Huge Error - Help desperately needed (and don't laugh!!)

[747sp]

OK, I had a planned to use my Gandolfi 8x10 as a base for a 617 back - got a spare back made with a canham roll film holder, sourced a good Super Symmar 110xl in Scotland and finally put the whole thing together ready to use last weekend.

The stupidity (on my part) is incredible - I must unburden myself of this and ask for help...

The focal length is way too short for the lense to get close to focussing. What now - recess the back? recess the lense? - both? i have to admit that the distance (roughly) as it stands from the lense to the film screen is getting on for double what i need, so i am struggling.

I know now that I should have bought that Fuxi GX617, however that wouldn't be cricket would it?

Apologies for the rubbish low res photos - they are the best I can do with my ten month old sleeping next door.

If you can see from the frontal shot of the camera - the bellows are really rucked up - they are virtually new - it's as if there is too much material - is this because I store the camera closed up?

Thanks for your thoughts...

[domaz]

Sounds like you need to get a bag bellows or a 5x7 camera- that would work for 6x17 I think. Although it seems strange your bellows won't compress to at least 110mm, seems like they should be able to.

[cjbroadbent]

Nice Gandolfi there. I sometimes use a Sinar lensboard on mine. It fits. There may be a recessed Sinar board. I seem to remember having one for a 90mm angulon way back.

[Steve Sherman]

center the front standard so that it will collapse as much as possible back into the larger rear standard opening. (Deardorrf design would allow such a short lens to be used) Leave the knee braces which allow front standard to tip loose. This should allow the two standards to be close enough to accommodate the 110mm lens.

If the "feet" of either the front or rear standard do not allow such compression you are likely out out luck except for a recessed lens board.

Cheers

[Gem Singer]

Have you tried a combination of base tilt and axis tilt on the front standard?

The bellows will be compressed, and movements of the front standard will be severely restricted.

However, you might be able to move the lens backward enough to focus it at infinity.

If there is a recessed lens board available for that camera, it would help.

[Gem Singer]

Looks like Steve and I offered the same advice. We both answered at the same time.

Steve typed faster.

[EdWorkman]

Get a recessed lens board so you will retain a little movement from the bellows.
I had to make one for the 180 Protar I got from eddie so I could use alll the rise my 2D provides. The bonus is that the recess helps shade the lens.

[neil poulsen]

I'm thinking that S.K. Grimes could make you a recessed lens board that's as deep as you need for whatever lens you want to use.

[Michael Roberts]

I second the recessed lens board notion. If it works, it's an easy fix. However, looking at your 6x17 back, a recessed lens board by itself might not close the distance sufficiently. It looks to me like your reduction back is thicker than it needs to be.

I suggest you remove the lens board and try to measure the internal distance from the front of your lens back to the gg--i.e., try to determine how much recess a lens board would need to be to be able to focus at infinity. If the depth needed is too great to close with a recessed lens board alone, then you are going to have to consider recessing the back as well. It looks like the latter could be accomplished fairly easily by cutting the existing reduction back down on all four sides so it fits into the camera back then fixing it to a new frame (possibly recycling the trimmed-off bits plus new strips to "patch" in the difference). A good wood-worker (fine furniture, cabinet maker) could do this pretty easily. Whomever made your back could do it, I'm sure.

You can still get to where you want to go with the 110 and 6x17, just a little bump in the road...Let us know how it turns out.

[747sp]

The problem fixed itself! (and revealed the depth of my stupidity). I Read Steves reply a few times - esp. his comments re the deardorf design. Eddie (the current Mr Gandolfi) also suggested a fix. At the bottom of my front standard are a couple of wires you turn to let the whole assembly swing free - and undoing all the brass alows the whole front standard to centre itself. Crap picture off my iphone under the lights in my Kitchen. Thanks all!!!!

Now just got to get take some pictures!!!

[Ole Tjugen]

One nice thing about the Gandolfi is that it has rise/fall and shift on the lensboard itself, which is a great bellows-saver with short focal lengths. Loosen evrything to let the front standard "self-center" when pushed all the way in, tighten down to keep it in place, and use the sliding movements to adjust your perspective.