47mm on 4x5 camera

[armentor1@mac.com]

Are there any 4x5 cameras that I can put a 47mm lens on or do I have to use a camera specific for this lens?

[SocalAstro]

You'd have to check the camera specs to make sure that it can accomodate a short lens such as a 47mm.

On my Toyo field cameras I had to use a recessed lens board just to be able to use a 65mm lens; a 47mm would have been really tight :-)

Cheers,
Leon

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof Technikardan 45 and the Linhof Master Technika 3000 can take lenses much wider then a 45 or 47mm just by using the proper lensboard and, in the case of the TK, the wide angle bellows. The 3000 uses the standard bellows for all lenses down to 35mm.

All modern Linhof Kardan cameras can also use lenses down to 35mm with the wide angle bellows.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Are there any 4x5 cameras that I can put a 47mm lens on or do I have to use a camera specific for this lens?

Hello from France !
I do not have any 47 mm view camera lens but I have a 45, namely the apo-grandagon 45 mm.

The precise answer to the question depends only on a few technical data of the lens is use, the most important data being the flange-focal distance, i;e. the distance between the lens board and the focal point.
For the Schendier 47 XL lens the flange-focal distance is between 56 and 59 mm, depending on the shutter in use.
For the Rodenstock 45mm lens the flange focal distance is listed at 55.5 mm

If you are able to bring the focal point of the lens to your film or sensor, part of the problems are solved, since you'll be able to focus at inifnity. For objects located in the close-up range the bellows draw slightly increases, so there are no problems if infinity can be focused comfortably.

If you are ready to use a deep recessed lens board, plus a bag bellows, you can use very short focal lengths on a several 4x5 camera systems.
Synthetic "square" pleated bellows do not compress beyond a certain minimum size, when all pleats are stacked one upon another. A bag bellows helps solving this classical problem. Tapered bellows usually compress more easily that a "square" bellows.

Sinar has such recessed boards allowing to use very short focal length lenses in combination with a small-size silicon sensor on their 4x5" monorail cameras. For this you should probably use a bag bellows.

I have an Arca Swiss F-line 4x5" 'field' model and I could focus the Rodenstock 45 on a flat lensboard, however the universal 4x5" 'field' leather bellows would be too much compressed to be comfortable. So I have it mounted the lens on a 15mm-recessed lens board, hanec I can focus easily and I could even aply some tils + shif for example for use on a medium 6x7cm format.
If I use the 6x9 Arca Swiss monorail camera configuration, with the smaller standard and smaller bellows, with the short wide-angle pleated leather bellows, I can focus the 45 on a flat lensboard.

[rdenney]

A couple of data points: You can use a 47mm Super Angulon on a Sinar F-series camera with the non-metering back using a flat board and the Wide Angle Bellows 2 (the version with the soft double pleat). That combination will provide all the movements one might typically need.

You can make it work with the Wide Angle Bellows 1 (the standard bag bellows), but you'll spending half your time keeping the bellows from getting caught between the standards and fouling them. A recessed board solves that problem but at the expense of convenient shutter controls. The WA Bellows 2 is the best solution.

I do not know what thickness is added by the metering back on the Sinar, but it will probably necessitate the use of the WA Bellows 2 when using a flat board.

I was unable to make a Cambo SC focus a 47mm Super Angulon without a deep recessed board, a bag bellows, reversing a standard, moving both standards to one side of the tripod mount, and so on. Too much trouble with that camera.

I use the 47/5.6 Super Angulon with a 6x12 back, not the 47/5.6XL. The XL's flange focal distance is about 4mm longer than the ~52mm for the older lens. Thus, if it will work with the lens I'm using, it will work more easily with the XL. But I don't think the Cambo will work with either.

Rick "who hates recessed boards" Denney

[Jon Shiu]

Calumet Wide Field CC-402 camera is spec to 47mm with flat lensboard.

Jon

[Adam Kavalunas]

I use a 55mm on my Chamonix and there seems to be plenty of room for a 47. This is with a flat board as well. Bellows will be pretty taught, so movements are limited, but you don't need much being that wide.

[frednewman]

Hi - The KB Canham DLC-2 should work fine with the 47mm f/5.6 Schneider Super-Angulon XL. The minimum bellows for the DLC-2 is 53.34mm and the flange focal distance for the 47mm SA-XL is 59.1mm - so it would work fine with a flat lens board and a wide angle bellows. The XL series seem to have a bit more in flange focal distance than other wide angle lenses of similar focal lengths.

The Canham DLCs work real well with wide angle lenses, since the rear standard slides towards the front standard and there is a wide angle bellows for this camera. I show this in my instructional video on youtube.com. To find the video just do a search on the word "viewcamerastore".

The 47mm SA-XL has the same image circle as the 58mm SA-XL - 166mm, so with a wide angle bellows you actually have a bit of rise/fall. That's a really large image circle for those focal lengths.

I once had a customer use a 38mm Super-Angulon XL on a Canham DLC with a recessed lens board. You had to be real careful with the 38mm to keep yourself out of the picture.

Fred Newman

[Kirk Gittings]

Calumet Wide Field CC-402 camera is spec to 47mm with flat lensboard.

Jon

I can attest to that. I use one like that all the time. Merg Ross has one for sale here right now.

[armentor1@mac.com]

thanks for the info guys. I have a Graflex XL super wide angle w/ super angulon 47mm f:8. it is a great camera but I find myself rarely taking it out. As I am in the market to purchase my first 4x5 camera I figured it would be wise to get one that will accompany this lens. I've looked at the Calumet cc-402 but have decided to continue to save for a field camera. I'm very happy to hear that the Chamonix could possibly handle the lens. I just discovered these cameras a few days ago; they seem to have a strong design, I esp. like the location of the front rail's focus knob.