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osmeier
14-Mar-2016, 09:53
Hi all,

I have a fairly good deal for a Sinar P2 and few DB lenses.
However I don't want to be limited to only DB lenses. How complex is it to use a lens with a copal or compur shutter on a Sinar P2? I can fiddle around with screws and stuff, but I am too clumsy of a handyman to cut and saw holes and so forth...

Thanks,
Olivier

Peter De Smidt
14-Mar-2016, 10:22
It's not at all complex. Mount lens in shutter on a Sinar lens board. Lot's of used and generic versions exists, and if it's a standard size hole, you'll be easily able to find ready-drilled versions. Mount on camera. Use cable release to trip the lens's shutter....

Ken Lee
14-Mar-2016, 10:37
In some ways DB-mounted lenses are easier, particularly with long lenses.

The Sinar Shutter is self-cocking, so you don't have to get to the front to close it, cock it, then shoot. You don't miss shots by forgetting to cock the shutter.

You can also squeeze the shutter partially and get a depth of field preview according to taste.

Alan Gales
14-Mar-2016, 10:51
Sinar made two types of boards. Regular flat and recessed boards and the DB boards. If you have lenses that are not mounted on DB boards you just buy a regular Sinar board with the proper Copal size hole and mount your lens in shutter like you would to any camera lens board. Sinar also made a Sinar to Technika reduction board so you can mount your lenses onto smaller Technika boards and then mount them to your camera. One of the neat things about the Sinar is that you can mount lenses in barrel onto the regular boards and then use the Sinar Shutter.

The only problem you would have is if you want to use your DB mounted lenses on another camera. Then you would have to unscrew your lens cells from your DB boards and mount them into Copal shutters.



Like Ken says, the DB boards with Sinar shutter are a joy to use.

osmeier
14-Mar-2016, 14:56
Thanks for the replies. I am now a lot more keen on the offer I've got for the P2. I photograph portraits primarily in natural light. I just saw that the DB lenses have a max shutter speed of 1/60th of a second, however I guess at f/5.6 I probably won't need higher shutter speeds.

Are there any drawbacks you guys know of regarding sinar p2? I don't find as much about this brand and model as I do about other cameras like horseman, linhof, speed graphic, Shen Hao etc...

Greg
14-Mar-2016, 16:49
Are there any drawbacks you guys know of regarding sinar p2? I don't find as much about this brand and model as I do about other cameras like horseman, linhof, speed graphic, Shen Hao etc...

Used 4x5 and 8x10 P professionally for 20+ years. P's are just wonderful cameras to use. Once you get a feel for the controls, you can use all of them without taking your eyes away from Sinar's excellent Binocular reflex finder. Only, and I repeat ONLY drawback I found with the camera was its "excessively" tall rail clamp. Had to be designed that way so the standards wouldn't hit the tripod head but the weakest part of the system. I just used a Norma rail clamp with a smaller tripod head. Most others use the OEM rail clamp without any problems...

Alan Gales
14-Mar-2016, 16:51
Weight and bulk. You are going to need a strong tripod.

Sinar P2's are some of the finest monorails ever made. Some prefer Arca Swiss or Linhof but if you live in the U.S. then there is a lot of available Sinar accessories out there. Just check Ebay.

Kevin J. Kolosky
14-Mar-2016, 17:00
Actually, you can mount some non shutter lenses in boards with a cone in the front and use them with the sinar shutter. You won't have the automatic closing of the lens diaphragm, but the beauty of that is that you will only need one shutter for all of your lenses,

Fr. Mark
24-Mar-2016, 07:25
I've even mounted the Sinar shutter onto another camera to use the DB lenses on another camera.

RSalles
24-Mar-2016, 09:26
Thanks for the replies. I am now a lot more keen on the offer I've got for the P2. I photograph portraits primarily in natural light. I just saw that the DB lenses have a max shutter speed of 1/60th of a second, however I guess at f/5.6 I probably won't need higher shutter speeds.

Osmeier,

It's not a DB mounted lens limit, but a Sinar Copal Shutter limit with 1/60s. The Sinar Epolux shutter goes till 1/500 with DB mounted lenses with a digital code behind the DB plate, which passes to the shutter the max/min aperture of the lens. Some Sinar Copal shutters goes from f5.6-f45, newer models from f4.

Some reading about here:
http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/sinar-shutter-system.pdf


Cheers,

Renato

osmeier
25-Mar-2016, 01:20
Thanks Mark, Renato. I will look into it your link.

I ended up deciding against the Sinar for now. I was giving myself a hard time about whether I wanted a field camera or a monorail as well, so I ended up deciding on a Speed Graphic to help me evaluate and observe how I use it most.
My usage of the Speed Graphic will determine what I'll be looking at from these potential cameras:

Sinar P2
Sinar F2
Horseman 45A
Technikardan S45
Shen Hao

It could be that I will feel content with the speed graphic, but I'm not so certain.

Cheers,
Olivier