View vs Field: newbie question

[NikoSperi]

I play around with a variety of formats, from d***tal to 35mm to 4x5". I got into large format a bit on a whim, when I stumbled upon a Sinar F2. I had no real idea what I wanted to do with it, nor the pros and cons of a view camera. As a result, I exclusively have experience with a Sinar. I have never even really seen any other cameras (well, a Sinar Norma, but that doesn't count as a different camera).

A few years later, I love the Sinar, really enjoy using it, but honestly wish I could get it out of the house more often. The field camera beckons...

I have two lenses sitting on their Sinar boards, and I want to keep the Sinar. But if I were to add a field camera to pack away and hike with, how can I use my lenses interchangeable on say, an Ebony, one day, and on the Sinar the next, without unmounting and remounting them? Or is it like the film holders, and all (or many) lens boards are interchangeable?

I'm sure I'm not alone; how do others mix and match lenses and cameras?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

You could either find a field camera that takes Sinar boards, or you can put the lenses that fit on smaller boards on the smaller ones and use a lensboard adapter for the camera that takes larger boards. This will have the additional advantage of making your kit less bulky.

For instance, all my LF cameras use either Linhof or Sinar sized boards, so most of my lenses are on Technika boards, and I use a Sinar-Technika lensboard adapter to use them on the 8x10" and 11x14" cameras. The only exceptions are a couple of barrel lenses that I only use on the 5x7" Graflex, which uses 4x4" wooden boards, and eventually I make an adapter plate for Technika boards on that camera too.

 

[mark]

You can do what I do. I just bought a spanner wrench and move the lenses from one board to another. It does not take a genius to undo the flange and move the lens to another board. Easy as pie. I got a nifty one from edmund scientics, SK Grimes makes a cool one too. Just be careful.

 

[Jeremy]

You can do what I do. I just bought a spanner wrench and move the lenses from one board to another. It does not take a genius to undo the flange and move the lens to another board. Easy as pie. I got a nifty one from edmund scientics, SK Grimes makes a cool one too. Just be careful.

Though this won't work with some of the larger lenses where the flange is screwed into the lensboard. It really depends on your personal tastes, but I find adapting all lensboards to the same standard to be the easiest (though after I adapted them I sold the second camera :rolleyes:

 

[NikoSperi]

Right... as I suspected - it depends.

I do believe that unmounting and remounting the lenses from the lens board is asking for trouble; particularly if that wrench is in my hands. But if that's the only way...

From what I can tell, the Sinar boards are among the largest, when compared to the Linhof. So the next question would be... if I were to add an Ebony to the equation, would there be a convenient adaptor so I could mount my lenses on the smaller Ebony boards, and then use the adaptor to "step up" to the Sinar standard size?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

The Ebony takes Technika-sized boards, so you have a wide choice of boards available from Linhof, Ebony, Toyo, Wista, Nikor, and some generics, and you could use a system just like I have. Get a Technika-Sinar adaptor board, put any lenses that fit a Technika board on Technika boards, and you'll be all set.

The Linhof boards are the best made, but you would only notice it if you were actually using them on a Technika, where they'll fit a little better than the others, and the precise fit actually matters for use with the rangefinder. Otherwise, you might as well buy one of the others at half the price.

 

[NikoSperi]

David, thank you very much for that info. You've been very helpful. I promise, last query... are there any particular items to look out for when using the adaptors on my SInar in that setup? There aren't potential light leaks from the setup, are there?

Drinks on me for the help everyone! (Seriously, if ever in the vicinity!)

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

There are a few types of adapter and a lot of home made ones out there. If you get one made by one of the major manufacturers, you should have no problem. Linhof boards usually have the lenses mounted about 8-10mm below center. You might want to make note of whether the lenses are centered properly on the adapter board, so that the lens will be centered both when the scales are zeroed on your Sinar and when the lens is mounted in the neutral position on your field camera. Wait till you have the field camera and some standard lensboards in hand, in case you need a custom solution.

 

[rbarker]

David's info is more specific to your situation, but I used a similar adapter approach to be able to move lenses between a couple of different Toyos (45AX, 45C, and 810G) and my 8x10 Tachihara. Most lenses I now have mounted on 110mm Toyo boards, the smallest out of the set. For the larger Toyos, I use the Toyo adapter plate, but made my own for the Tachihara.