(light weight) Lensboard for Shen-Hao

[Anders_HK]

Hi,

I am now owner of my very first piece of large format gear, a Nikkor 75mm f/4.5 SW. My plan is to buy a Shen-Hao TFC-45IIB.

Are there lens boards that are lighter weight than others, in order to save on weight in my bag, and which fit the Shen-Hao?

Thanks!

Anders

[Nick_3536]

Unless somebody makes a plastic board I can't imagine there would be a great deal of difference between them.

[Jay Wolfe]

You would save more weight with a lighter camera. Also, the 75mm lens would not be my choice for a first large format lens -- a 210 would be my first choice.

[Anders_HK]

You would save more weight with a lighter camera. Also, the 75mm lens would not be my choice for a first large format lens -- a 210 would be my first choice.

Vision is individual, if I could have one lens for 4x5 it is a 75mm, I like wides for landscapes :)

I think I found the answer: lensboard made of wood... :o

Anders

[redrockcoulee]

There is probably a very slight gain in weight going from the generic to the Linholf lensboards, I do not have any way of measuring such small differences. For some reason the generics fit my Shen Hao easier than the Linholf ones, most likely due to a slight increase in thickness in the "better" boards. In my camera bag I cannot feel the difference if I take out my smallest lens mounted on a lensboard so I would be very surprised if you would tell any difference in just the lensboard itself.

[Robert Glieden]

I have the shen hao tfc45 and use the generic shen hao lensboards. Be sure to check for light leaks with this combo - especially on the bottom of the lensboard where the triangle is notched out. I really like the camera.

[Len Eselson]

Chamonix offers a Linhof style board made of Carbon Fiber.
Given the weight of your Camera, Lens, Film Holders and other gear you'll probably haul around I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between the metal, wood, or carbon fiber boards. I suggest you save your money and get one of the generic ones.
You might want to check around and see if you'll need a recessed board for your 75.

If you still want the Carbon Fiber board check out http://www.chamonixviewcamera.com/

Len Eselson

[BradS]

The camera probably weighs in excess of 2.5 Kg. The lens probably comes in around 500 grams. A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera. Add a bag, some film holders, a dark cloth a note book, light meter and a hand ful of filters...really, the weight of the lens board becomes very insignificant.

As a wise man once said,

We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil. --- Donald Knuth


BTW: Shen Hoa make very nice linhof-style lens boards.

[Andrew]

I've got a technika so it's the same boards... the original linhof boards are very light, some of the other makes are a little lighter or heavier but I'd challenge anyone to tell the difference when there's a lens fitted!

the lens board isn't the mass equivalent of a "rate limiting step" so if weight was your primary concern I'd rethink the camera to a lighter unit before I'd worry about the boards because you could potentially save the equivalent of a light-weight lens

bottom line, even if you're concerned with weight I'd just go an aluminium board

[vinny]

Several of my technika sized lens boards are plastic. I never thought that they may be lighter when I made them. Just drill a bigger hole!:) I'd sell you some if I had more lying around.

[Really Big Cameras]

I'm a notorious ounce counter, but even I know when I've reached the point of diminishing returns.

I just weighed a couple dozen Technika style lensboards. In the Copal No. 1 size, my most common, all the boards I weighed were 1.5 oz. +/- 0.1 oz. I weighed genuine Linhof boards, Wista boards and two or three kinds of generic boards. So, there really isn't a lot of potential for weight savings here - short of the Chamonix carbon fiber boards.

It's too bad the old Speed Graphic boards didn't catch on as a universal standard. They were very light (about 1 oz. for a Copal No. 1), but still rigid thanks to the stamped, folded over edges, that also served as a light trap. They were stamped, not machined like most metal lensboards these days. I have several of the Graphic lensboards that were made by Toyo after they acquired the Graphic design. I think these may still be available new from Toyo - at least they were about 8 or 10 years ago when I bought mine.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

[John Schneider]

I stumbled onto a stock of aerospace-grade unobtanium sheet, which I now use to make all my boards. Stronger than steel and weighs next to nothing...

