Canham MQC57 question

[Don Miller]

Is there a trick to keeping the lensboard plumb when using rise on this camera? I find the board moves out of plumb because the board holder is hinged towards the bottom, especially when there is some force on it from the bellows. Thanks.

Don

[Kevin Crisp]

Don: I'm not sure I understand your question but would like to help. If by "board holder" you mean the front standard, with the "T" knobs at the bottom, I think you will find that you can tighten those down VERY tight to the point where this will not happen. I just make it a practice to make them more tight when using a heavy lens in something like an Acme 4, and this eliminates the possibility of inadvertant tilt. I did use a 14" Commercial Ektar with a #5 on this camera (ridiculous, I admit) and didn't have this problem. I have never had just raising the lens (any lens) cause an alignment problem because the bellow is so flexible. I am assuming you have both of the sliding side plates on the lens board surround fully extended into the front standard. If the T knobs are firmly tightened (you can make them really tight if you want to, it won't hurt anything) then call Keith Canham about it. Good luck.

[Gem Singer]

Hi Don,

I assume you are referring to the situation when a short, wide angle lens is being used. In that case, the forward drift of the front standard is probably caused by the bellows being overly compressed behind the lensboard. If the locking knobs are tightened to their fullest, and it still continues to drift, it seems that the only solution is to use a wide angle bellows or a longer lens.

[Don Miller]

I don't mean loosening the lower knobs for tilt, but the higher knobs for rise. There is no track for the front standard, so when under the dark cloth moving the front standard up and down I also have to deal with the lens pivoting (if the pivot point was centered on the lens I guess you would call this axis tilt).

[Don Miller]

O.K., I've got it now. I needed to push the guides into the front standard after folding the camera. I feel better now.....

[Kevin Crisp]

Don: There you go. Without those in place, you've got a metal deardorff.