Linhof-type lensboards?

[Matthew Cordery]

Ok, this may seem dumb. When a manufacturer refers to "Linhof-type lensboards" I 'm assuming that more than one manufacturers lensboards will do. As far as I can guess, Linhof and Wista lensboards are interchangeable...true? Who else makes l ensboards that are "Linhof-type", if any? Can one find reasonably priced alterna tives? Matthew

[Bob Salomon]

One can find all sorts of alternatives but be aware that the hole in a Linhof Te chnika lensboard is not in the center so the optical center of the lens will be centered on the film when all settings are at 0.

Many 3rd party boards have the hole in the center of the opening and, on a Linho f, this will result in the lens not being properly centered on the film.

While this may not make much difference with long lenses it can create problems with wide angle lenses as the lens is pre shifted towards the top of the film and thus any fAll off can be accentuated.

Also current Linhof boards fit much tighter on recent Linhofs then old boards or 3rd party boards do.

[Larry Huppert]

The Wista boards I've used also have the hole off-center. I also once tried a Bromwell (Walker?) board, but didn't think it fit as well as the Wista.

[Matt Long]

I wasn't too keen on the offset hole on the Wista boards. I simply purchased the blank boards and had a local machine shop bore the properly sized hole in the center. Yes, the board comes with a pilot hole off center, but this does not come into play when centering a larger hole. The Wista boards are excellent and considerably cheaper than Linhoff. Good luck in your search.

[Matthew Cordery]

Hey guys, thanks a lot. I have a much better understanding now. I sure as heck didn't know that Linhof lensboards are drilled off center! I think I've found what I'm looking for now. Thanks very much! Matthew