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wthaler
8-Mar-2016, 14:16
Hello,

I want to mount a nikon lens (SLR) on a linhof lensboard in order to record the full image circle on 4x5". I guess someone who is good with tools could do it but I wonder if anybody around did it and would share the experience. I would go for a recessed lensboard.

cheers
wolfgang

Corran
8-Mar-2016, 14:41
Your Nikon lens is made for a 35mm frame (36x24 millimeters). It won't cover anything more than that unless you are doing extreme macro. Is that what you are wanting to do?

Paul Cunningham
8-Mar-2016, 16:21
It won't cover anything more than that unless you are doing extreme macro.
This isn't exactly true. It will depend on the lens and the aperture.

I suspect that the OP wants a circular image on 4x5, and is not expecting full coverage.

Corran
8-Mar-2016, 16:24
Of course you are correct, I was being very general. I'm not sure what the OP wants but to me it sounded like he thought he could get a much larger IC than is likely available, outside of the shift lenses. Perhaps I am wrong - but I've had numerous students ask how to mount their 35mm lenses onto MF/LF, thinking they would just work.

AtlantaTerry
8-Mar-2016, 23:37
Wolfgang,

Not only will a lens made for a 35mm camera give you a small circle of illumination but the exit pupil of the lens would need to be less than 2 inches from the film (just as it would be on a 35mm camera body). Of course, this is for photographs within a couple feet all the way out to infinity.

Yes, if you are going to be visiting the macro world of plants, insects, etc. then a lens made for use on a 35mm camera could work for you. But it would need to be mounted in reverse (the rear element would be closest to your subject).

With all these problems, you might want to change your mind and find a macro lens made to be used on a large format camera. Some of the lenses made for the Polaroid MP3 or MP4 are macro and might work well and are not expensive.

Huub
9-Mar-2016, 05:02
You will need at least two things: a lensboard with a hole that fits the size of the nikon bayonet and a way to secure the lens to that board. But then: it is pretty easy to find the proper body mounting rings on the e***y, which then can be attached to the lensboard.

Why you should want to do this is of course a second question, as the image circle will probably be something like the 5cm 35mm films needs and about 10 cm when going tot 1:1 with a macro lens. Neither covers 4x5 or comes close to it.
Focal flange distance might just work out when using a recessed lensboard and a bag bellows, as the film-bayonet distance on Nikon is 46,5 mm, which is comparable to the 47mm SA XL, which has a FFD of almost 6cm. A last problem to solve is the aperture, which might be closed fully when not attached to a camera. Not sure how this works with Nikon, but with my Pentax lenses this mechanism will result in a very dark viewing glass.

Huub
9-Mar-2016, 05:16
The answer is pretty easy: buy the proper body mounting ring on the e***y and attach it to a lensboard with a sufficient big hole. Then of course there are other problems to be solved, like the aperture mechanism, the focal-flange distance and a shutter might come in handy too. But there a solutions for these too, of course.

Bob Salomon
9-Mar-2016, 05:18
There is no way that you can properly focus a 45 or 47 mm lens on a regular Technika without the Wide Angle Focus Device as the lens has to be positioned inside the camera body.

Fred L
9-Mar-2016, 05:49
I believe OP wants the image circle surrounded by black so not looking for even coverage.

@Op - what lens are you thinking of using ? I'd just hack a temporary lens board unless this is a long term project.

Len Middleton
9-Mar-2016, 06:54
Wolfgang,

You are asking a question to address a problem in the middle of a process.

If you tell us what the desired end result is, it would be easier to provide recommendations.

For example, if you are looking for macro work, it would be easier to find an enlarging lens that could front mount into a standard sized shutter, a problem more difficult with using a Nikon F mount lens.

More details on end results please.

Hope that provides some additional insight,

Len

Dan Fromm
9-Mar-2016, 07:07
Huub, thanks for mentioning the flange-focal distance.

Wolfgang, the Nikon F-mount ffd is 46.5 mm. If your Linhof's minimum extension is greater than 46.5 mm plus the thickness of a Nikon mount (I'd glue an E-2 ring or a BR-4 ring, if necessary removing the male F mount), no lens in F mount will focus to infinity on it.

mdarnton
9-Mar-2016, 07:19
I'd buy a reversing ring on Ebay, or http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Reverse-Camera-Adapter-filter/dp/B001G4NBSC , mount it to the back of a normal board, maybe just with epoxy, and hang the lens inside the camera. That way bellows compression wouldn't be a problem at all. Set the lens to something like f5.6--not too large, not small enough to make focus difficult, and use it at that opening, though if one wanted one could focus wide open, pull the camera back off, stop it down to whatever, put the back on and shoot.

Hacking a shutter for any of this is a bigger problem than hooking up the lens. Maybe screw a Packard to the front of the board.....

ottluuk
9-Mar-2016, 11:43
A medium format lens would be a much better idea for a circular image: you'd have a bigger image circle, larger lens to film distance AND it's reasonably easy to find a lens in a shutter. Just get a 1930s to 1950-s 6x6cm folder with a 75mm Tessar or Triplet type lens. The less "automatic" features, the better. If you're lucky, the lens might even mount on a Copal 0 board with minimal extra hassle. If the lens illuminates too much for a clean circular image on 4x5, you could fashion a short tube/collar (plastic, metal, paper...) around the rear element to limit coverage mechanically.

Oren Grad
9-Mar-2016, 16:39
Threads merged - wthaler, please do not launch multiple threads on the same topic.

Greg
12-Mar-2016, 17:21
Nikon lens not on a Linhof board but thought this camera I put together years ago should be posted on this thread.
front to rear:
Nikon 28mm PC lens
Nikon K3 ring mounted on a Sinar board
Sinar shutter
Sinar standard
4x5 Sinar back
Unfortunately the lens needed to be a mm or so closer to the film plane. Fortunately if the lens focusing ring is at infinity and you stop down to f/32 you get a sharp image... sort of like the camera is focused at the hyperfocal distance. Image is a round 3 inch in diameter image in the center of the 4x5 film.