How to Mount a Copal 3 lens on my Toyo 45AX?

[Paul Schilliger]

Sol, this back extension seems great! I wish there was a similar back (or front) extension for the VX!

[Bob Salomon]

"I wish there was a similar back (or front) extension for the VX!"

There is if you have the Technika adapter board. It is made by Wista

[John Hicks]

B&H Catalog # TOLB3F Mfg Catalog # 180618

From the B&H website, Toyo field lensboard w/#3 hole.

[Sol Campbell]

John,

Thank you! You saved me a lot of hassle. So it IS available after all. It is amazing that the Toyo web site, which is very comprehensive does not list this lensboard.

I will be ordering it from B&H on Tuesday.

Thanks!

[Paul Schilliger]

Thanks Bob,

<<"I wish there was a similar back (or front) extension for the VX!" There is if you have the Technika adapter board. It is made by Wista >>

Yes, I mentioned it above. But the Toyo back extension has an advantage in that it allows for some movements without vignetting It might also be safer to weaken the back side rather than the front side, knowing that the front has to absorb the shutter shake. Giving it a second thought however, I fear it would act as a lever on the monorail standard and false the focus, especially with an added rol lfilm back. Shouldn't this kind of extension work great on the back of a Technik a? But it would require a spring-back fitting on one side and therefore would be expensive. The Toyo extension for A II is simple and back packable but expensiv e. You can have a long bellows and rail extension for that price, but the implem entation is not as easy.

[William D. Bartels]

Hi Sol, I see you have already recieved some good advise on your question. I think you made a good choice going with the Toyo board. I don't think anyone said they accually have used a copal 3 shutter on their Toyo. I have and the only problem I had was if you want to mount the shutter straight as it should be the lever for the apeture will hit the side of the front standard. One solution is to rotate the shutter 90 degrees or do as I did and use a spacer to gain clearance. I work in a G.M. car dealership and found that the spacers used in G.M. rear axles are the right size and give about one quarter inch space. There may be better ways to do it but this worked for me. IF you want to use this method let me know and I will get you the part number for the spacer they only cost a couple of bucks Bill Bartels

[Sol Campbell]

Bill,

Thanks for letting me know. Yes I am interested in the GM Part. Could you be kind enough and let me know the part number? Also where can I order it from?

Thanks.

[Harry L. Martin]

OK Sol, you already have your lens board problem solved, but, I want to pass along a different way I made a lens board for my Schneider 360/6.8 Symmar-S lens w/ a Compur #3 shutter (weight about 3.1 pounds). My 4x5 is a homemade wooden camera with a 1/8"x4" square black plastic board that came with the kit. I had replaced the plastic board with wooden ones so it was not being used. I enlarged the hole by first making a hole pattern from a piece of scrap 1/4" plywood and then routing the hole to size with a 1/2" diameter flush cutting bit on my woodworking router. I mounted the front element of the lens and shutter on my board, attached it to my camera, and then threaded on the lens rear element through the bellows. The pattern took about an hour to make and cutting the hole less than a minute. No Cost, no drilling and the pattern can be reused to cut more boards when I finish building my 8x10. Harry

[Al Harrison]

Just crusin' and found this question.

You can look all over and find a used #3 Toyo AII board. (many hours of work)

Or, you can buy a #0 board or #1 board and have it drilled or milled to 65.5mm. There's at least 1 machine shop in every town over 25,000. Cost is around $10-$15.

I use several #3 lenses on 4 cameras: Sinar, Cambo 8 x 10 folding, Toyo View, and Toyo AII. No problem at all on the Studio Cameras and Cambo. But for the Toyo Field, a #3 lens is a little heavy to be carrying around in the field and is a little heavy on the front standard. Constantly using a #3 with the lenses that would mount in it, over time, would probably weaken the front tilt locks. There's nothing I really use a 240mm for on my field camera. I really like the wide angles which are much smaller and lighter.

I have found a great way to incorporate all my lenses to fit all my cameras. I have them mounted on the smaller Toyo AII (110mm x 110mm) lensboards, including my #3 Compur & Copal shutters. I have adapted a couple of Sinar boards to the AII, as well as the Toyo View and the Cambo 8 x 10.

I have found used Toyo AII boards all over between $10 & $30 drilled already to 00, 0, 1, or 3. Those, even needing drilling, are far less expensive than the used Sinar boards I would need (around $45 to $60). And much much less time it would take switching lenses when I changed cameras.

I made two of the adapters myself, just access to a drill press, vice, and file.

Considering the smallest camera someone would shoot if having two or more cameras, it would be a great idea to do the same, making all his lenses fit all the cameras. My lenses and small boards fit in the Zipper bags I use with medium padded wraps, taking much less space in my bags & cases.

[Al Harrison]

In the previous response, the 8 x 10 camera is not a Cambo but a Calumet folding. I made an adapter for the lensboard to fit the camera but shortly after making the adapter, I bought a Sinar 8 x 10 format kit.