Why are Wista boards "offset"

[ericantonio]

?
What's the reason?

[Gene McCluney]

Wista and Linhof boards are offset. So lets enlarge the question.

[Turner Reich]

Wista, Linhof, and Shen Hao are offset, so let further enlarge the question.

[Kuzano]

I have a Wista w/two wista boards... both offset downward. My thought is that the design of the camera does not allow enough "fall" on the front lens, so the lens hole is down about 1/4 inch to acheive that extra fall. When the front lens standard is set on the zero register mark, the lens is centered on the Ground Glass.

[Joe Lipka]

Offset as defined as the hole is not drilled directly in the center of the board, but above the center of the board?

If that is your question, it has to help with the rise/fall of the front standard.

That's what I was told.

[Brian Ellis]

Linhof Technikas don't have front fall so it doesn't have anything to do with front fall. Linhof lens boards are offset because given the design of the front standard, offsetting the board aligns the center of the lens with the center of the film. I actually didn't know that Wista and Shen boards were offset, maybe they're just copying Linhof for no reason or maybe their fronts have a design similar to Linhof. This has been discussed here a lot, a search should provide a lot of information.

[Oren Grad]

Linhof lens boards are offset because given the design of the front standard, offsetting the board aligns the center of the lens with the center of the film.

The question then becomes why Linhof designed the front standard that way. Perhaps Bob Salomon knows what the design considerations were.

[Peter K]

To get the needed rise of the lens, the standarts must be so long that the lensboard doesn't wobble. Since the first Technika the lensboard fills the whole "U" of the front standard. So the lens is mounted "offset" and there is room for the Linhof emblem too.

[Bob Salomon]

Look at the back of the lensboard at the circular light trap. That fills the 80mm hole in the camera body that the lens must pass through. When you look at that circle on the back of the board is the hole out of center in the circle?

That hole position on Linhof and Wista guarantee that a properly mounted lens is in the 0 position relative to the back.