Linhof Kardan 8x10 - How to mount lens?

[Rudinal]

Hi,

I recently bought a Linhof Kardan Color 8x10 (built 1958 - 1969) and don´t know how to mount a lens. On the lens board there is mounted a tube with an inner diameter of 90 mm (3,5433 inch) which has a thread. Please tell me if there is a shutter that will fit?

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Thank you for your help.

Rudi

[Tin Can]

I have 8 different types of that Linhof Kardan Color lens board, they also fit the 5X7 variation. I have not seen your iteration. My 2 Linhof catalogs do not show yours either.

Very carefully measure the thread ID and pitch and provide that data with better pictures.

Congratulations on finding a rare great camera.

I would love to see more pictures of your camera. Post in http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?36782-Show-off-your-Large-Format-camera!

[Tin Can]

Sorry, did not notice you provided dimensions.

I checked Ilex5 and others, no go, but I found this old thread with answers. http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?23904-Compound-shutter-sizes&p=223663#post223663

[Rudinal]

@ Randy Moe
@ Ole Tjugen

Hi,

thank you for your help and the congratulations. Yes, the Linhof Kardan Color 8x10 is a great old camera.

So I´ve got to find a Compound 5 that fits in the tube. Maybe I can find an adapter.

Rudi

[Len Middleton]

@ Randy Moe
@ Ole Tjugen
So I´ve got to find a Compound 5 that fits in the tube. Maybe I can find an adapter.
Rudi

Might be best to find or have made an adapter to what shutters (e.g. Copal / Compur 3) you currently have lens mounted into.

Otherwise what would you do with an expensive and hard to find Compound 5 shutter?

BTW, welcome to our LF community.

Good luck,

Len

[Tin Can]

I have indeed made an adapter for this type board. I cut a bigger hole and mount Horseman lens frame with bolts and now use any lens that I can mount to a Sinar type board.

The Linhof lens board is 9" OD and is strong enough to hold nearly any lens. Very sturdy camera.

[Len Middleton]

I have indeed made an adapter for this type board. I cut a bigger hole and mount Horseman lens frame with bolts and now use any lens that I can mount to a Sinar type board.

The Linhof lens board is 9" OD and is strong enough to hold nearly any lens. Very sturdy camera.

Randy,

I agree with your comments on how strong the lensboard is, having used it smaller 5x7 brother of near the same era.

An adapter board is ideal, but what I was thinking about was a threaded reducer. Not as fast or convenient as an adapter board, but maybe something to get Rudi started quickly, easily, and less expensively.

However, Rudi will need to address the issue regarding how many lenses he has / wants to have, versus his supply / general availability of those Linhof lensboards. An adapter board to a more common lensboard (e.g. your Sinar / Horseman solution) might be a better long term solution.

[Bob Salomon]

If your camera's board also fits a 57 Technika then the 001040 board will also fit your camera. This board is a current product and is a special order item.

[Tin Can]

Let's see what the OP replies.

I also made an adapter for 8" Deardorff boards to mount to the 9" Linhof. Real simple, only trick was 4 Rivet nuts (https://www.grainger.com/product/GRAINGER-APPROVED-Rivet-Nut-5NNR7?s_pp=false&picUrl=//static.grainger.com/rp/s/is/image/Grainger/5RB10_AS01?$smthumb$). I use hand sawn plywood as 8" Deardorff lens boards to mount a 10 lb lens. With that rig, I do have to make sure the 2 Linhof QR lens board clips are firmly in place.

I mostly use my Kardan with 5x7 back.

[Tin Can]

If your camera's board also fits a 57 Technika then the 001040 board will also fit your camera. This board is a current product and is a special order item.

Bob, that does not fit unless you have the 9" Kardan adapter board. I have both the 001040 and the adapter to make it work.

Not for sale.

[Rudinal]

@ Len Middleton
@ Randy Moe

Hi,

thank you very much for your help. Now I´ve got an idea: the front of the tube has an inner diameter of 96 mm. I´m going to buy a round plate made of aluminum, about 4 mm thick. A hole in the middle of it lets me mount a Copal 3 with my Fujinon 250 lens. The plate will be fixed via three screws that go through the tube. So I can use several lensboards. That´s the theory. I hope that it works.

Rudi

[Tin Can]

@ Len Middleton
@ Randy Moe

Hi,

thank you very much for your help. Now I´ve got an idea: the front of the tube has an inner diameter of 96 mm. I´m going to buy a round plate made of aluminum, about 4 mm thick. A hole in the middle of it lets me mount a Copal 3 with my Fujinon 250 lens. The plate will be fixed via three screws that go through the tube. So I can use several lensboards. That´s the theory. I hope that it works.

Rudi

That will work of course, but it does destroy the value of what must be a rather rare lens board.

Where are you located? I am in Chicago.

