What am I missing out on with my terrible lens boards?

[Vascilli]

So earlier this year I picked up a beat up Eastman Commercial View 8x10. No lens, no boards. No problem, I have a Rodenstock 480mm from the 4x5 kit I bought a few years ago that hasn't been used for lack of bellows draw. Okay, what about the lens board? Well the Commercial View takes 6x6 flat boards so dad and I get some cheap aluminum plate, cut a 6x6 square, then cut out the sorriest excuse for a circle possible using a drill to make holes about the circumference and a jigsaw from hole to hole to punch out a gear-looking thing. Liberal use of a file turned the hole into some sort of egg circle, and finally the lens fits. Put it on the camera and boom there's an image in the ground glass. Fast forward to a few days ago and I'm doing the same thing for a wide-angle. Coated the inner sides of both boards with some matte Rustoleum and things seem okay. Took four exposures or so with the 480mm in May and the slides look fine. The wide-angle shows an image and I ought to be taking some photos with it once the shutter's working. Now I know my scientific instrument maker grandfather is rolling in his grave over our absence of any figment of precision, but with a ground glass that shows stuff I'm pretty happy. Is there really anything to benefit by having properly made lens boards or should I just carry on wasting film in my pile of scrap?

[Steve Smith]

It doesn't need to do much more than hold the lens in place and not leak or reflect light. If it does that without falling off then it's as good as any other lens board.


Steve.

[Vascilli]

As I thought. We made a prototype of masonite and I think it was actually a bit better. Besides being much easier to make and lighter, the inner side was completely matte after paint. These ones still have a slight sheen so I might glue some felt on.

[Leigh]

The only potentially critical aspect of a lensboard is that the face is really vertical when the board is mounted.
If the board is not accurately vertical it can introduce slight distortion in the image.

Most better lensboards have bosses accurately machined on the reverse, abutting surfaces on the front
standard, to ensure that this condition is met.

I suggest that this is not a concern in the general case, and you shouldn't worry about it.

- Leigh

[Shen45]

Vascilli,Vascilli,Vascilli :)

You are letting done the side by being active in the production of a lensboard. You need to agonise for weeks about whether the hole is round enough or whether the aluminium is the right thickness and whether the thickness is uniform to within the tolerance of a bee's -- whisker. You need also to stress for weeks that even though your results are excellent - could they be better by paying $200 to have a super duper board made for you? Also don't forget you need to ask many more questions on the forum as to the brand of drill to use, the type of CNC machine to buy and what version of AutoCad needed to design the superior board. When and only when the post count reaches at least 100 will you have enough information to approach this daunting task head on -- or you could use the great effort you have already made and really enjoy some great photography. Some of the guys here have been known to use matt board and hot glue as a temporary measure and never get around to building the final product. All of what I've written is tongue in cheek. Well done.

[mdm]

Ha, ha, ha. You need a 500hp chainsaw with the drill attatchment to make a suitable hole in a block of solid mahogany, or a 500t mill to machine down a hunk of steel heavy enough to weigh down the hulk. Not to mention a PhD in lens boardology. Some experience in rocket controll sytems and electronics is quite a help. Most of all you need to know how to spell. A fondness for mushy pixies and post pimple high school seniors wont be out of place either. Please stay away from front movements when making portraits, so your lensboard wont fall out.

[Bob Salomon]

A lensboard has a few things that make it work properly.
1 it has to fit the camera and not leak light.
2 it has to hold the lens and not leak light.
3 It has to be flat and be parallel to the ground glass at all points when no movements are used.

That last step is why lensboard holes are not made the way yours was.

Holes in lensboards are milled, not drilled. Drilling can create problems where the board is no longer perfectly flat.
If the board can't be milled then another option is to use a Greenlee punch.

Since dwpth of focus is more critical with shorter lenses that could mean that if your technique created a problem it would be more likely to show up with the wide angle, not with a 480mm.

[Fotoguy20d]

Matte rustoleum is fine. Drilling the board is fine - if the edges are rough or mushroomed, use a dremel or sandpaper. Masonite is fine. As long as the thing is light tight (electrical tape can help there), and everything fits snugly and nothing goes splat on the concrete, just have fun with it. If you're not happy with the results, then you can worry about wood/metal working. But, I'd be surprised if it ever came to that.

Dan

[DKirk]

Hey, I made one of mine from 4mm Aluminium sheeting from a cut out from those boards that are an aluminium sandwich with a polystyrene filling. Thats holding a 360mm f5.6 symmar and it's holding up fine. Though on the cosmetic scale it does make fugly look attractive. . .

[Jody_S]

Old masonite is a great source of material for lensboards, especially if you're not planning on leaving a lens permanently attached to the camera (so you don't care what it looks like). I personally use old pieces of pre-finish from the 70s, it's a thicker material than the current cardboard pre-finish, and the back is actual laminated wood. The wood can be stained and varnished to resemble mahogany, if I ever feel like making one pretty and finished-looking.

