woohoo too

[Colin Howarth]

Well, my Sinar F1 has arrived, as has the Sironar N 210/5.6 MC (BTW is there any difference between this lens and one additionally marked APO ?) I have some film holders and some film. I have a tripod, a cheap loupe, shutter release and a blanket. I have a Super Angulon 90/8 MC on the way.

I'm ready to go! Just have to load some film and look for something interesting to take a picture of :-)

Unfortunately, the camera didn't come with an instruction manual.

1. I've understood the Sinar depth of field / aperture scale on the rear standard fine focus knob. I don't know what the knob on the opposite side is for. It seems to be a zero-able dial indicating front-back movement of the rear standard (indicating 0.8 for each 1 mm of movement?). What's it for?

2. The Sinar site mentions for the F1/F2 "Patented 2-point focusing and angle calculator scale lets you calculate exact swings and tilts in seconds ... with no guesswork! How?"

Yes indeed, how? What is this? :-) I see an angle scale. Can't imagine one can patent an angle scale :-)

3. I've heard the cut-outs at the corners of the the screen are for checking vignetting. How do I do this? Do I just peer through them and see if I can see light from the lens?

4. Exposure correction factors. I've understood bellows extension correction. I assume there are no corrections for tilts/swings ?

Thanks,

colin

[Steve H]

Ok, First things first:
From: www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23891 (http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?t=23891)



Focusing

Tilts:
1. Focus on the bottom horizontal dotted line on the groundglass.
2. Zero the angle calculator on the left side of the rear standard by turning it until the 0 lines up with the white mark.
3. Focus on the top horizontal dotted line on the groundglass using the fine focus on the rear standard. The angle calculator will automatically indicate the required degree of tilt.
4. Set the front standard tilt to the angle indicated on the dial.
5. Adjust focus if needed.

Swings:
1. Focus on the right-hand vertical dotted line on the groundglass.
2. Zero the angle calculator on the left side of the rear standard by turning it until the 0 lines up with the white mark.
3. Focus on theleft-hand vertical dotted line on the groundglass, using the fine focus on the rear standard. The angle calculator will automatically indicate the required degree of swing.
4. Set the front standard swing in the angle indicated on the dial.
5. Adjust focus if needed.

Depth of Field:
1. After setting any swings and tilts, focus on the farthest point you want to keep in focus.
2. Set the depth of field scale to the zero point by lining up the arrow on the scale with the white dot on the camera. Turn the scale only, not the focusing knob.
3. Focus on the nearest point you want to keep in focus, using only the fine focusing drive on the rear standard.
4. Set your aperture to the f/stop indicated on the depth of field scale.
5. Turn the rear fine focus knob back until the depth of scale reads half your working f/stop (for example, from f/22 you would turn babck to f/11). You are now focused at the optimum point for that depth of field.



Vignetting
Yup, that's how you do it



Exposure Correction
I don't believe that there is correction for T/S/S. After all, you are only moving a portion of the image away from the film, not the whole thing.





Hope that helps,

[steve simmons]

Sinar has a how-to book on large format specifically to help people with Sinar cameras. Try your local library or E-Bay. Trying to gethelp here with short answers and no illustrations will prove to be difficult

steve simmons

www.viewcamera.com

[Steve H]

I really didn't think that my post was a short answer....But you are right about the illustrations - so here:

www.galerie-photo.com/mise_au_point_systeme-sinar.html (http://www.galerie-photo.com/mise_au_point_systeme-sinar.html)

www.sinar.ch/sinar/seminar/e_knowhow.html (http://www.sinar.ch/sinar/seminar/e_knowhow.html)

yandr.50megs.com/sinar/f/f.htm (http://yandr.50megs.com/sinar/f/f.htm)

[Leonard Evens]

Some quibbles.

I don't have a Sinar, but I understand the basic principles they have built into their caclulators. If you don't tilt or swing, then selecting the near and far points is the right way to proceed. But if you do tilt or swing, you in a sense have already chosen the near and far points to determine the tilt or swing angle and as a result the plane of exact focus which passes through them. To understand what you do next, you have to understand what the region of adequate focus looks like. For tilt, it is bounded above and below by two planes which meet in the so-called hinge line (usually) below the camera. You then look for a point above the plane of exact focus and a point below the plane of exact focus as your reference points. Either could be nearer or further than the other. They could even be at the same distance. The aim is to arrange by appropriate choice of f-stop that these points end up in the bounding planes. For a swing the region of adequate focus is bounded to the right and the left by two such planes meeting in the hinge line which is on one side or the other of the lens. In that case, you choose points to the right and to the left of the plane of exact focus. Again, either could be nearer or further than the other or they could be at the same distance.

One other point. The f-stop the Sinar chooses is based on an assumed maximum allowable circle of confusion. That will work for most people most of the time. But coc really depends on how the final image will be viewed and by whom, so some people may be more demanding. They will want to choose a smaller aperture than that which the caclulator gives you. In that case, you still use the methods described above but change the f-stop after all the focusing is done.

[Colin Howarth]

Well now, what impressive answers. Thanks, in particular SteveH. All questions perfectly resolved (illustrations not needed) with a bonus link to the instructions :-)

[Mark_3632]

Get the Sinar catalog. It has a description of the system. Unfortunately it is a lot like Playboy. There might be some good reading in there, but you spend your time checking out the pictures, again and again, and again........and again.

It is a handy thing to have. It helped this visual learner a lot. Have fun with your F1. Mine gets used more than my other 4x5s.