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Lars Daniel
17-Jul-2010, 03:43
First I should briefly follow up on my thread about XPO or Chamonix: I could just not resist Baxters Ebony 45SU :D

Now I was trying to figure out what lens boards to get, looking at KEHs list. Problem is that I see there are Linhof-type boards that have straight edges and some have an odd profiled lower edge. To further confuse me some have a centered hole and some holes are closer to the bottom.
To be specific, I am looking for what KEH calls a 35 hole board and one with a 42 hole (for 90mm SA f5.6 and 210mm Fuji W-CM f5.6). I would be very grateful, if some kind soul could point out exactly which ones that are the ones I need.

I feel a bit stupid for not being able to figure it out, but my google-fu has definitely been weak on this matter.

Thanks!

Lars Daniel
17-Jul-2010, 05:04
Ah, I got the help I needed. Off course the ones that look like the Ebony ones:
http://www.ebonycamera.com/media/acc/lensboards.jpg

Lachlan 717
17-Jul-2010, 05:56
Linhof boards. Come in #00, #0, #1, #3 etc, rather than mm diameter. Refers to the shutter size you intend to attach.

Gem Singer
17-Jul-2010, 06:46
You need a Copal 0 for the 90SA and a Copal 1 for the 210 CM-W.

Email: jim@mpex.com

He stocks genuine Ebony lens boards.

They are slightly more expensive than the off-brand Linhof Tech type boards, but worth the extra cost.

Brian Ellis
17-Jul-2010, 08:31
You need a Copal 0 for the 90SA and a Copal 1 for the 210 CM-W.

Email: jim@mpex.com

He stocks genuine Ebony lens boards.

They are slightly more expensive than the off-brand Linhof Tech type boards, but worth the extra cost.

In what way were they worth the extra cost? I'm curious because I've owned two Ebony cameras and used an Ebony board, Linhof boards, Linhof knock-off boards, and a Wista board on them. I didn't see any difference among them in terms of use on the camera. One of the knock-off boards was the Adorama brand and it felt a little flimsy compared to the others but even it worked fine. The Ebony board was actually cosmetically the worst of the bunch, it had a big wrinkle or ripple running along the front.

Gem Singer
17-Jul-2010, 08:46
Brian,

When I owned an Ebony camera, I found that non-Ebony boards were either slightly too thick or thin to properly fit the front standard. I tried several different makes.

The genuine Ebony lens boards were the exact thickness. The sliders that held them in place worked smoothly and they didn't rattle around like the generic ones made of thinner metal.

Besides, covered in Ebony grained plastic laminate, with the Ebony logo they looked like they belonged on an Ebony camera (see pictures on post #2, above).

None of my genuine Ebony boards had wrinkles or defects.

Brian Ellis
17-Jul-2010, 08:55
Brian,

When I owned an Ebony camera, I found that non-Ebony boards were either slightly too thick or thin to properly fit the front standard. I tried several different makes.

The genuine Ebony lens boards were the exact thickness. The sliders that held them in place worked smoothly and they didn't rattle around like the generic ones made of thinner metal.

Besides, covered in Ebony grained plastic, they looked like they belonged on an Ebony camera.

None of my genuine Ebony boards had wrinkles or defects.

That's surprising but I'll take your word for it. All I can say is that I never experienced those problems using the variety of different boards that I mentioned. While the Adorama board was flimsy looking (and I wouldn't buy another one from them) I don't recall it rattling around.

Gem Singer
17-Jul-2010, 09:19
Brian,

You asked why I thought that Ebony lens boards are worth the extra cost.

At no time did I state that generic boards cannot be used on an Ebony camera.

From my experience, genuine Ebony boards fitted the front standard of my Ebony more accurately than generic boards.

I have a friend that owns a Linhof Master Tech. He would never think of using generic lens boards on it. He pays dearly to obtain genuine Linhof boards with the Linhof logo.

His thoughts, he would not use Ford parts on his Chevy.

Jack Dahlgren
18-Jul-2010, 07:43
I think the wista boards fit fine, and I've made my own boards to fit as well.

filmfan45
23-Jan-2013, 18:10
Curious what kind of Ebony boards you have. Mine are all definitely not Ebony grained plastic laminate, but are actually a genuine Ebony Wood veneer. Are the recent boards plastic / cheapened?

Martin Aislabie
25-Jan-2013, 11:11
I have an Ebony Lens Board about 4 years old

Its base is a plastic substrate but with an Ebony wood veneer on the front (outer) surface.

Sounds like mine is rather like yours

Martin

Sal Santamaura
13-Aug-2015, 16:08
A follow up question about Technika-type lens boards for the Ebony SV45Ti and its variants. I own Ebony SV57 and SV Wholeplate cameras. Both of them have two vertical rise alignment dots on their front standards, separated by around 7mm. The lower one (green) is to be used for lenses mounted on lens boards with holes drilled centered in their light traps. The upper dot (red) is for lenses mounted on lens boards with holes drilled offset down in their light traps, like the Copal 0 and Copal 1 Ebony brand boards shown in post #2 above.

Pictures of the Ebony SV45Ti show a single, red alignment dot on the front standard. That, combined with the downward-offset holes in Ebony's own lens boards, leads me to conclude that one cannot center a lens vertically on the film if it's mounted on a center-drilled lens board. The only workaround I can imagine would be to crank in 7mm of rear rise. Not an easily repeatable procedure, unless one adds reference marks back there too.

Would anyone who owns a folding 4x5 Ebony camera please confirm or refute my analysis? Thanks in advance.

Steve Barber
14-Aug-2015, 15:09
A follow up question about Technika-type lens boards for the Ebony SV45Ti and its variants. I own Ebony SV57 and SV Wholeplate cameras. Both of them have two vertical rise alignment dots on their front standards, separated by around 7mm. The lower one (green) is to be used for lenses mounted on lens boards with holes drilled centered in their light traps. The upper dot (red) is for lenses mounted on lens boards with holes drilled offset down in their light traps, like the Copal 0 and Copal 1 Ebony brand boards shown in post #2 above.

Pictures of the Ebony SV45Ti show a single, red alignment dot on the front standard. That, combined with the downward-offset holes in Ebony's own lens boards, leads me to conclude that one cannot center a lens vertically on the film if it's mounted on a center-drilled lens board. The only workaround I can imagine would be to crank in 7mm of rear rise. Not an easily repeatable procedure, unless one adds reference marks back there too.

Would anyone who owns a folding 4x5 Ebony camera please confirm or refute my analysis? Thanks in advance.


On mine, the red mark centers the holes drilled offset down on the lensboard. If you want to center a lensboard with the hole drilled in the center of the light trap, you just move the standard down, away from the red mark, the necessary amount.

Sal Santamaura
14-Aug-2015, 16:03
On mine, the red mark centers the holes drilled offset down on the lensboard. If you want to center a lensboard with the hole drilled in the center of the light trap, you just move the standard down, away from the red mark, the necessary amount.Thanks very much. I seem to have assumed that, since there was only the single red dot, no further front fall would be available. Like a Technika or Wista VX/SP. Otherwise, why leave off the green dot? Yet another example of why one ought never assume. :)