(light weight) Lensboard for Shen-Hao

[Really Big Cameras]

I'm a notorious ounce counter, but even I know when I've reached the point of diminishing returns.

I just weighed a couple dozen Technika style lensboards. In the Copal No. 1 size, my most common, all the boards I weighed were 1.5 oz. +/- 0.1 oz. I weighed genuine Linhof boards, Wista boards and two or three kinds of generic boards. So, there really isn't a lot of potential for weight savings here - short of the Chamonix carbon fiber boards.

It's too bad the old Speed Graphic boards didn't catch on as a universal standard. They were very light (about 1 oz. for a Copal No. 1), but still rigid thanks to the stamped, folded over edges, that also served as a light trap. They were stamped, not machined like most metal lensboards these days. I have several of the Graphic lensboards that were made by Toyo after they acquired the Graphic design. I think these may still be available new from Toyo - at least they were about 8 or 10 years ago when I bought mine.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

[John Schneider]

I stumbled onto a stock of aerospace-grade unobtanium sheet, which I now use to make all my boards. Stronger than steel and weighs next to nothing...

[Wilbur Wong]

Several of my technika sized lens boards are plastic. I never thought that they may be lighter when I made them. Just drill a bigger hole! I'd sell you some if I had more lying around.

Vinny,

All the technika boards that I use have a circular light baffle on the bellows side where it nestses into the hole of the front standard (on Linhof). Did you build that into your darkslides? or for your camera I take it you do not have any light leak issues.

[mrladewig]

You'd do better at the camera with a Tachihara versus a Shen Hao for weight.

But if you are concerned with lensboard weight, you can make the teknica style boards from wood. They are much lighter than the metal ones, but much more fragile.

[Anders_HK]

You'd do better at the camera with a Tachihara versus a Shen Hao for weight.

But if you are concerned with lensboard weight, you can make the teknica style boards from wood. They are much lighter than the metal ones, but much more fragile.

Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB is 1.7kg, or same as Tachihara's lightest...

I like the Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB, and can buy it and accessories at low cost in their store in Shanghai.

Much thanks to all advises in posts above...

Anders

[Gordon Moat]

Be careful with carbon fibre lens boards, while they are strong, they are also brittle. If you over tighten the lens retainer, you can fracture the board. I think the aluminum boards are fairly light anyway, and they are definitely strong. Ebony also make a wooden lens board, which looks nice, though I doubt it saves much weight.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography

[Bob Salomon]

The latest Linhof 001013 lensboard with pilot hole weighs 1.8 oz. That includes the weight of the Linhof crest.

The latest Wista flat lensboard with a "0" hole also weighs 1.8 oz with the Wista crest.

These boards also have the Linhof raised light trap and the ground bearing surfaces to assure proper positioning and fit to Linhof and Wista cameras.

I would seriously doubt that you could make a proper board that weighs less out of wood or another material and maintain the precision of these factory boards.

But you are certainly welcome to try.

[Bob Salomon]

[QUOTE=BradS;420453]A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera.]

The Linhof and Wista flat boards are about half that weight.

[Really Big Cameras]

[QUOTE=Bob Salomon - HP Marketing;421728]

A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera.]

The Linhof and Wista flat boards are about half that weight.

There's no way any generic technika style lensboard weigh anywhere close to 100g - that's over 3.5 ounces. As I stated above, I weighed several genuine Linhof and Wista boards, as well as multiple "brands" of generic technika style boards. All were drilled for Coapl 1 shutters and all weighed between 1.4 and 1.6 oz. If anything the genuine Linhof boards were slightly heavier (about 0.1 oz. on average) than the generic boards.

I just received a large shipment of generic technika style lensboards from a reliable supplier. I weigh 20 boards (Copal 1 hole) and they were all between 1.40 and 1.45 oz.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras

[Really Big Cameras]

Ebony also make a wooden lens board, which looks nice, though I doubt it saves much weight.

Actually, the Ebony lensboards are metal with a very thin wooden veneer on the face. That gives the attractive appearance of a wooden board, but the strength and rigidity of a metal board.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras