Making exposures with barrel lenses

[Greg]

Have two barrel lenses a Schneider WA Dayskar that can't be mounted in a shutter, and a Darlot Petzval which could be mounted in an Ilex #5 shutter but prohibitively expensive (also would have to find and purchase an Ilex #5). Neither lens has a lens cap cause both front lens diameters are really odd sizes.

Up to now have been using an oversized lens cap as a shutter but week ago dropped the lens cap for one exposure and in the other caused movement of the camera... both ULF negatives subsequently ruined and $$ down the drain. Typical exposures for the WA Dayskar is one second and 1/125 for the Darlot Petzval.

Would be interested in how others have dealt with using barrel lenses on their view cameras (short of using a Packard or Sinar's Copal shutter).

[Two23]

I love pre-Civil War Petzvals. I mean really really! I stack a 3 & 4 ND filter over the lens, shoot Efke 25, and use a big black glove on my hand as a shutter. Can't drop a glove.


Kent in SD

[jnantz]

i use an over sized home made lens cap
have seem others use a black cap,

and there is always the galli shutter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICLG3HCDlhk

its all in the wrist ( and finger )

[Dan Fromm]

Greg, what focal length is your Dasykar and what is its mounting threads' diameter?

I ask because I had a similar problem with an f/14 Perigraphe, solved it by stuffing the whole thing into the front of an Ilex #3. Front mounting might on a relatively inexpensive shutter be an option for you, possibly with heroic measures.

For my little 60/14 Perigraphe to be used on 2x3, the heroic measures involved amputating the shutter's rear tube, drilling and tapping holes in its back side, and using screws that go through the board to hold the shutter to the board.

In late June I saw J-M Collinet's home-made 16x20 camera. He had two lenses for it, a 450/? WAR and a 700/6.3 Boyer Saphir, both in barrel. He mounted them on boards for a Mentor Panorama, used a Panorama shutter (curtain shutter, behind the lens, integral with the Panorama's front standard). I'm not sure a Mentor Panorama is practical for you, but you might want to think about hacking up a Speed Graphic or a Graflex to get a curtain shutter.

[Randy]

I have a Packard shutter mounted inside the front standard of my 8X10 camera - that way I can use the same shutter with all my non-shuttered lenses. Max shutter speed is about 1/25th sec, so in bright light I either have to stop down or use ND filters.

[Jim Noel]

I made a wooden mount with 3 bolts to hold it to various size lenses. A Packard is mounted on the front of it. I also use a Galli shutter, and have built a Guillotine shutter out of sewer pipe fittings. I have two speeds with the guillotine, 1/10 and 1/30. I am trying to determine a way to cut a slot in plastic small enough to give me 1/100 on the guillotine.
Reinhold sells guilotine shutters on his web site if you don't want to build your own. http://www.re-inventedphotoequip.com/Prices.html

[AtlantaTerry]

Have two barrel lenses a Schneider WA Dayskar that can't be mounted in a shutter, and a Darlot Petzval which could be mounted in an Ilex #5 shutter but prohibitively expensive (also would have to find and purchase an Ilex #5). Neither lens has a lens cap cause both front lens diameters are really odd sizes.

Up to now have been using an oversized lens cap as a shutter but week ago dropped the lens cap for one exposure and in the other caused movement of the camera... both ULF negatives subsequently ruined and $$ down the drain. Typical exposures for the WA Dayskar is one second and 1/125 for the Darlot Petzval.

Would be interested in how others have dealt with using barrel lenses on their view cameras (short of using a Packard or Sinar's Copal shutter).

What about building a variation of a Harris Shutter?

Somewhere on the Interwebs (possibly YouTube?) I saw a video of a photographer in Japan out photographing using his variation of a Harris which he had made out of wood. For B&W film, you need only one slit. By making various sizes of slits, you can control the duration of your exposures.

You can experiment with a Harris by buying one sheet of black foamcore and cutting out the pieces you need. Then if you like the results, take the time and effort to build one out of a more sturdy material such as wood.

[DrTang]

I use a black hat

take hat off - hit flash test button on my meter (that is connected to the flash) - quickly put hat back over lens

I have a vintage bower.. and a recent mini top hat kinda thing

[Vaughn]

I photograph under the redwoods...30-second exposures (and upwards to 30 minutes) are pretty easy to do w/o a shutter.

[jp]

For 4x5 I use a speed graphic as most of my lenses are barrel lenses.
For 8x10 I use either the galli shutter or a speed graphic on the 9" lensboard as here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAjyYixKXm8

[domaz]

For the Dasykar just use a Packard shutter. It's a very small lens and you won't need a big Packard shutter to use it. This will help you make exposures from the 1/25 to over one second range easily enough. Depending on your lensboard size you can either install the Packard in the back of the lensboard or find a way to mount it in the front. Using small machine screws with bolts can help you position the Packard in front of the lens at the right position.

[EdWorkman]

Lenscap/Galli
Pull the slide with the lenscap undisturbed
Put the slide in front and clear of the lenscap
remove lenscap
When all the knocking around has ceased, move the darkslide a la' Galli
DArkslide is back in front of the kens
Replace lenscap
Replace darkslide.
Don't drop the cap - or tie a string to it so you can reach it with the sllde covering the lens

[Stephane]

I use a modified Galli shutter because I cannot keep the two dark slide very stable by just holding them.
Now I use adhesive velcro, 2 stamp-size pieces near opposite corners of each slide, and two short strips connecting the two dark slides. This way the opening slit is parallel (even exposure?), and the spacing between the two dark slides can be adjusted for slow or very high shutter speeds. If the explanation is not clear, I can post a photo later today...

[Greg]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

For the Schneider WA Dayskar modified the inside of a larger lens cap so it very easily slips on and off the lens. Also added a string attaching one end to the lens board and the other to the lens cap.

For the Darlot Petzval, am in the process of adapting a Sinar Copal Shutter to fit behind the Darlot when mounted on my 4x5 Chamonix. Fortunately can actually mount the Sinar Shutter on an older Norma Auxiliary standard/frame and screw it into the baseboard so as not to have the shutter, brass lens, and spacer's weight being held by the Chamonix's front standard (way too front loaded weight). Will work and that's all that counts...