Guide to shutter/lens combinations?

[Birck]

Hi. I'm new to the forum, so mea culpa if this has been asked before: I keep running into lenses with good glass but faulty shutters; OTOH, I can find working shutters alone as well-so how can I tell what goes with what? E.g., If I find a Zeiss 135 in one ad, will it fit into the functional Copal #0 I found elsewhere?

[Louis Pacilla]

OTOH, I can find working shutters alone as well-so how can I tell what goes with what? E.g., If I find a Zeiss 135 in one ad, will it fit into the functional Copal #0 I found elsewhere?

The best thing to do is have a shutter CLA'd (Clean,Lubed,Adjusted) and you'll be much more likely to have a great lens that way then through trying to find a replacement shutter. You'll most likely need a machinist to mount the cells in a different size and make of shutter as a direct fit is highly unlikely.

[jim10219]

I agree with the CLA advice. Now, if you can find the same type of shutter made for that specific lens, then switching shutters is pretty easy. Otherwise, you have to worry about the aperture scale being off and the distance between lens elements being wrong. Not that that stuff can't be worked around. But it's not going to be cheap (if you pay someone else to do it) or easy (if you do it yourself).

[Alan Gales]

Also some lenses take shims between one of the elements and the shutter.

Most shutters and shutter lens combinations sold on Ebay are not tested before being sold. People say something like the speeds sound good to them or whatever. It's rare that a Seller provides a receipt for a recent CLA. I always figure that a lens shutter needs a CLA when I buy it. I own a shutter speed tester and I test the shutters on lenses when I get them. Sometimes they are correct and sometimes they're not.

Louis and Jim are giving you good advice.

[Luis-F-S]

You can check SKG's website as to what lenses fit into which shutters. This may require machining though. Why it's best to purchase through this forum vs the auction sites. L

http://www.skgrimes.com/lens-mountin...ed-to-shutters

[Leigh]

Hi Birck, and welcome aboard.

Any given lens will only fit one shutter, Copal #0, #1, or #3 (there is no #2).
There are a couple of oddball variants seldom encountered.

These each have different thread diameters, and different spacing front to back.

While you might be able to machine a larger shutter to work with a lens designed for a smaller one, I would not recommend trying that. I would not recommend any attempt to go the other direction.

- Leigh

[angusparker]

Some details on custom shutters for barrel lenses. But I wouldn't recommend this route except for very special lenses / circumstances, especially for someone new to LF: http://www.angusparkerphoto.com/blog...s-in-a-shutter

[Dan Fromm]

Some details on custom shutters for barrel lenses. But I wouldn't recommend this route except for very special lenses / circumstances, especially for someone new to LF: http://www.angusparkerphoto.com/blog...s-in-a-shutter

Angus, please update your link to my list. The current link is: https://1drv.ms/b/s!AggQfcczvHGNkGG_P2z8Qiyc8Qo-

OP, which replacement shutter to get for a lens depends on the lens.

As has already been mentioned, modern lenses in shutter are almost always in standard shutters, be they Compur, Copal or Prontor. And as has also already been mentioned, these shutters come in a few standard sizes, viz., #00, #0, #1 and several versions of #3. With a few exceptions -- the major ones are Polaroid Copal and perhaps (I'm not sure about them) -- these shutters all conform to the same standards. Polaroid Copal shutters as used in a variety of Polaroid GelCams and copy stands have longer tube lengths than the standard and some have restricted maximum apertures.

Not all of the lenses you'll run across are in standard Compur/Copal/Prontor shutters. Commonly seen shutters that don't conform to the standards include Compound, older (pre-WW II) Compur, Ilex (Acme and Universal), Kodak (Supermatic, Flash Supermatic), and Wollensak (Alphax, Betax, Deltax, Gammax, Rapax). Graflex sold lenses in Rapax shutters badged Graphex for their press and view cameras. My list of useful links (see above) has links to sites that state which shutters lenses were sold in and that give dimensions etc. for a wide range of shutters.

If you decide that you must reshutter a lens that isn't in a shutter marked with make and size, measure and consult my list to see which shutter(s) it will fit. The shutter's make and tube length and the diameters of the lens' front and rear cells (measured across the threads) will help you find out which replacement to look for. Its always best to find out whether overhauling the shutter the lens is in will bring it back, but I've bought lenses in well and truly busted shutters that have had to be replaced.

[Birck]

Thank you all for the input. It sounds as if I'll be better off finding lenses in Copal shutters that are at least functional, and sending them to SKG for inspection and adjustment. Or putting together a barrel lens and a Packard shutter. I checked, and SK Grimes is only working on Copal shutters currently. At any rate, you have given me plenty of information to work with. Thanks again. I'll be back.

[Leszek Vogt]

Sometimes the shutter may have issues and usually (not always) the seller will note this. Much depends on the lens whether it's worth pursuing this. You can contact Carol (@Flutot) or repair place of your choice and determine the price of overhauling/adjusting the shutter. I've ran across a nice Ektar and the shutter was stuck = toast. Anyhoo, she revived it at reasonable cost and now I have a fully functional lens.

Les