Sinar or not Sinar

[Richard K.]

OK, how does one tell the difference (other than affect on bank balance!) between a genuine Sinar board and those nice Sinar copy boards being sold on eBay coming from Shanghai? :confused: I have an old real (I think!) one and the one I got from China looks identical - just possibly a little thicker. This time it may look like a duck, walk and quack like a duck but may not be a duck...so, in a strictly utilitarian sense, what's the difference? From an ethical stand-point, I'd rather the boards were advertised as "Sinar style" without the red dot, made in Switzerland, etc. but maybe in this day and age of rampant piracy, that's just a quaint irrelevance/conceit!?! OK back to photography now.

[BennehBoy]

I have a mix of sinar, horseman, and fake sinar boards, all work equally well.

[Oren Grad]

I've accumulated a pile of Sinar- and Horseman-branded boards over the years. What they have in common, compared to generic Sinar-type boards, is that they all have the Sinar or Horseman name somewhere on the board, either front or back. Not as a stick-on label, but as part of the casting itself.

[Richard K.]

That's exactly what these sold from China have; they look 100% authentic. But at $30 a (new) board, can they be?!?

[Oren Grad]

That's exactly what these sold from China have; they look 100% authentic. But at $30 a (new) board, can they be?!?

< light bulb >

Ahhh, that hadn't sunk in. Sorry. I doubt it - smells fishy.

FWIW, the extra thickness could be enough to make them unusable on some cameras and adapter boards. I've encountered compatibility issues with off-brand boards in Sinar, Technika, and Horseman field types - some cameras and adapter boards have such tight tolerances that the board has to be very close to spec to work properly.

[Photojeep]

As a 14 year Sinar owner, I too have purchased a number of boards from different manufacturers. All of my Sinar boards are identical in every way-size, thickness, etc. The "off-brand" that I purchased unknowingly was a bit thicker. Ironically it still fits the Sinar perfectly while the camera it didn't like it was my Tachihara 8x10 field camera. All it took for good fit was a minor adjustment to the 8x10. For all intents and purposes, they are all the same IMHO.

[Joshua Dunn]

I use Sinar and aftermarket boards, I see no real difference between the flat boards. Some recessed boards are a different story. With the work I do all of my wide angle lenses need to be on a recessed board. I have bought recessed aftermarket boards on eBay that just did not fit. I have several original Sinar recessed boards but have also bought several from Bromwell Marketing (obligatory notice that I have no affiliation to Bromwell Marketing) http://www.bromwellmarketing.com/. Their lens boards are not as sleek or sexy as the Sinar board but they work very well. You can also request what depth recess you want and what size hole (I needed a Copal 1 sized recessed board and don’t know if Sinar even made one).

I’ve talked to Ted Bromwell several times on the phone and he is a pleasure to do business with. His flat boards are as inexpensive as anyone on eBay and probably better quality. His recessed lens boards are not cheap but are far less than most used Sinar recessed boards, if you can find one.

-Joshua