Hole position on lens boards for Chamonix 4x5

[Doremus Scudder]

Linhof Technikas have lots of front movement and their holes are off center on the board so that the optical center of the lens is centered on the center of the film when all front and back movements are at 0. So your guess, in this case, is wrong.

A question for you, Bob. Is there a standard offset for all Linhof Technika boards, or do they come with different offsets as reported above?
I would think that one standard offset would be needed to ensure that all lenses were centered on the ground glass/film with the camera in zero position. If there are different offsets, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Best,

Doremus

[Bob Salomon]

A question for you, Bob. Is there a standard offset for all Linhof Technika boards, or do they come with different offsets as reported above?
I would think that one standard offset would be needed to ensure that all lenses were centered on the ground glass/film with the camera in zero position. If there are different offsets, that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

Best,

Doremus

y
With one exception the holes are all positioned the same. The exception is a 3 hole size board used for long lenses like a 240 and longer Apo Sironar N and S lenses as well as similar size lenses from other manufacturers. With these lenses on a regular 3 hole size board the board will not onto the front standard due to the diameter of the rear barrel hitting the inside of the front standard as it is moved to the lock position. So the special board has its hole position changed to allow the board to lock in place when these lenses are used.

[xkaes]

Is there a standard offset for all Linhof Technika boards, or do they come with different offsets as reported above?

The original question from Greg mentioned genuine Wista boards which may or may not be the same as Linhof. Plus, he didn't add which shutters his boards were cut for. I commonly refer to my boards as Wista boards, but several are not. Using the official name when the board is made by another company can complicate the discussion.

[Bob Salomon]

The original question from Greg mentioned genuine Wista boards which may or may not be the same as Linhof. Plus, he didn't add which shutters his boards were cut for. I commonly refer to my boards as Wista boards, but several are not. Using the official name when the board is made by another company can complicate the discussion.

As the former USA distributor for both Linhof and Wista I can assure you that Wista places their hole on their boards exactly where Linhof does, except for special boards like the one I mentioned earlier.

[xkaes]

As the former USA distributor for both Linhof and Wista I can assure you that Wista places their hole on their boards exactly where Linhof does, except for special boards like the one I mentioned earlier.

That's nice to know, but that doesn't explain why Greg's genuine Wista boards have three different centers. Perhaps his "4.75cm WISTA board" or "5.225cm WISTA board" were cut for the #3 shutter. I'm not surprised at all about the non-Wista boards that he lists. I've been down that road.

This also helps me, just in case I ever want to put a #3 shutter on my Toko -- not likely, but stranger thing have happened!!

[Bob Salomon]

That's nice to know, but that doesn't explain why Greg's genuine Wista boards have three different centers. Perhaps his "4.75cm WISTA board" or "5.225cm WISTA board" were cut for the #3 shutter. I'm not surprised at all about the non-Wista boards that he lists. I've been down that road.

This also helps me, just in case I ever want to put a #3 shutter on my Toko -- not likely, but stranger thing have happened!!

Lens boards from both Linhof and Wista, besides being available in 0, 1 and 3 hole sizes (flat boards) are also available with just a pilot hole so one can place the hole wherever one desires.

[Leigh]

Often wondered why these holes were off center. I guess its because those having cameras with fixed front lens boards would use them (and rotate) to get the movement they wanted, up to a limited amount.

You cannot rotate Linhof Technika style boards on most cameras designed for them.
The boards have the two lower corners beveled by a significant distance.

The camera's front standard has raised areas that will not accept the other lensboard corners.

- Leigh

[Leigh]

That's nice to know, but that doesn't explain why Greg's genuine Wista boards have three different centers.

They might have been ordered from Wista that way. I'm sure Bob will confirm that Wista would ship a board with a hole wherever the customer wanted it.

- Leigh

[Jim Andrada]

I was just going to jump in and say that the hole in a used "Technika type" board can be anywhere the first owner put it for whatever reason. I always bore my own because I use a lot of old shutters of various makes and sizes. My widest lens for 4 x 5 is 75mm so I don't sweat a couple of mm offset. I also made up an adapter so I can use "Technika type" boards on my 5 x 7 Kodak 2D. In this case I CAN rotate them because the adapter is square.

[Greg]

Some follow up to my original post:

The three WISTA boards having three different centers.... I purchased the boards used with holes already cut in them. The sides of the holes in two of them are shiny, the third blackened (with a black Sharpie?), so I don't think that the three boards came with pre-cut OEM holes. I'd assume that the sides of the holes with OEM boards that came pre-cut would have had a professional looking black finish.

Two of my lenses I do want to be centered on axis with the back: 65mm WA Nikkor is mounted on an OEM Chamonix board, so no problem there. Other lens is a 500mm Komura. This lens is mounted on the lens board which is the most off from where it should be. This optic I did want to be on center axis when mounted on the 4x5 Chamonix. (Attached image) I determined where the lens board needed to be to be on the central axis and marked the board and standard with three red dots. For this lens, align up the three dots and the lens is on center to the back. The 500mm Komura is top (front) heavy and should really have another support under the from of the lens, but with care the Chamonix front standard holds it steady and besides any movements I use with this lens are made with the back standard. The 500mm Komura almost covers a 5x7 but sharply only covers 4x5.

Hugo... does the center of a Chamonix OEM board align up with the center of an OEM Linhof board? Don't have one to compare to.