hex rods and lens shades for Sinar Norma

[coa_lund]

I have a Noorma and I can see that the front standard has a slot for a hex rod. I got a hex rod ands a pair of bellow clips from ebay, but the bellow gets rotated 360/12 degrees so I cannot use it as a lens shade. Evidently, this particular equipment is not backward compatible to the Norma. Has anyone suggesttions how one solves the problem with lens shades on a Norma. Right now I use an auxiliary standard + an extra 4x5 bellow. Any help or suggesttion would be greatly appriciated.
coa_lund

[Frank Petronio]

The auxiliary standard is the better solution, albeit bulkier... otherwise search for the vintage clips, which are set at the correct angle. Why Sinar did this change was bizzare!

[philipmorg]

A description of the lightweight, compact Linhof shade I adapted to my Norma can be found here: http://www.philipmorgan.net/2010/04/05/a-new-compendium-for-my-sinar-norma/

It's a bit of work, but a very nice shade that efficiently shades lenses from 75mm to 300mm or longer.

[Adamphotoman]

Yes it was bizarre. However the vintage clip suffers from its design. It is less robust than both of the designs which followed and the compendium lens shade bellows easily falls out from the original clip. In my opinion only Sinar's lens Shade #1 really works well with this little clip. I found one on Ebay for somewhere around $100. I have seen them go for a little less but they are quite rare.
In the studio I use the more bulky f2 style accessory standard. It is easily adjustable and removable without disturbing the rest of the rig.
On location the original vintage design is okay with the Hood shade#1. At least it keeps weight down.
The 2nd generation or style and the 3rd generation clips both will rotate the bellows,
however I found a way to modify both of these clips to do the job without being weak. The 2nd generation clips are also hard to find. They come in a both a left and a right function. This is because they use a thumbscrew to tighten to the hex rod, so they need to be different to line up on both sides of the bellows.
Send me a PM and your email if you want better pics.

[Jerry Bodine]

The original Norma clip has a knurled-edge washer with the slot-head screw located at its 90-deg corner. Has anyone discovered the reason for this feature? I've never figured it out.

[Adamphotoman]

Jerry,
It is supposed to lock down the back side lip of some bellows. My picture shows the piece that you are talking about. The smaller threaded part accepts the larger thumbwheel on either side. The lens hood mask #1 has a large lip on the back side. The thumbwheel tightens down on the lip to make it a bit more secure. It works quite well with the lens shade mask #1.
Some of the older original bellows also have a larger lip but it does not work as well. Seems that as it is tightened to locked down a newer bellows, that the whole clip is forced out of the track and it pops out quite readily. Weight is also a contributing factor. The clip modification is much more secure
Grant

[Adamphotoman]

Here is a picture with the modification in use. You would look for a 2nd generation hex rod clip with the #1 inscribed on it. It is cut down and attached to the current hex rod clip (3rd generation) with bolts and washers. I did not find a glue that would work.

It is also possible to modify 2 of the newer current hex rod clips to do a similar task. let me show you in another picture.

Grant

[Adamphotoman]

Here is what you could do with an extra 3rd generation clip. The clips are solid plastic.
they machine / dremel/ file/ and tap easily.
Grant

[Jerry Bodine]

Grant,
Thanks for all that info. It's much appreciated.

[Adamphotoman]

My pleasure. Would love to see the solution that you finally decide upon.
Grant