What shutter can I use with each lens?

[Jody_S]

Excellent photos, I assume your box camera is made somewhat like the 'Afghan box camera' model?

For a lens in shutter, my advice is to buy the best you can afford. You should be able to buy a decent lens in shutter for 4x5 for well under US $100. My latest purchase of ebay was a Fujinon-W 210 in Seiko shutter, for $60 + shipping. It would be excellent for what you are doing, plus it covers up to 8x10.

[premortho]

You don't really need a shutter for paper negatives, although I do. I use a Packard 3 speed (Time, Bulb, and Instataneous) shutter, which is pnuematicaly actuated with a bulb. It is mounted behind the lensboard, with the actuating hose coming out through the front of the board. The lens I use with my 8X10 is a Turner-Reich Triple Convertible of 12, 18, and 26 inch focus. I do more still lifes than portraits, and use two 250 watt blue photo-floods, because the paper negative is sensitive to blue light. Regular white photofloods transmit red light which paper is not sensitive to. If you decide to go this way, be sure the lens elements are all in front of the back of the lensboard, and buy the shutter whose opening is big enough for the diameter of the lens back element.

[Dan Fromm]

.buy the shutter whose opening is big enough for the diameter of the lens back element.

The shutter doesn't have to be that large. If you want the lens' diaphragm to take effect from wide open, then the shutter has to be at least as large as the lens' exit pupil. If you aren't going to shoot with the lens wide open, then you can get away with using a shutter that looks undersized. For example, I've shot a 480/9 Apo Nikkor at f/16 hung in front of a #1 shutter (maximum opening 30 mm). And in fact, thanks to the fine details of that setup's geometry, the lens' diaphragm was effective from roughly midway between f/11 and f/16.

[JorgeCL]

Thanks to all of you! I know the shutter is not a must, I've been taking photos all this year with a lens of which the shutter is broken, but for the portraits I take (often one second exposure) it does happensome times to miss a costumer beacuse of a bad exposure... Finally I've taken your advice, Jody, found a Fujinon that was in fact not the best I could afford but even a little more... still I'm pretty sure the result is going to worth it, i'm very excited to start working with it! pitty I have to wait a few months untill I go back to Spain and get it. I'll get back to you and post some photos as soon as I take them. Thanks again!