Just bought a Sinar F - the LF adventure begins

[jeremycorn]

So I've just bought a Sinar F with a Fujinon 150mm off eBay for what I think is a fair price (it came with film holders, cable release, and dark cloth too.)

Any advice on this particular camera out there? Must have accessories? Quirks of this particular camera?

[Louis Pacilla]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Sinar camera use!
There have been many post made here on Sinar cameras & everything Sinar over the years so it's very very much worth your time to do a search & spend time reading. Use the search function in the upper right hand side of the forum page. Do a Search in the upper right hand corner of the forum page. Do a search in single content, using only the word "Sinar" & search by "Titles only" & this will yield the most pages on Sinar stuff. This will give you loads & loads of information to sift through and you'll find that spending a few hours of reading will be very useful & you'll be a Sinar Expert no time.:)



BTW- I checked and came up with 55 pages,40 threads per page so 2195 threads on Sinar stuff. Happy reading & Yee Haw! http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=4800835

[Alan Gales]

If you plan on taking it out in the field a Sinar to Technika reduction board is nice. It's a lot easier to pack up lenses mounted on the smaller boards.

A Sinar shutter is nice if you plan on using old lenses in barrel instead of shutters. The Sinar shutters are not cheap though and if you buy one make sure all the cables are included.

A Sinar pan/tilt head for your tripod is also nice. A little expensive but well built and perfect for your Sinar camera.

Have I spent enough of your money yet? ;)

[Peter Lewin]

You have a fine camera. My advice is to use the equipment you now have for a while, the best way to learn what accessories you may need is from your own experience. The F series has a depth of field calculator, and swing calculator built into the knobs on the rear standard, so do a web search for the instructions on how to use them.

I had a Sinar F for many years, and added a number of things based on my experiences and the lenses I used. Because I liked to use wide angle lenses, I bought a bag bellows. I had an extra rail segment to allow longer extensions for close up work. I also did end up with an adaptor lens board so I could swap lenses between my Sinar and my Wista. But every one of these extras was justified by the kind of images I wanted to make, and the lenses I used. That's where your own user experience will be important.

[Alan Gales]

It's always fun to spend other people's money but Peter is right. Use your camera and then buy accessories as you find you need them. The most important thing to buy is film.

[jeremycorn]

Thanks, everyone! Louis -- I will definitely fall down that rabbit hole you linked me to.
Peter -- thanks for the heads up on the DOF and swing calculators. I get what the DOF calculator does and how to work it, but I need to read up on what precisely a swing calculator does I think. Having never used a camera that allows me to swing, tilt, etc. I have a lot to learn!

[Peter De Smidt]

Make sure to never force anything on a Sinar camera, such as the lens board and bellows lock levers. If they don't move easily, the lens board or bellows frame isn't seated properly.