sinar shutter and barrel lenses

[Hollis]

I have way too many old brass lenses and other assorted barrel lenses that I am not getting enough use out of due to the fact that have no shutter. I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with using the sinar shutter with theses type of lenses. To me, a nice sinar F with the shutter, an iris up front to hold lenses and a handful of old brass would be a pretty formidable system.

[Martin Miksch]

If you want to take benefit of the auto-stop-down feature you need a Sinar camera, or at least an adapted back, and sinar lensboard. Beside this with a little DIY you can use the shutter with all types of cameras and lensboards, I put mine into an old Seneca 5x7 wooden field camera, I choose the Competitor view, it has a fixed front standard so it easy takes the weight of the shutter and the larger lens.
It works fine, on the pics a hefty 270 Schneider Xenar is mounted.
Regards
Martin

[Bjorn Nilsson]

I've done just what you describe and it works really well. If you don't plan to work with modern DB mounted Sinar optics, you can go for the older version of the shutter, without the aperture control, which should go for very little money. (They are painted greenish gray, and they were used with the Sinar Norma cameras.)
This will also give you more money to buy an iris style lens holder, which seems to sometimes cost really crazy money, at least on FleaBay.

//Björn

[Hollis]

Yeah, i don't plan on using any of the modern Sinar lenses - it takes all the fun out of it for me. Those iris' are damn expensive as well, there are two of them on fleabay right now - should be interesting.

Currently, I am shooting with a Wista 45sp for my 4x5 and then I have a few older 8x10's that are pretty junky so they don't come out much. I am tempted to sell my Wista and get a Sinar F series, I just don't know - I have become attached to that damn Wista.

[phil sweeney]

Greetings,

I don't know anything about the "iris style lens holder." Could someone attach a photo and explain further? I have a few barrel lenses I'd like to use also.

[Uusilehto]

Greetings,

I don't know anything about the "iris style lens holder." Could someone attach a photo and explain further? I have a few barrel lenses I'd like to use also.

It's basically a very large and sturdy iris that can be locked in place. It simply clamps on to the lens threads. Fantastic gadget. No need to carry all those lens boards along anymore.

http://www.kolumbus.fi/uusilehto/img/irisclamp.jpg

[Hollis]

Nice setup there, you know, I think there is one on the 'bay right now that looks damn similar.

[phil sweeney]

Thanks for posting the photo!

[Ernest Purdum]

A couple of thoughts about the iris lens holders. I use two of them, but with caution. Several times I have had a lens come loose from them and once a lens actually dropped.

Secondly, the holder shown is a very large one, providing lots of room between the adjustment and locking knobs and the shutter shown. Smaller holders typically will not have clearance for shutter-mounted lenses, just lenses in barrel.

[Ole Tjugen]

I haven't had any lenses drop out of mine - yet. Of course I wouldn't trust one with an unsupported 14" Petzval, but even a 640mm aplanat sits safely in the biggest one. It all depends on the weight distribution.

One useful trick is to put a single layer of electrician's tape on the threads where the flange should have been. That gives the iris something to "bite" in.

At the moment I have - enough iris holders that I've been accused of emptying the market. That just can't be true, since I got all mine cheap... :D

[Hollis]

Care to sell any of them Ole?