Where to buy cheap custom lens boards? + Some lens board related questions.

[FlyingGiraffes]

Tried to search for a thread touching this subject, but couldn't find one.

Finally managed to buy a lens for my ansco universal 8x10. Who makes cheap, but well functioning lens boards? Poor aesthetics don't bother me.

Would it be smarter to have a lens board made that can hold a common size lens board for future mounting of other lenses (my version takes giant 7.5" x 7.5" boards)?

Any other insightful comments would be appreciated.

[cosmicexplosion]

i found a Chinese guy on ebay makes sinar boards cheap

[Ari]

You can have a Sinar adapter made for your 7.5 x 7.5 board; Sinar boards are inexpensive, ubiquitous, and can hold a wider variety of lenses than can Technika boards.

[IanG]

There's nothing to these Agfa Ansco boards, why not make your own. One of my Agfa Ansco 10x8 cameras came with 4 spare boards so I haven't needed to make more but I make them for my other cameras quite regularly.

Ian

[jumanji]

I can make some for you. Not wood but aluminium composite (light and quite flexible) and "kind of MDF" - I dont know what it's called in English (heavy and tough). Price is about $10 - $30
IMO the best solution is make a 7 1/2 to 6x6 reducing board, then use 6x6 board for all your lenses. 6x6 Kodak 2D board is compact, large enough for almost 8x10 lenses and easy to make.

[FlyingGiraffes]

You can have a Sinar adapter made for your 7.5 x 7.5 board; Sinar boards are inexpensive, ubiquitous, and can hold a wider variety of lenses than can Technika boards.

Sounds like a good idea.


There's nothing to these Agfa Ansco boards, why not make your own. One of my Agfa Ansco 10x8 cameras came with 4 spare boards so I haven't needed to make more but I make them for my other cameras quite regularly.

Ian

Unfortunately I don't own any tools - I'm a college student.


I can make some for you. Not wood but aluminium composite (light and quite flexible) and "kind of MDF" - I dont know what it's called in English (heavy and tough). Price is about $10 - $30
IMO the best solution is make a 7 1/2 to 6x6 reducing board, then use 6x6 board for all your lenses. 6x6 Kodak 2D board is compact, large enough for almost 8x10 lenses and easy to make.

I might take you up on this. I'll wait to see other input before I decide though. Thanks for the offer.

[vinny]

I've made a few adapter boards. Send me your large board and I can make a new sinar adapter. PM me

[FlyingGiraffes]

I've made a few adapter boards. Send me your large board and I can make a new sinar adapter. PM me

Sent you a pm vinny!

[Peter Yeti]

You could also consider an adapter for Linhof Technika boards, which are considerably smaller than Sinar boards. They are big enough to hold a #3 shutter, though. I mounted basically all my lenses on Technika boards and use adapters for my other cameras. Depends how heavy your lenses are, which one is the better solution.

[Dan Dozer]

There is a guy on that action site who makes lens boards for Deardorf cameras that are pretty inexpensive - I've bought about a dozen from him in the past I'm guessing that as long as you gave him the dimensions, he could make them for you as well. Just do a search for Deardorf lens boards and you'll probably find him.

[Jonathan Barlow]

I bought some beautiful 6x6 boards for my military Deardorff from a cabinetmaker who sells on eBay under the ID zbima1. His prices are reasonable ($20-30) and the boards are extremely well made. The mahogany boards are especially nice.

[tenderobject]

have you done board for KMV 8x10? :)


I can make some for you. Not wood but aluminium composite (light and quite flexible) and "kind of MDF" - I dont know what it's called in English (heavy and tough). Price is about $10 - $30
IMO the best solution is make a 7 1/2 to 6x6 reducing board, then use 6x6 board for all your lenses. 6x6 Kodak 2D board is compact, large enough for almost 8x10 lenses and easy to make.

[John Kasaian]

Your local High School woodshop. Be nice to the teacher:D

[Amedeus]

+1 ... happy customer here ... lens boards + custom size holes at a reasonable price ...


I bought some beautiful 6x6 boards for my military Deardorff from a cabinetmaker who sells on eBay under the ID zbima1. His prices are reasonable ($20-30) and the boards are extremely well made. The mahogany boards are especially nice.

[jumanji]

I've heard that KMV board is different from 2D board.
And I forgot that I'm in Vietnam so shipping might be a problem. Could be cheap, but also slow.
Making usable lens board is really not that hard. A source for material, some simple tools and some effort.

have you done board for KMV 8x10? :)

[Len Middleton]

Might want to consider your future direction and other cameras you think you might own...

My first LF camera was a Linhof Technika IV, so most of my lenses that are mounted onto a size Copal 3 or smaller are on Linhof Technika boards or Technika compatible,and I have a Technika to Deardorff adapter board to use onto an 8x10 Deardorff and 8x20 Korona. I do have a 165mm Angulon in a Compur 3 mounted onto a 6x6 Deardorff type board but that is the way it came and the camera it is paired with. For my bigger lenses, they are mounted on Deardorff type wood lensboards or metal Calumet C1 boards. Little planning on my part, just the way things worked out.

Ari is right in that the Sinar boards are bigger and will accommodate bigger lenses. Conversely, Technika boards are significantly smaller and thus easier to store and carry, and will accommodate up to a size 3 shutter shutter, and after that you are into barrel lenses anyways. Do not know whether the Technika boards woudl accomodate an Ilex 5 shutter. The only other sort of standard size board I can think of this the Graphlic boards and I think it has been over 30 years since that last one was made so I would tend to stick with either the Technika or Sinar.

There was an earlier thread regarding standardizing on lensboards and I think many used the Technika, but do not see either as a bad option, as there are many cameras that use either of those lensboards.

Hope that helps,

Len

[FlyingGiraffes]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I've decided to go with an adapter to sinar lens boards like many of you suggested. I will be using lenses mostly in copal 3. Vinny has kindly offered to make me an adapter board for a reasonable price. Thanks again!