Help choosing a shade/filter system for my 4x5 Galvin

[John Schneider]

This is something I’ve been around and around, and I can’t seem to find a system that does all that I want. So I’m looking for suggestions.

I have several older, tiny WA lenses (Perigon, VII Cooke, etc.), and even some larger Dagors, that have no filter thread, so I need a hood system which permits adding filters to these lenses, and additionally acts as a shade to more modern lenses with threads. Lying around I have a Lee system and a Linhof compendium for a Technikardan. If I only used modern lenses I’d just use the Lee system with the appropriate adapter ring.

I want to avoid the cost of a bunch of custom press-on adapter rings for the small lenses, so I think I need to incorporate the filter and shade together. I could use the Linhof compendium and add a threaded panel to accept my 67mm filters, but then I need independent positioning of the filter and hood (the filter needs to be positioned next to the lens, and the hood needs to be touching the lensboard). Otherwise ambient light will enter the filter from the back side (since the lenses are much smaller in diameter than my 67 filters) and reflect off the front surface and enter the lens and cause flare, which is the whole purpose of going through this exercise in the first place.

Does anyone have any suggestions, or personal experiences to show that I’m making a big fuss about nothing? Or maybe I should learn to do internal threading to a stop, and fire up the lathe and make the adapters myself?

[Jeff Keller]

I think it should be possible to mount a couple spring loaded v-shaped spring loaded clamps to the back of a rectangular filter holder. It could be quickly attached to a wide range of lenses. So far it is just another "to do".
Jeff

[lenser]

Self adhesive magnetic strips on the lens boards and thin ferrous metal strips on the back of the shade.

[Lynn Jones]

Hi John,

First you have a rare camera (Jim Galvin and I were close friends for well over 30 years until his untimely death), he and I cooperated with some design stuff over the years. he made only a few 4x5's and one or two 5x7's. I distributed Jims Galvin 23's for several years in 6 states, I did about 100 of them per year until Reagon's fiasco as president. I designed the Calumet lens shade/filter holder back in about 1965, it would allow the the darned thing to twist around as needed relative to the camera movements, not available anymore. Cambo used to make a prety good one but is was quite expensive.

Lynn

[Peter Gomena]

I forget the brand name, but there's a little, all-metal gel filter holder that attaches via a pair of padded springs. It has two little "barn door" flaps that can be adjusted to shade the lens. They were pretty common a dozen years ago. They are similar to the Lee rubber-band holder only with metal springs instead of rubber. I used to have one, I'll post a picture if I can find it.

Peter Gomena