Advice wanted - bits and bobs for Sinar Norma

[jonreid]

Hi all,
I now have a 5x7 Norma which needs a little TLC. Does anyone have opinions on this material for replacing the light traps?
http://www.protostar.biz/flock.htm

Also, the bubble levels for the rear standard are missing/busted. Are these available?
And lastly, there were no end-caps for the rail(s). Are they important and am I likely to find these on their own?

Jon

[Alan Gales]

I own a Sinar P and my bubble levels have dried up. I use a 6" torpedo level and it works great. You can purchase one in any local hardware store for cheap. Another upside to the torpedo level is that you can use it on any other large format cameras you may own plus leveling your photographic masterpieces when you hang them on the wall. ;)

[jonreid]

The levels don't worry me that much. If they were/are readily available I'd pop some new ones on.

The light trap material is kinda crucial though.

Jon

[Struan Gray]

The light traps on the Norma cameras are surprisingly effective even without flocking - provided they are matt black. The lensboards have a lip, which engages in a groove all the way round, and proper flocking is iceing on the cake. A proper Sinar lensboard or back accessory seats on the bare metal contacts in the corners, so that proper alignment and spacing is maintained even if the light seal is compressed or missing.

My 5x7 Norma has some kind of black string at the bottom of the light trap, and matt black paint on the sides. I don't know if it is original, but it works, and the few places the string is missing don't seem to leak. Were I to replace it I would look for something with a significant knap or pile, rather than totally flat area-flocking material. Micro Tools used to sell self-adhesive strips of light seal foam you could easily stick into the bottoms of the grooves.

You can get replacement levels from Sinar. They're not cheap, but not too eye-wateringly expensive either. There are cheap replacement levels in eBay, especially eBay.de, but they tend to be only the cylindrical part - you will need to prise off the dried out cylinders from your existing levels and re-use the bases. Finally, there are instructions on the web on how to re-fill the levels you have by drilling a tiny hole and using a syringe. If they're not too full of crud, dust or solidified mould, this is a perfectly good way to rejuvenate them. Finally(2), Sinar used the same levels all over the camera, so you can always unscrew them from somewhere you don't use them (or buy a junk standard) and move them to the rear standard.

End caps give you an extra 1.5" of rail, which can make a difference if you like lenses over 400 mm in length. The Norma ones for the end without a screw for extensions hold a close up ruler, and a pencil or the hex rod for your compendium, so they have a certain utility. I wouldn't pay real money for one though.

[jonreid]

THanks Struan,

Refilling the level isn't an option, its busted off on the rear 5x7 standard. End caps sound useful.

Jon

[Hermes07]

I have used adhesive, expanding foam tape slit to the right width as new light-trap material. Black string glued into place is just as good, if a bit trickier to do neatly.

As has been said, It's unlikely you'll actually get a light leak even with no light-trap material at all because of the way the lensboard and the standard on a Sinar form a double rebate.

[jonreid]

Apparently the P rail caps are compatible. Can someone confirm this?

Jon

[cdholden]

Apparently the P rail caps are compatible. Can someone confirm this?

Jon

P and F rails and their end caps are interchangeable. I've never owned a Norma, but would think that these fall into the same compatible group since Norma carriers can be used on P/F rails..

[Frank Petronio]

All the end caps will work. It may be less expensive to buy an entire base rail with both caps since people will try to get $50 for a single end cap, or sell the whole rail for $50 instead. Besides neatening up the camera, they save you from loosing the standards off the end of the rail if you are careless.

I like a nice factory spec camera but I would just be patient and snag one when it's a good deal, don't worry too hard about it. The NORMA rail is stamped in all cap letters, unlike the later F-P chrome rail and the F1-F2-P2 black rail.

If you get really hardcore, buy the next low-priced bargain Norma and assemble the best kit from the best parts of both cameras then sell the left-overs. You can usually break even and wind up with a superior camera.

[jonreid]

Hi Frank,
The guy I bought it off has a 4x5 Norma as well, which I have first dibs on when I raise some more cash. So I'd get a rear 45 standard and 45 bellows and rail (no end caps) and a spare front standard. An extra $250.

I'm watching a few eBay auctions re rails and end caps. Most rails are going sans caps.

Jon

[Frank Petronio]

Good deal, sell plasma

[jonreid]

I have some old Nikon and Leica gear to flog before I break out the bodily fluids...

[Struan Gray]

That is a good deal. Even if you don't want to shoot 4x5, the extra standards and bellows are very useful for long lenses, for ultimate flare-supressing compendium or viewing hoods, or for scavenging levels, odd screws, angle gauges, focussing slides and other small bits that old Normas sometimes are lacking.

[jonreid]

Yeah, I'll definitely grab it. Just have to get energised to list some gear here or on APUG. Sold some good Leica gear recently on the auction site for good dollars but am sick of the commission.

[jonreid]

Ok, I now have new spirit levels. Just the vial part. Like this http://bit.ly/Malrp2
What should I use to stick it onto the plastic base? Superglue?

Jon