[Wilbur Wong]

Several of my technika sized lens boards are plastic. I never thought that they may be lighter when I made them. Just drill a bigger hole!:) I'd sell you some if I had more lying around.

Vinny,

All the technika boards that I use have a circular light baffle on the bellows side where it nestses into the hole of the front standard (on Linhof). Did you build that into your darkslides? or for your camera I take it you do not have any light leak issues.

[mrladewig]

You'd do better at the camera with a Tachihara versus a Shen Hao for weight.

But if you are concerned with lensboard weight, you can make the teknica style boards from wood. They are much lighter than the metal ones, but much more fragile.

[Anders_HK]

You'd do better at the camera with a Tachihara versus a Shen Hao for weight.

But if you are concerned with lensboard weight, you can make the teknica style boards from wood. They are much lighter than the metal ones, but much more fragile.

Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB is 1.7kg, or same as Tachihara's lightest...

I like the Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB, and can buy it and accessories at low cost in their store in Shanghai.

Much thanks to all advises in posts above...

Anders

[Gordon Moat]

Be careful with carbon fibre lens boards, while they are strong, they are also brittle. If you over tighten the lens retainer, you can fracture the board. I think the aluminum boards are fairly light anyway, and they are definitely strong. Ebony also make a wooden lens board, which looks nice, though I doubt it saves much weight.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat Photography (http://www.gordonmoat.com)

[Bob Salomon]

The latest Linhof 001013 lensboard with pilot hole weighs 1.8 oz. That includes the weight of the Linhof crest.

The latest Wista flat lensboard with a "0" hole also weighs 1.8 oz with the Wista crest.

These boards also have the Linhof raised light trap and the ground bearing surfaces to assure proper positioning and fit to Linhof and Wista cameras.

I would seriously doubt that you could make a proper board that weighs less out of wood or another material and maintain the precision of these factory boards.

But you are certainly welcome to try.

[Bob Salomon]

[QUOTE=BradS;420453]A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera.]

The Linhof and Wista flat boards are about half that weight.

[Really Big Cameras]

[QUOTE=BradS;420453]A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera.]

The Linhof and Wista flat boards are about half that weight.

There's no way any generic technika style lensboard weigh anywhere close to 100g - that's over 3.5 ounces. As I stated above, I weighed several genuine Linhof and Wista boards, as well as multiple "brands" of generic technika style boards. All were drilled for Coapl 1 shutters and all weighed between 1.4 and 1.6 oz. If anything the genuine Linhof boards were slightly heavier (about 0.1 oz. on average) than the generic boards.

I just received a large shipment of generic technika style lensboards from a reliable supplier. I weigh 20 boards (Copal 1 hole) and they were all between 1.40 and 1.45 oz.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

[Really Big Cameras]

Ebony also make a wooden lens board, which looks nice, though I doubt it saves much weight.

Actually, the Ebony lensboards are metal with a very thin wooden veneer on the face. That gives the attractive appearance of a wooden board, but the strength and rigidity of a metal board.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

[Bob Salomon]

[QUOTE=Bob Salomon - HP Marketing;421728]

There's no way any generic technika style lensboard weigh anywhere close to 100g - that's over 3.5 ounces. As I stated above, I weighed several genuine Linhof and Wista boards, as well as multiple "brands" of generic technika style boards. All were drilled for Coapl 1 shutters and all weighed between 1.4 and 1.6 oz. If anything the genuine Linhof boards were slightly heavier (about 0.1 oz. on average) than the generic boards.

I just received a large shipment of generic technika style lensboards from a reliable supplier. I weigh 20 boards (Copal 1 hole) and they were all between 1.40 and 1.45 oz.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

I didn't say they weighed that much. I said they weigh 1.8 oz on a US Postage scale.

Brad said they weigh maybe 100 grams.

Please check your quotes.

[Really Big Cameras]

I didn't say they weighed that much. I said they weigh 1.8 oz on a US Postage scale.

Brad said they weigh maybe 100 grams.

Please check your quotes.

