Review: Chinese lens boards and adapters - eBay sold by JinFinance - Tyger RJ brand

[fishbulb]

I currently have two 4x5 cameras - a Sinar F and a Nagaoka. So naturally I wanted an adapter board so I could keep my lenses on the smaller Linhof/Toyo/Wista style boards, but still use them on the Sinar.

Good adapters are hard to find, and the only people making them new are entrepreneurs in China, where large format photography has become relatively popular. I took a chance on the boards from eBay seller "JinFinance" since the seller was very highly rated, and the product looked good in photos.

They sell a variety of large format boards and accessories, but I bought a Linhof-style Copal #1 board with the hole off center ($14.96), and the Linhof-to-Sinar adapter ($52.16).

Shipping
* The shipping was very fast - five business days from China to the West coast USA.

Adapter fit
* The adapter is a perfect fit on my Sinar F - the fit is the same as my genuine Sinar boards, and appears to be basically identical in design.

Lens board fit
* The lens boards sold by JinFinance (branded "Tyger RJ" on the back) fit perfectly in the adapter, and fit perfectly in my Nagaoka.
* My Nikon-branded Linhof-style boards fit perfectly in the adapter as well.
* However, one of my no-name-brand Linhof-style boards is too loose in the adapter, while the other no-name-brand board fits fine.
* My Toyo-branded Linhof-style boards are also too loose in the adapter. Not totally unusable, but they move. The dimensions are fine, except they are made from a bit thinner metal than the Nikon and Tyger RJ boards. A little gaffers tape around the edge of the board fixes this.
* My original Nagaoka board, which is a perfect square piece of metal, the same rough dimensions as the Linhof-style boards, doesn't fit in the adapter due the board's sharp corners. If I rounded off the corners just a tiny bit with a file it would fit in the adapter.
* I don't have any real Linhof or Wista boards to try, sorry!

Adapter quality
* The adapter is built very well. It appears to be anodized aluminum. The design includes a couple of notches at the top and big corners to accommodate the various variations of Linhof-style lens boards out there.
* The lens boards are held in with a stainless slide lock (diagonal grooves) and a stainless lower bar. These are held in with screws. The screw holes go all the way through the board and have been tapped all the way through, so replacing the screws would not be a difficult task if one came out.
* The slide lock is held down with a piece of bent steel to form a spring, and it keeps things tight.

Lens board quality
* These are very good boards, equivalent in quality to my Nikon and Toyo boards.
* My only complaint is that, as shown in the photo, the outer surface has a slight depression around the lens hole opening, likely caused by the combination of pressure and heat from the drill press during manufacturing. This is plainly visible in the first photo. However, in practice I doubt this will be a real problem.

Overall
* These are really good products, highly recommended. I wouldn't hesitate to buy them again.
* I will probably be buying more lens boards (since they fit flawlessly in the adapter).

[fishbulb]

Here are a couple detail shots:

[Pete Watkins]

I've gotta say that I bought one of their Sinar / Linhof / Wista adaptors and every thing was brilliant about the transaction. I recommend them.
Pete.

[vinny]

SK grimes makes them. Hundreds of dollars more but they do make them new.
The boards you linked to look pretty well made.
Don't use gaff tape on camera equipment as it will eventually dry out, fall apart, and turn into a powdery mess. Photo black paper tape is a better option. It's also matt black.

[Dave Tolcher]

I have quite a few bits and pieces from them and have always been very pleased with the value and quality.

[Richard Wasserman]

Me too

I have quite a few bits and pieces from them and have always been very pleased with the value and quality.

[Rory_5244]

These are the better board adapters with the slightly recessed section into which the lens board fits. There are also the cheaper adapters without that recess: I've gotten light leaks around the sides of the lens board with those.

[HMG]

Thanks for a very useful review.

[diversey]

I bought lens boards from Jin Finance from Shanghai several times and had excellent transactions. Usually it takes 7-10 days, but sometimes it takes much longer, a month.

[Fotoguy20d]

Me too

Another TU for them from me