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monkeymon
7-Jun-2015, 08:04
How much is there room behind the lens board, before a lens would hit the mirror?

Lightbender
7-Jun-2015, 15:10
The 178mm Aero Ektar will not work properly on a 4x5. The mirror will hit the rear element. =of course that real element is pretty big.
Most other lenses 180mm+ should work fine. Did you have a specific lens you were thinking of?

Jim C.
7-Jun-2015, 15:19
It would depend on what the length of rear element of the lens you're thinking of using.

The rear element on my No. 33 Anastigmat in my Series D sticks out of the back of lens board about 7mm
the clearance of the rear element from the mirror when it's fully retracted into the
camera body is about 6mm when the mirror is at it's closest during it's swing up.

Hope this helps.

monkeymon
7-Jun-2015, 15:25
It would depend on what the length of rear element of the lens you're thinking of using.

The rear element on my No. 33 Anastigmat in my Series D sticks out of the back of lens board about 7mm
the clearance of the rear element from the mirror when it's fully retracted into the
camera body is about 6mm when the mirror is at it's closest during it's swing up.

Hope this helps.

Ok, so there is very little space in there.

Thanks for the help!

LabRat
8-Jun-2015, 04:07
Here is how to take rough measurements to allow you to mount different lenses on your LF SLR model... (This will help you evaluate what lenses can/can't be mounted on your camera...)

Different models had different specs over time, so it is important to establish a baseline for your camera...

This is a rough, but useful process:

I'll put my 4X5 RB Super D (late model) Graflex (with an formerly Graflex back, converted to Graflok back) on the table in front of me... (I'll do my rough measurements in English, but Metric users can follow this process...)

First, I take an empty film holder, and put a piece of old film in it and install it on the camera back... I'll open the shutter and mirror, and remove the lensboard... The bellows/front standard are racked all the way back into the camera...

I'll use the top of the lensboard holder inside of the front standard as the reference point, as this area is closest to the swinging mirror and the lens...

A ruler, tape measure, scale, depth gauge on a pair of calipers, or whatever you have, is inserted into the camera from the front until it touches the test film in the back... I measure to the lip where the lensboard sits inside the camera... (So mine measures about 6 3/4") Then I fully extend the bellows and repeat... (I'm getting about 11 3/4") So this is the range what the camera allows to focus...

With the bellows racked back in completely, I measure the distance from the lensboard seating lip to the edge of the black baffle that is closest to the swinging mirror, (mine is about a 1/2") This is your minimum safe distance your lens can extend from your lensboard without hitting the mirror... (again, measure your camera because they can be different...)

Now, my B&L Tessar Ic f4.5 190mm is the shortest lens that will focus (at INF) with my camera... (The front standard has to almost be completely in the camera to do this...) My lens is mounted with the flange behind the board, but the lens extends about 3/8" from the rear lensboard, so it is safe from the swinging mirror, even when closed...

Longer lenses that extend beyond that on a lensboard can be used, but if stored on the closed camera, they will get wacked by the mirror if released somehow...

The longest lens on my camera is a 12" f6.8 Goerz Trigor that is a little long for this camera's extension, as it will focus from INF to about 20ft, and will cut-off some of the image in portrait (V) orientation probably due to the baffle attached underneath the raised mirror front edge... (but my Wolly 10 1/4" f10 APO Raptar will cover fine...)

Also, be aware that large diameter lenses may have trouble fitting on the smallish lensboards, and allow room for them to tilt during removal... And will you have enough room for your fingers to change the F-stop, and see the scale??? (the rubber sheet shrouds on the side lenshood assy worked great as a shade, but when they broke, it turned out to be a blessing as it was much easier to operate the lens... I might mount the replacement shrouds on velcro someday so they can be removed if desired...)

And check if the mounting flange might be too large to fit inside or outside the lensboard...

Start a new thread if you would like to find out how to clean-up the insides of these cameras, so they can shoot clean, and not be some old dustbucket monster...

Have FUN!!!!

Steve K

EdSawyer
9-Jun-2015, 12:34
The 8" pentac will fit and clear on the RB SuperD 4x5, just as an FYI. I've also used Nikkor-T 270 and Tele Arton 360 on SuperDs as well (both will reach infinity).

LabRat
10-Jun-2015, 03:00
Hey Ed,

That's all good to know those worked... Lots of fun with "Little Bertha" long lenses!!!

But one thing was a little discouraging for me... I had a really clean Dally 12" f4.5 (true telephoto) sitting around here for a long while... Then I got the bright idea to mount it to the RB 4X5... Luckily, I "did the numbers" and did rough measurements first before mounting it, because it turned out the lens was about 6" flange-to-film distance and about 1 1/8" flange to rear distance, so no/go on my RB...

No problem, so I put the Trigor on the RB, and realized with careful mounting I could use the Dally on my grab-and-go 6X9 pre/anv mini Speed Graphic... Got it to focus close and far, and a lot of mag. for a 6X9!!! But the ugly headed monster that popped up was that even on a decent tripod, the initial slight recoil from firing the FP shutter would cause a little vibration blur when fired... Partially solved the problem by mounting the SG on an oak plank to allow more base area to couple to the tripod head, and had different spacings for the tripod screw mount to change the balance point... And had to use one of my BIG tripods (like the Saltzman, or the Birns & Sawyer large MP "sticks" with the Arri head... (So much for a compact "grab-and-go" rig... Sigh...)

So long lenses will test FP shutter vibration!!!!

(I have noticed when looking close at some early Steiglitz and Strand prints, one can sometimes see a tiny little bit of vertical blur on their shots, so it happened with them, too...)

But I love the RB!!!! (Maybe I'll get my 5X7 home portrait (with Bag Mag) going some day... If my back can handle it!!!)


Steve K