under the front standard, allowing the front and rear standards to move much closer together. Do your screw heads slip under the front swing plate?

Your camera looks similar to mine, but mine has a much longer "bed tail" sticking out behind the ground glass. It is much longer than it is wide. When folded, a length of bed remains uncovered by the back. Mine is also black rosewood with silver hardware, not reddish wood with gold.
Thanks for trying to help.
Larry

Mike,

Thanks a million for posting that link to the picture of your Tachi 5x7. I just looked a little closer and dragged my camera up next to the computer.

The rear standard gear drive brackets on my camera are installed backwards!

Those half moon cutouts, that allow the rear hardware to move up to the front knobs face backwards on my camera. DOH! Assembly by Homer Simpson.

They need to be switched to the opposite side of the camera left-right.

Now, anyone have any ideas on how to get these rascals off the camera?

At least we are getting somewhere!

Thanks,
Larry

Larry H-L said:

Mike,

Thanks a million for posting that link to the picture of your Tachi 5x7. I just looked a little closer and dragged my camera up next to the computer.

The rear standard gear drive brackets on my camera are installed backwards!

Those half moon cutouts, that allow the rear hardware to move up to the front knobs face backwards on my camera. DOH! Assembly by Homer Simpson.

They need to be switched to the opposite side of the camera left-right.

Now, anyone have any ideas on how to get these rascals off the camera?

At least we are getting somewhere!



Thanks,
Larry

Click to expand...

Larry, before you think about serious surgury to the rear standard Try to estimate how close you will be able to get to the front standard before the front and rear focussing knobs come into contact with one another. It might be a better investment to get a recessed Wista/Technika board. I picked a couple up on Ebay for around $35.00 each.

Mike