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Frank R
14-Apr-2007, 09:02
From recent posts, especially mine, it seems that there is a great demand for those handy universal lens mounts. Not nearly enough come around to fill the demand and the prices are pretty high.

They look like a fairly simple device. Maybe there is a market opportunity here?

Ralph Barker
14-Apr-2007, 09:11
The market is probably limited to a few dozen units. That's probably not sufficient to get a manufacturer interested. Plus, at today's manufacturing costs, it's doubtful that such a mount could be made anew at less than an order of magnitude above the used prices.

Jim Rice
14-Apr-2007, 09:46
It was an almost good idea way back when. It was pretty expensive back in the days and you may rest assured it hasn't gotten cheaper. Rear element clearance would seem to be an issue as well.

Ash
14-Apr-2007, 12:04
Rear element clearance isn't an issue as long as you can shim the distance between mount and shutter, which can be adjustable I'm sure.

The problem is demand. As much as I'd like to own maybe two of them, I'm not sure I could fork out the cost of even ONE used model, and I'm sure the cost of making some would amount to more than it's worth to a user like me.

Ole Tjugen
14-Apr-2007, 13:02
Oddly enough this is one of the things that has incrased my number of cameras: An old universal lens mount with camera costs considerably less than the mount alone...

I confess to owning four of these things, with max opening diameters between 40 and 140mm.


There is actually something similar made today for optical testing. The only feature they don't have is screw holes for mounting on lens boards.

Frank R
14-Apr-2007, 14:23
There is actually something similar made today for optical testing. The only feature they don't have is screw holes for mounting on lens boards.

Where can these be found and what do they cost?

tim atherton
14-Apr-2007, 14:28
I wish someone still made that LF lens bayonet mount set-up for quick lens changing with just one lensboard

Had one for just one lens once (so not much use... it came with a bunch of stuff I bought) - saw a review of it in one of the old Camera and Darkrooms I was looking through of about 10 years ago or so

(hey and another product would be to revive the Jobo Lift assist handle - I'd read about them but never seen one - just found a photo in another old C&D - shouldn't be too hard to make my own... he says optimistically!)

Ash
14-Apr-2007, 14:28
pm us though, or else lurkers and passer-by's may cause price hikes due to demand :D

Ole Tjugen
14-Apr-2007, 15:05
Where can these be found and what do they cost?

I haven't unwrapped the latest catalogue yet (just arrived, and i've got a week's catching up to do first), but I believe there might be some at http://www.edmundoptics.com/ .

As to LF bayonet mounts: There was a recent effort at the German language LF forum - www.grossformatfotografie.de - to have some Voigtländer Bergheil-type lens mount bayonets made. The fittings were fine, and work just like the originals. So now i can use other lenses in #0 and #1 shutters on my Bergheils! :)

Ash
14-Apr-2007, 15:12
I'm not sure which iris diaphragms are which. I can see some are used literally as an iris for Aperture like in a modern lens. I'm finding it difficult to work out which are the stronger locking kind for mounting.