Shutters

[matt9078]

Hi All, can someone please explain the difference in shutters? Specificaly aside from size what is the difference between #0,#1 etc and what would a good general pupose one be.
Thanks, Matt

[Skorzen]

Basically the difference is size, and the best one is the one that fits your lens. Usually a different one is used for each lens so I am not sure exactly what you mean by a "general purpose" one.

[venchka]

I don't know much. What I do know is that lenses and shutters are matched by the manufacturers. Shorter focal length, smaller lenses get smaller shutters. Bigger, longer lenses get bigger shutters. You don't always get to choose the shutter for a given lens.

Bigger shutters have slower maximum speeds.

[Bob Salomon]

Normally you don't have a choice of shutters today. Virtually all new lenses in mechanical shutter are supplied in Copal shutters. A few are supplied in the self-cocking Copal Press shutter.

The size of the shutter is dependent on the threads on the lens. That is what dictates if the shutter is a "0", "1" or "3" size shutter.

What you can request are electronic shutters. Today those are made by Rollei in 0 and 1 sizes, by Horseman in 0, 1 and 3 sizes and Prontor Magnetic in 0 size. These are substantially more expensive then the lens in Copal shutter and all require expensive controllers to operate them.

[Peter K]

As smaller the shutter, as faster the fastest exposure time. With a Copal #1 it's 1/500 sec, size #1 1/400 sec and size #3 1/125 sec.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Hello from France and welcome to the view camera leaf shutter club !

Normally you don't have a choice of shutters today....
... if you buy a new lens factory-mounted with a mechanical shutter.

But as Bob mentioned you can request an electronic shutter... at a nominal extra cost ! I doubt that Bob will refuse to serve any customer requiring a German-made Rollei or Prontor magnetic and nothing else not made in Good ol' Europe (just to be the proud owner of a 100% European-made lens :D )

But if you buy a second-hand lens, you'll have a variety of discontinued shutters available.
Basically for sizes 0, 1 and 3, the sizes mostly used today (with the exception of the Packard shutter, but this is another story) older shutters like the compurs or the prontors feature the same threads & dimensions as the copal.
Or should I say, as an un-compromising Euro-patriot ;) : when the copal appeared, they had no choice but complying with the industry-standard sizes that were established before the second world war by shutter manufacturers (mostly German, but there were many other shutter manufacturers in the past, Ilex was not a German shutter, or was-it ? ;)

[Ernest Purdum]

Ilex was not a German shutter, though they held some patents licensed to Deckel, the Compound/Compur people. Despite the Germanic-sounding name, Wollensak shutters were made in the U.S.A., although by German immigrants, as were the shutters of Bausch & Lomb. Both of these shutters were common on European-made cameras for a long time. Regrettably, however, none of these makers adopted the now standard shutter sizes.

[BennehBoy]

There are also the more modern self cocking Prontor Pro shutters.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

There are also the more modern self cocking Prontor Pro

Yes ! I but too bad, the Protor Pro were discontinued by Gauthier at the beginning of this century....