Is there any F stop dial accessory that can make it easier to adjust the f stop on a view camera lens? I often find it so small and fiddly, and when I stretch forward as I am under the darkcloth I find it difficult to find it. I dont want anything big, but maybe just a button of some kind.
The Sinar shutter have a nice system, but I have no Sinar and cant change to that system.
I've never seen such a thing. This comes under the category of "wouldn't it be nice" in my mind. It seems like there could be (and should have been) a solution to making aperture adjustment easier... but aside the Sinar system only one shutter-specfiic option have I found nothing either. Wollensak made a combination lens hood with built-in aperture adjustment for the Graphex shutter. I have them installed on my Graphic press cameras and they really make life easier. But for other shutters... nothing that I know of. Fiddling with small and fiddley adjusments seems to have been one of those things that folks have just resigned themselves as having to do. I'd put my "inventor hat" on and think about a solution but if there hasn't been a market for such a device in all of these years, I doubt one exists today or will exist tommorrow.
Several of my process lenses came with rings around the aperture with long pointers, and giant plates with aperture values printed out in large numbers. But I've never seen the equivalent for a view camera, as these plates are much larger than most lensboards. If someone had way too much money to burn, you could mount tiny bluetooth cameras on your lensboard pointed at your aperture and speed scales, and have those images relayed to your smartphone.
Come up with something Brian...Originally Posted by BrianShaw
Indeed, the construction of most LF shutters does not make it easy to reach the f-stop from behind the camera, but there are a couple of devices that let you read the stop from behind the camera. Would that help?
Yes. An assistant.
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
Yes, both the later Compur shutters as well as all of the Prontor Professional shutters accepted accessory aperture "sticks" that were legibly marked in 1/3rd stops for aperture control from behind or in front of the camera. These shutters have all been out of production for many years now. Copal never had this feature on their shutters.
The new electronic shutter from Rodenstock allows you to set and control the shutter in 1/10th stop increments from an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. This shutter is current but is only available in a 0 size.
The Rollei 0 and 01 shutter allows you to control it from a hand piece as does the Schneider electronic shutter. None of these new electronic shutters are available for a 3 size lens. None are inexpensive. But all do what you want, and more!
Attached are two images of the Prontor Professional shutter with a control for aperture. The one on the Linhof GTL has the standard Prontor Pro shutter with the accessory aperture "stack". You could also add a shutter speed control that attached to the stick and to the shutter to set speed from in front or behind the camera. An accessory shutter controller was also available that had a three position mechanical switch. One position to set the aperture to wide open, shutter open for focusing, one position to set the aperture to taking aperture shutter open to check DOF and the last position to close the shutter and leave the aperture at taking aperture. the shutter was self-cocking. A cable release attached to the remote to fire the shutter and a second release could be attached if the camera had an auto back feature.
The other image shows a custome variation of the above feature for the Linhof TK cameras. It had an assembly attached to the Prontor Professional TK shutter that let you set aperture on the wheel and the stick had three positions that functioned the same way as the remote control mentioned above. Except it was all built in to the shutter and lens board.
Are you using one of those small fiddley 4x5 cameras? Man up and get a 8x10 camera with a lens mounted in a Copal 3...
I use 8x10
What Bob said. I should have elaborated in my post, but Bob said it better.
I have a couple - one is a simple 'stick' that shows aperture only. The one below has aperture and shutter speed.
Attachment 93244
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