sinar large format camera with lots of goodies..my new toy!

[rayhobart]

well here i go again into a new hobby.. the camera is a p2 i was told..lots of goodies were included...4x5...has set up for 5x7..also some 8x10 stuff..im still learning guys so please be gentle with me...thx Ray...
P.s. if its not a p2 please let me know lol

[Amedeus]

Sinar P2 with digital Expolux shutter ... nice catch !

[Leigh]

Very nice.

You must use Sinar "DB"-mounted lenses with this shutter. Standard lenses in shutter won't work (in general).

There is a maximum depth behind the lensboard that the shutter can occupy without damaging the shutter.
Factory-assembled lenses won't have a problem, but hobbyist-mounted ones might.

You can use standard lenses with shutters, mounted on regular lensboards, if you remove the shutter from behind
the front standard.

Unless you're doing serious close-ups or using very long lenses, you'll probably want to remove one of the bellows and
the associated intermediate frame.

You might want to download the PDF of the Sinar Code document from Butkus at www.orphancameras.org
It shows all of the components and various configurations for the Sinar product line.

- Leigh

[Nathan Potter]

Gadzooks; what a contraption! But a nice piece of equipment. As Leigh says you're all set for close-up or long lens work. But it's a heck of a piece of gear to haul around in the field.

Definitely something fun to work with but for me the stability of the tripod would be insufficient.

Nate Potter, Austin TX., Holliston MA.

[rayhobart]

Thanks Leigh... manual is very helpful.. i got the camera in this configuration... would like to set it up for portraits..Im trying to figure if i should use the expolux,or the behind lens shutter or the copals on my lenses ..if this makes sense? Best all around lens for portraits? (i may have one?)..thx guys for all your help

[Leigh]

Hi Ray,

The first consideration is the minimum and maximum lens focal lengths that you expect to use.
That determines the bellows configuration that would be your "standard". It can be changed easily.

As a general rule, the distance from the film to the front of the lensboard = the lens focal length.
That's accurate for lenses in the middle of the available focal length range.
The distance will be a bit longer for lenses of short focal length.
It will be shorter, sometimes much shorter, for lenses of long focal length.

Most(?) photographers would go with a single regular bellows.
For that, you would remove the intermediate standard and one bellows from your camera.

If you use the electronic shutter that you have, you're limited to Sinar "DB"-mounted lenses.
Sinar offered a selection of lenses from Nikon, Rodenstock, and Schneider.
Those are generally the only ones you can use. They're not readily available used, although they do show up.
They must be used with the separate shutter; they have no internal shutter.

You can also use standard lenses with their own shutters, mounted on regular Sinar lensboards.
These must NOT be used with the external shutter mounted, as it can be damaged by the lens.

The choice of shutters will be determined by how, where, and what you want to shoot.
I'm _assuming_ that your shutter is the #521.31 Auto-Aperture Shutter, which was made for a long time.
The fastest speed on that shutter is 1/60th of a second. It goes up to 8 seconds.

The more recent #522.21.008 Expolux XT Shutter has speeds from 1/500th to 2 seconds.
I rather doubt that yours is of this type.

These shutters are designed for studio use.

That's a very nice setup. Do you have film holders?

- Leigh

[Peter Lewin]

Ray: That is a rather amazing and complete set-up for someone new to large format photography. You have found an excellent guide in Leigh! But I'm simply curious - is there a story behind how you came into possession of what certainly looks like a professional's P2 studio set-up?

[rayhobart]

Thanks for the info. Leigh... the only film holders I have are 5x7...Im prob. going to trade off or sell some of the things i dont need for the things i do need...Peter I am a sort of an odd guy.. I was at a local estate auction...saw what was there as far as the photo stuff went and bought what was there...It was not cheap..i am very mechanical and learn new things rather quickly..always been into photography..had a class in collage lol...im learning the basics fairly fast..been spending about 4 hours a day studying..By the way i am a 45 year old retiree...

[Leigh]

Hi Ray,

Check your PM.

- Leigh

[Bernice Loui]

Nice Sinar system..

It maybe smarter and wiser in the long run to keep the system as a whole, get to know what every item does, figure out what your image making needs are as they evolve in time rather than part it out before knowing what may or many not be useful to your image making needs.

Both 4x5 and 5x7 are equally useful formats, same applies to the DB mount lenses and the rest of the bits.

This is was a studio centric system, if you have an interest in using this system in the field, adding a F rear standard or using the P rear with the F front can work well. Adding a mechanical Sinar shutter will allow the DB mount lenses to be used without electrical power. Shuttered lenses are easy to add. 4x5 film holders are easy to obtain..

Take your time to learn and enjoy what you now own and take your time to figure out your imaging needs..

Most important, create expressive images.. all this stuff.. they are really image making tools, the rest depends on the artist/photographer.


Bernice



[QUOTE=rayhobart;1076583
Im prob. going to trade off or sell some of the things i dont need for the things i do need...

[/QUOTE]

[Jody_S]

I hope it came with a manual.

[greenbank]

Jeez, amazing stuff! And to think I've just started into LF because I want to go simple and fully manual! I wish you all the best with the new toy - but I reckon the advice already given above is really sound: learn what all the bits are for, and what you can do with them, before you even think of breaking up the system you've acquired.

If your reaction to the new toy is anything like mine to my Omega 45C, I bet you're still squeaking with delight even though Christmas is long gone.