Wisner 4x5 question...

[Robbie Bedell]

I have a question about my Wisner Tech Field camera. I have been using this camera for many, many years, so I am not new to it. BUT my question is this. When I remove the lens board and look inside at the ground glass I can see toward the back the unfinished mahogany film holder and ground glass. What I see is that there is a wider 'strip' of the film holder mahogany on the right then on the left. It would seem to me that the wood would be the same on both sides. I know it makes no difference as one composes through the ground glass and that's what shows up on the film...but I have always wondered about it. When I insert a film holder it is framed evenly all around. If anyone out there is a Wisner user I am wondering if you might (when you get the chance) look inside your camera at some point and let me know what you see. Perhaps all 4x5 Winsers are like this and this is just my natural paranoia! Robbie

www.robbiebedell.photoshelter.com

[pepeguitarra]

Can you insert a lens board, remove the lens and shine a flash light to see what you get?

[Robbie Bedell]

Thank you. But it is much easier to see inside without the lens board. Don't really even need a flashlight. Just look inside at the ground glass and look at the surrounding wood..

[RichardRitter]

The unfinished wood is the ground glass frame and is not in the image area when the photo is taken.

The ground glass frame could be off center by the amount of clearance that was given at the time camera was made. If you look at the back of the camera you should notice that the ground glass holder can move from side to side a little.

All camera will show this, some have tighter tolerances on how the ground glass frame is held in the image frame by the springs.

Don't worry about it. Go make pictures.

[Robbie Bedell]

Thank you very much Richard. I figured this is not such a thing to lose sleep over. But there is, looking through the front of the camera, a full 1/4 inch or more of the ground glass frame wood on the right than on the left. It would seem the lens would be that much off axis at the start when the camera is squared up, before any movements. I am just wondering if someone else with a 4x5 Wisner might look inside theirs and tell me what they see. So far no takers.

[RichardRitter]

That does not sound right. A 1/4 of an inch is a bit too mush.

You may want to send the back to someone who knows the construction of cameras. have then check the "T" measurement and the alignment of the ground glass frame to the alignment of the film holder when inserted into the camera.. I have seem Wisner cameras with alignment problems.

[Robbie Bedell]

Thank you very much Richard. Yes, it does seem like a bit much. I have a line to purchase a second ground glass assembly but I am afraid I might just be getting another bad back that someone else unloaded. That's why I want to find out what is 'normal' in the first place. But this explains one thing. With some of my older lenses, ones without much coverage, when focusing with the lens wide open the subject will be just a bit softer on the right side than the left. At first I thought that it could just be the lenses but now I think it just might be the back itself. I can still make OK photos but I just kind of would like to have it right. I will have the T measurement checked. Thanks again Richard!

[scm]

I don't have a Wisner here right now but I do have two of another brand wooden 4x5 and this is what it looks like inside both of the cameras:

[Robbie Bedell]

Wow! Thank you VERY MUCH! That's what mine looks like. You've made my day..

[scm]

With a film holder in place, it's much closer to being centered: