Vintage lenses on modern 5x4 cameras

[Austerby]

I'm looking at getting into 5x4 (I've currently delved no further than a Harman Titan, which is great and I'm happy processing 5x4 film at home using my Mod54) and am very interested in using vintage lenses in this format - ie Victorian or Edwardian lenses, Petzvals etc.

I realise many of these do not have their own shutters - ie barrel lenses. Are there ways of using such lenses on a modern 5x4 field camera (I'm considering a Chamonix)?

[BrianShaw]

Yes. Some people fit shutters to the front and others use a hat as a "shutter" for longer exposures.

[BrianShaw]

Another alternative is to use a Thornton Pickard shutter, whcih is somewhat contenporary to the lenses you are considering.

[Ari]

The other part is mounting the lenses on a board that will fit your camera; the older lenses usually require a non-standard-sized hole to be drilled in the lens board.
Often a lens will come with a flange (to secure the lens to the board), but just as often, the flange is missing, so you'll have to have one made, or improvise.

[Jody_S]

This is a lot easier if you have basic woodworking skills. Choose a camera that uses a plain wooden lensboard, and whatever lens you wish to use can be mounted in a new piece of wood (plywood, pre-finish, whatever fits). Small-ish lenses without a flange can be mounted using a variety of methods discussed elsewhere on this forum; my personal preference is to make a hole slightly smaller than the largest point of the threading on the lens barrel, and screw it into the hole.

[Tim Meisburger]

If you really want to use old lenses exclusively, you may want to look into a camera with a larger lensboard than the Chamonix, which will enable the use of larger lenses, and a packard shutter mounted behind the lens board. The Chamonix uses a linhof-type board that is small, and suited mainly to modern lenses in shutter.

[jp]

I use an old speed graphic because it's got 1/10 - 1/1000 shutter speeds built into the body. Lacking that, I'd probably mount the lens to a big used shutter like an ilex5, copal3, compound 4/5 shutter. If the light is consistent and controlled such as for indoor portraits, a darkslide or hat would be sufficient shutter. Packard is very reliable too, but you only get one shutter speed and bulb.

[Austerby]

If you really want to use old lenses exclusively, you may want to look into a camera with a larger lensboard than the Chamonix, which will enable the use of larger lenses, and a packard shutter mounted behind the lens board. The Chamonix uses a linhof-type board that is small, and suited mainly to modern lenses in shutter.

That's a good point - what size of board should I be looking for? Any thoughts on candidate cameras?

[Steven Tribe]

Sinar size is about right.
The most professional solution is a sinar board fitting on any 4x5 lens board. This will allow you to mount a Sinar/Copal shutter which will give you (reliable) speeds up to 1/60. Mounting this shutter between the back of the front standard and the bellows is the best option.
Shen Hao makes the XPO model which already has this facility built-in. You will have to find a Copal/Sinar shutter separately!

[pasiasty]

That's a good point - what size of board should I be looking for? Any thoughts on candidate cameras?
I use Cambo for this purpose and old Compound 5 shutter, but they (big shutters, not cameras) are quite rare.

[Lachlan 717]

Get a Shen Hao XPO, a Sinar shutter and a universal iris clamp. Nothing more needed apart from a lens!