[DrTang]

hey..your lensboard looks just like mine. drill..cut it out crudely..file to fit..electrical tape up the mistakes....good to go

[E. von Hoegh]

So earlier this year I picked up a beat up Eastman Commercial View 8x10. No lens, no boards. No problem, I have a Rodenstock 480mm from the 4x5 kit I bought a few years ago that hasn't been used for lack of bellows draw. Okay, what about the lens board? Well the Commercial View takes 6x6 flat boards so dad and I get some cheap aluminum plate, cut a 6x6 square, then cut out the sorriest excuse for a circle possible using a drill to make holes about the circumference and a jigsaw from hole to hole to punch out a gear-looking thing. Liberal use of a file turned the hole into some sort of egg circle, and finally the lens fits. Put it on the camera and boom there's an image in the ground glass. Fast forward to a few days ago and I'm doing the same thing for a wide-angle. Coated the inner sides of both boards with some matte Rustoleum and things seem okay. Took four exposures or so with the 480mm in May and the slides look fine. The wide-angle shows an image and I ought to be taking some photos with it once the shutter's working. Now I know my scientific instrument maker grandfather is rolling in his grave over our absence of any figment of precision, but with a ground glass that shows stuff I'm pretty happy. Is there really anything to benefit by having properly made lens boards or should I just carry on wasting film in my pile of scrap?

I use a Deardorff V8. I do not yet own a Deardorff lensboard; I make mine out of plywood, rabbeting the edge on a table saw, rounding the corners with a rasp, and like you I use Rustoleum for a finish, flat inside and gloss outside. I cut the hole in a drill press.

[Jim Andrada]

I bore mine with a fly cutter chucked in the tailstock of my small woodworking lathe and the board attached to the driving end. Works great - no problems (works better than a drill press for some reason) - but wouldn't be above using a jigsaw or a Forstner bit or whatever if I didn't have the lathe.

[C. D. Keth]

With a 480mm and most other lenses, you're not missing anything. You may notice the difference of you get really wide lenses. I've always made my lensboards. I use good birch cabinet plywood, cut the rabbits on a tablesaw, then I plane it to final thickness so the fit is snug.

[domaz]

A Hole saw is a lot easier than drilling a lot of holes in a circle and filling. They are about $14 but when you consider the time difference and the re-use potential it's a easy sale for me. I drill Aluminum lens boards and they come out flat visually, no distortion. If you use really thin stuff drill distortion would be a problem.

[Vaughn]

Heck, I have been using a couple boards I made by dry-mounting a piece of while 8-ply rag board to a 4-ply black mat board (for the inside). A hole drilled then a coping saw to cut the larger hole. They won't last forever, but they have lasted several years so far. On one the lens (210mm) is held by the what'sitsname big nut (flange?) on the back, the other (19" RD artar) with screws into the mountboard.

No indents on my camera -- so what if the board is not perfectly 'straight' to the GG. I have to check for focus anyway.:)

Vaughn

[Steve Smith]

I use an Excellon EX120. Perfect!


Steve.

[EdWorkman]

I see only one post that sez you need TWO pieces to make a board the 6x6 and another inside that to fit the other, inner recess- about 5.5x5.5.
The eggshaped hole is fine, and if you care not to do two semi round holes, build the inner light trap with strips of wood, about 1/8 x 1/4 inch.
You can do a very adequate lensboard[s] with a knife and sandpaper and glue, and some black spraypaint
Aluminium, CNC, micrometers need not apply.
Somebody show this man a pic of the BACK of a lensboard- the dog ate my digital camera-[no really]

[Vaughn]

I see only one post that sez you need TWO pieces to make a board the 6x6 and another inside that to fit the other, inner recess- about 5.5x5.5...

I guess you have not seen a Sinar or Graphic board...not all cameras are built to take a board as you described -- and even those that are often do not require a such a board. That said, I have made matboard lensboards with the smaller inner dimension than the front. As long as they keep the darkness inside the camera and don't let any leak out (except thru the lens, of course)!

[Dan Dozer]

I used to make all mine for my 8 x 10 Kodak out of plywood I got from the craft store and they worked fine. I don't think that all these people talking about the perfect flatness of your boards would be much of an issue. Your camera is probably close to 100 years old and the likelyhood of the front and back standards being "perfectly" in plane is extremely slim.

About 5 years ago, I upgraded to a Deardorf. I found a guy on the auction site that makes lens boards for the Deardorf for very low cost and I don't make my boards any more. He could probably make boards for your camera also and purchasing 3 or 4 wouldn't cost you a whole lot.

[EdWorkman]

Oops Vaughn ,
I forgot I have a coupla metal boards as you describe, but my brain went directly to old and wood when I saw Kodak. I have made a coupla dozen boards with all kinds of tools, holesaws, Forstner bits, table saw, X-acto, AND my son cut me a bunch of aluminum for 6x6 to 4x4 adapter boards on his giant hipressure water computer controlled cutter. I still have all my fingers and no new scars. Someday I may even finish a project that I made a 9x9 to 6x6 adapter for- or not.
Anybody wants a Sinar board it's free- All you gotta do is get the lens unscrewed from it [in no worse shape than now-no pipe wrenches] I made an adapter to 6x6 for that one.
Dang I should go make pictures
Regards
Ed

[seawolf66]

I have two ways of making lens boards , one is with black matte foam core board for quick and easy lens boards,
the other way is with 1/8 inch birch ply wood this does take longer but looks nicer. A little sweat and elbow grease and you have a lens
krylon matte black spray is what I use for the back of the lens boards and just varnish the front