Bob,

The problem with the quotes goes back to your original response to Brad. You forgot to add the closing [/quote] tag to your post. As a result, every post made in response, including your latest one, has messed up quote tags.

Since I can't go back and edit my previous post, here's the entire exchange with proper attributions:


A standard, generic technika style lens board made of aluminum maybe weighs 100g......so....the lens board is something like 3% of the total weight of the camera.


The Linhof and Wista flat boards are about half that weight.


There's no way any generic technika style lensboard weigh anywhere close to 100g - that's over 3.5 ounces. As I stated above, I weighed several genuine Linhof and Wista boards, as well as multiple "brands" of generic technika style boards. All were drilled for Coapl 1 shutters and all weighed between 1.4 and 1.6 oz. If anything the genuine Linhof boards were slightly heavier (about 0.1 oz. on average) than the generic boards.

I just received a large shipment of generic technika style lensboards from a reliable supplier. I weigh 20 boards (Copal 1 hole) and they were all between 1.40 and 1.45 oz.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

[mrladewig]

Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB is 1.7kg, or same as Tachihara's lightest...

I like the Shen-Hao TFC45-IIB, and can buy it and accessories at low cost in their store in Shanghai.

Much thanks to all advises in posts above...

Anders

My mistake. I did not see which model. The common Shen Hao HZX 4x5 II field camera weighs a pound or two more than the Tachihara.

I've hand carved a couple lensboards from flat 1/8th Bubinga wood, and found that it is much lighter than the metal boards, but also much more fragile. I don't have a postage scale, but if the metal board weighs 1.6 oz I would guess that the woods ones weigh about .8oz. They are certainly nice looking and fit very well in the camera because I carved the necessary notches to fit exactly with my camera. Sadly, the #00 board I made broke when it was stressed. I needed to make that board thinner to provide focus with the 65mm lens and I think it weakened the board too much.

[BradS]

There's no way any generic technika style lensboard weigh anywhere close to 100g - that's over 3.5 ounces. As I stated above, I weighed several genuine Linhof and Wista boards, as well as multiple "brands" of generic technika style boards. All were drilled for Coapl 1 shutters and all weighed between 1.4 and 1.6 oz. If anything the genuine Linhof boards were slightly heavier (about 0.1 oz. on average) than the generic boards.

I just received a large shipment of generic technika style lensboards from a reliable supplier. I weighed 20 boards (Copal 1 hole) and they were all between 1.40 and 1.45 oz.

Kerry Thalmann
Really Big Cameras (http://reallybigcameras.com)

Thanks Kerry. You have supplied strong evidence in support of my statement. Obviously, I was just pulling numbers out of the air to demostrate a point. The fact that I grossly over estimated the weight of a lensboard...well, it only strengthens my point - doesn't it?

[John Schneider]

[QUOTE=Really Big Cameras;427975]

I didn't say they weighed that much. I said they weigh 1.8 oz on a US Postage scale.

Brad said they weigh maybe 100 grams.

Please check your quotes.

For reference, I put the four boards I have at the lab on an analytical balance:

generic Copal 0 - 43g
generic Copal 1 - 38g
Linhof Copal 3 - 38g
Linhof recessed Copal 0 with old-style quicksocket - 75g

[Anders_HK]

I must confess that my memory from when I first demoed the Shen-Hao was false... I now have the TFC45-IIB and the lens board weighs next to nothing :) . I think they are made of aluminum.

Because I bought the 617 adapter also I bought a recessed Shen Hao lens board for my 75mm lens and that one too is very very light. Pardon my newity to 4x5... but the Shen Hao do seem very lovely ... I like it. Still more to learn...

Anders

[walter23]

I think I found the answer: lensboard made of wood... :o

You can make a lensboard from 1/16th birch plywood - you can find it at model toy stores (people use it for RC airplanes).

It doesn't feel particularly sturdy so I'd suggest making a spare or two to throw in your bag for emergencies. I think two of them would still be lighter than a metal board... but of course this is a pretty insignificant weight savings. Maybe 10 to 20 grams for a single board?