One lensboard for many cameras?

[Shootar401]

I have more then a few LF Cameras. A Horseman 4x5, Ansco 5x7, AGFA 4x5, Speed Graphic 4x5, and a Speed Graphic 5x7 (thinking of selling) and possibly a 8x10 Eastman 2D or similar in the hear future. I have maybe a dozen lenses, of all types mounted on boards from the camera they were last used on.

I was thinking of investing in some Linhof boards and buying some adapters where needed or making them at the least so I can keep my lenses mounted. Seems like the Linhof boards the way to go. I can get adapters for my Horsey on the big bay and make them with some cherry and a saw, plane and a coping saw for my Ansco and AGFA cameras. But what options, if any will I have to adapt at the least my 4x5 SG for Linhof boards? Are the SG boards too small to allow a Linhof style adapter? I've never held them side by side, so I'm not sure of the size differences.

Has anyone else chosen a single lens board and used them across all of your LF cameras? Seems like the way to go for me.

[Peter Yeti]

I use Linhof Tech 4x5'' boards on all my cameras and I love it. The boards are 96mm wide and 99mm high and many other manufacturers use them as a standard (like Wista, Toyo, Tachihara etc.). For me that's a natural choice because one of my cameras is a Linhof Super-Technika V, so it's a no-brainer. However, some big lenses may cause trouble when used with this board. My first generation Super-Angulon XL 90/5.6 wouldn't fit through the 86mm opening that usually comes with the Linhof boards.

[Fotoguy20d]

I use Pacemaker Graphic boards as my standard. I have adapters for my Toyo G and 45AX, and built an adapter for my 8x10 2-D which uses a graphic to 4x4 adapter and an anniversary speed front standard mounted on a 6x6 board. For everything else, I have a universal iris on a 6x6 board and another on a graphic board.

Dan

[Ari]

I use Linhof boards as well, but you might want to look into Sinar boards, as they are larger; your 8x10 lenses would be easier to mount.

[DennisD]

+1 for Linhof Technika lens board.

Easy to find
convenient size
Several other manufacturers have adopted same board style
adapters readily available to fit other cameras
Knockoffs available at reasonable cost - but should be checked first for accurate fit if used with a Linhof camera.
Very large lenses in large shutters may not adapt well to this style board due to its size and design.

[ramon]

I use Horseman 80x80 mm SQUARE lens boards in Linhof sized 96x99mm adapters.

So I use Two adapters in my Rittreck View 5x7 (Rittreck - Linhof - Horseman 8x8 cm)
And only use one adapter in my Penta (Korean Wista Clone that use Linhof lensboards)

Pros: 16% smaller than Linhof.
Pros: reasonably easy to find adapters at $90 each (to Linhof, Sinar, Rittreck, and Toyo).

Cons: only suitable for lenses with small rear cells.
Cons: only copal 1 size or lower (copal 0). No copal 3 allowed.

But I recognize that the most clever design is a CIRCULAR one. That one is used in toho fc-45x.
The problem is that there are no cheap chinese sellers that make lens boards or adapters yet !.

I hope some day they will recognize the benefits so I can be able to store my lenses and lensboards in CANS instead of BOXES. What a waste of volume !!!

[Michael Graves]

I have adapters that allow me to used Technika lens boards on my Toyo, on my Canham and on my Eastman 2d 5x7. Another method I've started using to cut down on the weight and bulk is to mount flanges on the board and screw lenses on as I need them. As a result I have one lens board with an Acme #3, one with a #4 and one with a Copal #1 flange. Still looking for a Copal #0 flange, but I figure that'll come up eventually. I have an adapter that fits Speed Graphic lens boards onto a Toyo monorail as well, but that hasn't been very useful, as the only Toyo I have remaining is an 8x10, and none of the lenses I have mounted on Graflex boards cover that format.

[Shootar401]

Looks like the Technika boards are the way to go. I don't have any lenses in Copal 3 (yet) all my lenses are 0's and 1's. Looks like I can get started for under $100 which is really nice. Plus the Technika boards take up much less space in my bag than the stock Horseman boards.

[Jim Andrada]

+1 on an iris clamp on a Super Graphic board as well as a larger one on on a 162mm sq Linhof board.

Most of my smaller lenses are also on Graphic boards as I found a nicely made Graphic to 162mm Linhof adapter, and I made an adapter to mount the Graphic boards on my Seneca 8 x 10. Within reason I can mount almost anything on almost anything. I have 8 x 10 and 5 x 7 (with 4 x 5 back ) Linhofs as well as the Seneca and a Super and a Crown Graphic so I can one way or another shoot any lens on any format.