Sinar Norma : focus knob adjustment

[peterman]

Hello there,

I've just found this fine forum, on a desperate search for instructions on Sinar Norma fine focus adjustments .

The Norma was the first large format camera I've ever used , back then when I was a photographer's intern; now being a photographer, my workhorse is the Sinar P2, along with an F2 .

Recently I purchased a Norma , in decent condition, it just needs a little attention here and there, in particular the rear focussing knob has some play and isn't as smooth as I'd like it to be (the front counterpart is perfect, of course).

I have found links here for a 'CLA' guide and scans of the manual, good stuff, only it doesn't cover adjusting the focussing assembly .
There also is a commercial video guide, it's just a little pricey in my humble opinion.

Would anyone be so kind to point me to instructions, if there are any, or give me some hints ?
I've taken apart most of the camera, located most screws and bolts and have kind of an idea of what they do, only the focus parts remain a mistery to me.

Thanks in advance,
Peter

PS: English isn't my first language, sorry for poor wording .

[peterman]

I found some more information on adjusting the Norma fine focus : Don't touch it if you don't know what you are doing !

Naturally, I didn't listen to this sound advice, and did some more exploring.
Many thanks to the kind person who put together the Sinar Norma CLA guide, I'd never have gotten that far without it .

The rear standard fine focus knob has some play, which I wanted to fix.

After lots of head-scratching, I chose to loosen screw #A a tad, and tighten set screw #B a little , assuming that would push the cogs of the focus rod closer to the cogs in the upper focus track assembly - and it actually removed some of the play !

I had to backtrack a little after the fine focus movement got a little rough, so I'm left with some play now, but it's better than before.


In the first image you can see the rear standard's bank holder - the whole focus knob assembly comes out easily when both screws are loose, while the front's standard's (second image) can't be removed; whichever is correct I have no idea ...

Also, I'm wondering what the grooves in the focussing rod are for (image 2, #C), or how rotating the rod affects focussing .
My rear one is loose, obviously, so I just put that one back the way it looked right.

Disclaimer : I have no idea if I did that the right way, this is not to be mistaken with a proper guide or manual !

Comments or suggestions ?

[Steven Tribe]

I'll take my norma out tomorrow and see whether I can spot anything which might help.
Actually, I have started and discovered that plastic turn knob is a little loose on the axel and the locking screw needs to be tightened on mine - this isn't your problem as well?

[Ivan J. Eberle]

Considering that your gear lash adjustment met with mixed results, you might also want to note the flat nylon rack gear is a replaceable wear item (Sinar reportedly still stocks them for the Norma). Suggest you dial indicate yours to see if the wear is significantly greater in, say, the middle of travel than toward the ends.

[Daniel Unkefer]

If I were you, I would spend the $40 on the CD and run through it until you are confident you can adjust something like this. The CD is really excellent, adjusting the Norma is something to be done by careful precision systematic adjustment, once you understand all the bits and pieces (it's complicated). Very easy to do it wrong, and scratch and score the mechanism. Or leave it to an Expert, if you aren't good at these sorts of things.

[Steven Tribe]

Having looked at my sinar norma 8x10, I must say that the details of the mechanism are completely different to what you show in your photos. Screws B do not exist and the attachment system is quite differently engineered. All gear parts are metal.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Yes my 8x10 Norma Rear Standard is -completely- different from the 4x5. However, with Philip Morgan's excellent CD video to refer to (it covers both versions of the 4x5 standards) I am confident I can eventually figure out the engineering on the 8x10 Norma. Luckily mine is smooth working with no play, so for now, I'm not going to mess with it. The CD covers complete stripdown to bare parts and complete reassembly and adjustment of the 4x5 standard. Worth every penny IMO.

You have to know -exactly- what you are doing, to in order to do this properly. There is alot to it.

[peterman]

Thanks a lot for your replies !

Steven: My turn knob sits tight , but thanks for pointing it out.
Your mechanism looks different indeed; screw B can be accessed after removing the monorail slider in front of it , which you don't seem to have .

Ivan: I did not notice any nylon parts in the gear assembly, it's all metal .

Daniel: So it seems like the video covers the focusing mechanism , I wasn't sure about that, thanks for clarifying.

I noticed quite some wear on the cogs and other parts in my rear mechanism, so I might have to shop around for a different rear standard anyways.