Caltar 300mm II-N with 8x10 Explorer

[Jordan]

Will the relatively large lens fit the 8x10 explorer? I know I've asked a similar question in the past, but that was more in reference to copal 3's and the Explorer. Is a lens like the one I mentioned not recommended for the Explorer? Thanks in advance.

Jordan

[Oren Grad]

It will easily fit the Explorers that take Sinar boards, but I don't know about the recent ones that take Technika boards.

The specification for the rear cell diameter of the 300 Caltar II-N is 80mm. I just put a ruler to mine and it looks more like 79mm, but figure 80 to be safe. You can check that against the opening on your Explorer.

[Don Hutton]

Povided that you have the Copal 3 "spacer" ring, any lens in a Copal 3 shutter goes onto a latest model Explorer just fine; provided the rear element fits through the Technika 'hole'.

[Jordan]

It is the Technika lens board model. So will this work? Thanks guys.

[Jordan]

So I received a 300mm Caltar HR today and it won't fit the Explorer. The hole is big enough to put the rear element through, but too long to put the lensboard in properly. Is this because the Caltar I got is an "HR"? Let me know as I really needed a 300mm fo a project I am working on.

[tim atherton]

I'm not sure what the rear element is like on your lens, but I had a couple of lenses which were only just small enough in diameter to fit through the hole but the rear element was quite tapered towards the shutter, so you could put the rear element through the hole and then sort of shift it back and upwards to be able to put the bottom of the lensboard in the lip to mount it - if that makes sense...

BTW, I think the later style of Technika board on the 8x10 Explorer was one of the few mistakes Dick made in his designs.

The Explorer is very much a wide angle camera in many ways, but many of the wide angle lenses for 8x10 - Super Angulons, Grandagons, Nikkor SW's have rear elements that are too large to fit through the Technika sized hole and so can't be used.

[Jordan]

Yeah I tried just about everything to get that lens in there. Thanks anyhow Tim.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Is the back of the camera removable? This isn't a convenient solution, if you change lenses frequently, but if you just have one lens, or you just want to see how it works, you might take off the back, attach the lensboard without the rear element to the camera, and screw in the rear element from the back with the lensboard mounted on the camera.

[tim atherton]

[QUOTE=David A. Goldfarb;286658]Is the back of the camera removable? QUOTE]

Only by unscrewing the ground glass

[David A. Goldfarb]

So much for that idea.