What shutter is this?

[Phil Hudson]

Just came across this large shutter that I put away for a LF project some time ago and forgot about.

I'm not really familiar with older shutters and their operation - can anybody shed some light on the manufacturer, and what else I need to make it work?

Thanks in advance!

[Andrew Plume]

Looks like a 'LUC' for front mounting to barrel lenses

andrew

[domaz]

All the LUC shutter's I've seen can only be triggered with a cable release. There is a knob on the front that determines if the shutter is open or in instantaneous mode or "B". I can't tell if yours has a shutter release thread or not? If it does just hook up a cable release and play with it a bit and it should become fairly obvious.

[Steven Tribe]

The early ones were made with air bulb release.

These were basically a European (made in Germany mostly) shutter - not many sales across the Atlantic. There were two basic versions, in front of the lens hood or between the lens and lens board (like the T-P versions). Almost always just B I T. Many makers as it is not protected by patent. Made in different sizes- but also with various hard rubber insert/fixing screws to adapt to a range of lens sizes. They are very unreliable these days, but very simple to service.

I can post some varieties if there is interest.

[RJ-]

Just came across this large shutter that I put away for a LF project some time ago and forgot about.

I'm not really familiar with older shutters and their operation - can anybody shed some light on the manufacturer, and what else I need to make it work?

Thanks in advance!


Hi,

It's a Silens Shutter - with the double S (snake like) symbol, often misconstrued as Luc Shutters - something Steven has done, despite owning one back in 2016 :)

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?132901-Vintage-Front-Lens-Mount-Shutter-Information-Request-S-amp-S-(-)

You can use a Sinar shutter cable to throw the shutter - there were several iterations of this shutter, one with a dial offering a fixed 1/60th shutter speed, a B and T dial turning option for front mounting on lenses.

They are practical alternatives for unwieldy barrel lenses to a Packard or Thornton Pickard style roller blind shutter.

Kind regards,

RJ

[Steven Tribe]

Touché!

My only defence is that LUC is a lot quicker to type than Silens! A silens (silence!) shutter is something of misnomer for the "lively" action of this type of shutter!

[Andrew Plume]

Hi,

It's a Silens Shutter - with the double S (snake like) symbol, often misconstrued as Luc Shutters - something Steven has done, despite owning one back in 2016 :)

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?132901-Vintage-Front-Lens-Mount-Shutter-Information-Request-S-amp-S-(-)

You can use a Sinar shutter cable to throw the shutter - there were several iterations of this shutter, one with a dial offering a fixed 1/60th shutter speed, a B and T dial turning option for front mounting on lenses.

They are practical alternatives for unwieldy barrel lenses to a Packard or Thornton Pickard style roller blind shutter.

Kind regards,

RJ

that's great RJ, I've owned a couple of these and always assumed they were 'Luc', of course one can always use a well fitting lens cap

and can I ask is your 'Whole Plate Forum' still active.................?

regards

Andrew

[RJ-]

Hi Steve,

Yes - the Luc shutters might be faster. I seem to have one with a default 1/15th second exposure, and compared to the 1/60th of the Silens.

I wonder if the Luc shutters can take a Sinar long throw shutter release cable too.


Hi Andrew - wow. It must be about 8 years since Googlegroups demolished the whole plate pages. It's a shame I don't have the technical skills to migrate the resources and pages, particularly of lens coverage for the whole plate format. Even now, I forget stuff which I wish I had easy access to!

Kind regards,
RJ

[Robert Opheim]

This is a Silens shutter made in Italy. Like the LUC shutter which I think was made in England. They all seem to take long throw release cables. There were a number of companies in Europe that made or sold these shutters. Correction the LUC was German made.

[Jim Andrada]

I have a LUC - very nice. I like it better than the Packard. I find a long throw release to be best - an old Prontor works well. Particularly the ones with a pair of "wings that rest on your fingers while the thumb trips it.

[Phil Hudson]

Thanks for all the responses - I didn't spot the threads on the shutter connection so assumed I needed a bulb and tubing!

[Robert Opheim]

Phil - my Silens shutter is slightly older that yours mine is #28423 and look just like your shutter. My shutter has a cable release location that projects out of the side as a silver metal cylinder and on the end with what looks like a nipple. Inside of the nipple is threaded for a cable release. I can't see clearly from your photo but I can see something between the open shut/shutter lever (P, _, A) and the branding lable "Thomas S Day" that looks like it could be the cable release, bulb release location. Note these take a LONG throw cable release. The first time I received mine I cleaned and adjusted it and took a finish nail to verify that the release was working. I use a rubber gasket on the end of my lens to screw the shutter to / and help as a light seal.

[Steven Tribe]

I can give some extra information to the OP about his Silens shutter. It is the version that was designed to be built into the camera - either on inside of of the front standard or behind a (large) lens board.

I just happen to have received a large (30x40cmj camera from Italy this morning, where this shutter is mounted behind the lens board and is still complete. If you look at the adjuster on yours, you will see that it has a gear-like head. This was mechanically connected to a matching head mounted on the lens board by a chain link. The allowed adjustment outside the camera. It was so smart as to combine the pneumatic release coupler which this setting mechanism.

The photos show the shutter mechanism inside (Rubber tube needs replacing!) and the shutter setting/pneumatic link on the lens board.

The camera also has a "new to me" universal iris lens clamp.