[Rudinal]

That will work of course, but it does destroy the value of what must be a rather rare lens board.

Where are you located? I am in Chicago.

Yes, if possible, I don´t want to destroy anything. But I don´t have any other idea how to fix the round plate. A non-destructive solution should be a round plate of aluminum with a 90 mm outer thread that fits in the thread where normally the Compound #5 is mounted. But maybe you´ve got a better idea?

I am located in Berlin.

[Tin Can]

Yes, if possible, I don´t want to destroy anything. But I don´t have any other idea how to fix the round plate. A non-destructive solution should be a round plate of aluminum with a 90 mm outer thread that fits in the thread where normally the Compound #5 is mounted. But maybe you´ve got a better idea?

I am located in Berlin.

Not really since we are so far apart. I have spare 9" Kardan lens board that adapt to the common Linhof 001040 lens board, requiring no mods and would consider trading, but with shipping it becomes a poor idea.

It all depends on what is easier, cheaper or more important. German eBay has 9" Kardan boards all the time, but that requires another purchase. If you can do your idea cheaply, it becomes the better idea....until you later run into a shutter/lens you want on your current lens board.

I tend towards preservation, restoration of rare items.

[B.S.Kumar]

My suggestion:
1. Go to a hardware shop, and find a flange that will fit as closely as possible into the 90mm hole.
2. Find another ring/flange to mate to this flange.
3. The entire assembly should be deep enough to allow a wooden board with these two flanges lock into the Linhof board. If there is any space between the flange and the hole, fit some velvet or flocking paper around the flange to prevent light leaks.
4. Fit a Linhof Technika or other adapter board on the wooden board.
5. Shoot.
6. If you find a good machinist, get him/her to make a threaded adapter board.

Kumar

[Len Middleton]

Not certain about the characteristics of your version of the Karden. I had a 4x5 Karden Color and found that the standards were reversible and the lensboard, bellows frames, and ground glass frame could all fit either side.

If that is also the case with your Karden, it might be possible to get and use a bellows frame as the start of an adapter board, rather than sacrifice a good and somewhat unique lensboard that you have...

It would be easy enough to test the idea to see if it works for your camera. I was thinking about this by a listing of a Karden bellows frame.

[Rudinal]

@ B.S.Kumar

Thank you for your suggestion. It´s a good idea to make my dinosaur work again.


@ Len Middleton

Thank you, but unfortunately nothing is reversible. I found a picture of the monster on the internet: Linhof Kardan Color 8x10 (http://www.kameramuseum.de/0-fotokameras/linhof/kardan-color-18x24/alex.html)

[Len Middleton]

Thank you, but unfortunately nothing is reversible. I found a picture of the monster on the internet: Linhof Kardan Color 8x10 (http://www.kameramuseum.de/0-fotokameras/linhof/kardan-color-18x24/alex.html)

I had some experience with one of its smaller 5x7 siblings with a 4x5 back of roughly the same vintage, but as it already had an adapter lensboard, we only had to modify the adapter lensboard to take the newer style (IV/V/M) Technika boards.

Good luck with your efforts.

[Tin Can]

This is how I mount larger lenses and the simple adapter. The wood is a 8" Deardorff lens board mounted to the Linhof 9" board with thumbscrews and captive nuts. Inside there is a 3.5" Packard shutter with flash sync mounted to the back of the lens board. The whole thing is attached with the original Linhof spring clips. The studio strobe radio is also inside the camera. No modifications to the camera, just the lens board. I can supply more variations.

The lens is a 405mm f4.8 Kodak Ektar with 122 mm yellow filter.

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1466/26109802361_7cb443f0b7_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/FMeyAe)Linhof Kodak 405 (1) (https://flic.kr/p/FMeyAe) by moe.randy (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[B.S.Kumar]

Randy, that looks great. Can you share some photos of the adapter and how the Packard shutter looks when it is mounted inside? Perhaps a couple of photos of the back and sides without the bellows in place would suffice.

Kumar

[Tin Can]

I hand whittled 4-1" pine sticks and glued them inside the light trap area. Then laid felt tape down and screwed a 6-1/2"OD X 3-1/4" ID Packard at a slight angle to the wood to allow room for the hose to get outside using a metal nipple. It's all a tight hand fit.

I wanted the shutter to have 1" internal standoff to allow usage of modern lenses with rear elements that intrude. I made 2 like this, one uses a Horseman frame for all Sinar mount lenses and this one for monsters that don't fit Sinar boards.

If you look closely I have the microswitch protected, by the wood mount being slightly proud and absorbing the impact of the shutter actuator.

Packard's leak light in the corners, so gaff tape them and the red Led on the radio. The little piece of hose is covering a bent nail for Instantaneous usage.

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[B.S.Kumar]

Thanks for the explanation.

Kumar