typical (standard?) 8x10 lens board size

Is there a standard of any sort for 8x10 lens boards? I am building a couple of them and the camera dimensions are based on bellows opening size and lens board size. I can make the lens board or buy one but would rather make one

6" X 6"

Mine is 8.5"x8.5". The old Ansco I think used to be 9x9. Are you building the camera? I'm not sure if any real downside exists with bigger boards.

Nick Zentena said:

Mine is 8.5"x8.5". The old Ansco I think used to be 9x9. Are you building the camera? I'm not sure if any real downside exists with bigger boards.

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I am building the camera. I guess a bigger board more easily supports a #5 Wollensack shutter. In other words, more wood around the great big lens hole. I was thinking that if somebody wanted to buy the camera from me and down the road they wanted another lens board, I wouldn't have to make one for them. They should be able to find something on ebay.

Big boards also let you mount bigger packard shutters.

How about making something that takes standard Sinar type boards? 140mmx140mm?

Nick Zentena said:

Big boards also let you mount bigger packard shutters.

How about making something that takes standard Sinar type boards? 140mmx140mm?

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That's about 5.5 inches right? That would work. I'm going to have to buy a metric ruler! Not only that but my Grizzly table saw ruler is in inches. I'll have to do actual math to convert to the exact size. That might overload my little brain.

Sinar is a pretty popular maker. Anyone know what Deardorf and Wisner do for lens board sizes?

Although immensely popular as a high-end studio camera, Sinar also carries a price premium for most parts. For a custom built camera, you might be better off with a more economical size - the Toyo 158mm square, used on both their 4x5 monorails and the 8x10s, perhaps?

Don't a few different companies use the same size?

Horsemen?
Shen Hao 5x7 camera. I guess the 8x10 to.

What does the Tachihara 8x10 use?

Nick Zentena said:

Big boards also let you mount bigger packard shutters.

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You could build the camera to take 9"x9" lensboards unless you foresee problems with weight or bulk. A bigger board lets you use bigger Packard Shutters. My 11x14 B&J uses a 9"x9" board and so I can use a 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" square Packard with a 4 1/2" diameter hole. This permits the use of large Portrait lens like the 18" Verito. That lens will barely fit on a 6"x6" board, but then the shutter would need to be front-mounted on the lens rather than inside the camera.

If the camera is built to take the 9" square boards, a lensboard reducer can always be made to take the more standard 6" square boards. I have such an arrangement and have also mounted a large lensmounting iris diaphragm to one of the 6" boards. With that setup I can mount all the barrel lenses I've accumulated and have a single Packard shutter for all of them. This saves cost and is consistent. The downside is the added weight and bulk which becomes important if backpacking. The tradeoff is flexibility vs. ease of transport. I'm more of a portrait/figure photographer so hauling a bulkier camera is not the greatest priority for me like it might be for a landscape or nature photographer.

Joe