Lensboard for Lensboard Adapter

[William_5776]

I want to adapt a lensboard from each of my cameras to take a smaller lensboard, so I can use my lenses on all my cameras. I am looking for the smaller lenboard that I mount my lenses to. This lensboard should be about 110mm square or less. It should also have a light trap in the back that will allow lenses with big rear elements to clear when I put the lensboard on the adapter board. For example, the Technika lensboards are good because they are small, but their circular light trap at the back of the board is too small. Lenses with large rear elements will not clear. Lensboards I am thinking of using include Canham, Arca Swiss 110mm, and Calumet 400 Series 4x4 . Do you have any suggestions?

[tim atherton]

Toyo Field?

[Paul Butzi]

I think the Toyo lensboards for their field cameras are 110mm square.

If I'm not mistaken, Canham uses essentially the same board for the DLC45.

Since more than one manufacturer is making them, might they be a bit cheaper? Canham sells'em for $30 a pop, drilled. That's less than half the price of an Arca board from B&H, and not quite half of what a Toyo board costs.

If it's true that the Canham boards are the same as the Toyo boards, then I'd probably settle on that standard and buy the boards from Canham.

[Donald Hutton]

The only lens I have ever owned which could not fit through the "hole" (i.e. light trap) for a regular Linhof Technika lensboard was Schneider 90mm XL - every other lens I have owned works fine with Technika boards - even the 90mmXl had a removeable rear collar which enabled the lens to be used with Technika boards. I have standardized on Technika boards and shoot 4X5 to 12x20 with adaptor boards on the relevant cameras I own. They are very small, very compact and there are all sorts of adaptor boards available off the shelf. What lenses are you concerned about?

[Kerry L. Thalmann]

William,

It would help if we knew what cameras you have and what lenses you wish to share amongst them. It would also help to know if you need a recessed board to use with these cameras and lenses.

Kerry

[William_5776]

Thanks for your help. I once had the Bromwell Sinar-to-Technika lensboard adapter. The hole in the adapter board was too small for a 355mm G-Claron's rear element to pass through. I will use the adapter on a 12x20 Wisner and an 8x10 Wehman. I want to be able to use a 355 G-Claron or Nikon 360 W with my adapter.

[Donald Hutton]

I just bought a generic Sinar to Technika adaptor board on Ebay a couple of weeks ago - very cheap - $145 including 3 generic Technika boards. I have no issues with using my 355 G Claron on this adaptor board. I'm very surprized you're having a problem with a 355 G Claron - it does not have a very large rear element...

[Oren Grad]

I once had the Bromwell Sinar-to-Technika lensboard adapter. The hole in the adapter board was too small for a 355mm G-Claron's rear element to pass through.

William, the problem was with that particular adapter. I have a Sinar to Technika adapter that has an opening with a diameter of 83mm. It will easily swallow a 355 G-Claron, and I believe should accept a 360 Nikkor-W as well.

[Vick Vickery]

I'd adapt them all to use the 4x4 Calumet board...they're super-easy to make on a router or even on a table saw so the expense would be kept to a minimum. The small 3 5/8" x 3 3/4" Graphic boards would be a good choice, also. I put an old diaphram lens holder on one of my Cambo boards so that I can use lenses that aren't mounted on any board at all.

[William_5776]

I think I know the reason I had a problem with the Sinar-Technika adapter. I was using lensboards with the hole in the center. If the hole is below center on the lensboard (as are real Linhof boards), I think the rear element of the 355 G-Claron could have cleared. Don, do you use boards with off-centered holes?

[Oren Grad]

William - I just checked my Sinar-Technika adapter against a series of Nikon-branded, factory-drilled Technika-clone boards. The number 0 and 1 boards have off-center holes, but with the number 3 board, when the board is mounted on the adapter, the holes are aligned so that the axis of the lens mounted on the smaller board will be exactly on-center for the opening in the adapter board.