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View Full Version : What boards fit what cameras?



James R. Babb
21-Oct-1997, 17:57
Is there a FAQ or listing somewhere that might show what boards fit what cameras ? I.e., Sinars seem to fit Toyos; Linhofs fit lotsa stuff, etc.

On my quest for The Right Camera, meaning enough movements to tie it in a knot f or the close-up product photography I have to do, but enough portability so that i don't invent excuses not to stuff it in the backpack for things I want to do, I'm finding that one camera to do it all translates into muy $$$$$, and maybe I 'm better off with a generic low-ball monorail for the studio/close-to-home stuf f and a lightweight field camera for lugging into the sticks.

If, of course, they both take the same board.

Comment?

Sterling Black
4-Nov-1997, 02:30
I don't know of a source that tells which boards fit which other cameras; there are so few perfect fits but a lot of "in a pinch" ones. Some view camera compani es, like Toyo and perhaps Horseman, list in their catalogs a wide variety of ada ptor boards that let you easily switch between systems; call Mamiya America for the Toyo catalog and Calumet for the Horseman.

I cannot affirm strongly enough your sense that you might need two view cameras. There is no way to make a view camera that excels in both the field and the stu dio; some do both duties better than others do, but in almost every area (moveme nts vs. foldability, sturdiness vs. light weight, bellows extension vs. compactn ess, modularity vs. simplicity) the needs of a close-up indoor camera are direct ly opposite those of a field camera. You can pick up some very good monorails fo r a song and still have plenty left for a state-of-the-art field camera.

If lensboard-sharing is desirable, when shopping around you might watch for appe aling cameras of different brands that share boards. For instance, Canham makes very popular field cameras that use the Toyo board (and Toyo makes some highly a cclaimed monorails as well as field cameras).

Finally, you could consider investing in a good ($50) spanner wrench and simply remount your favorite lenses when you go out into the field. I do this constantl y--a couple of times a week--and it takes no more than two minutes per lens. Com pared to changing a pile film holders, that's nothing....

Good luck!

Brian Ellis
2-Dec-1997, 14:27
I don't know of a universal source of information about lensboard/camera compati bility. However, Linhof, Wista, and Horseman lensboards are all the same size an d will fit those respective cameras and also in Tachihara, Calumet Woodfield, an d Nagaoka(sp?) cameras.