Exercising a Stored Lens

[Salmo22]

I've been out of LF for a couple of years due to health issues. I getting ready to start shooting again. I've got a Rodenstock f/5.6 Apo-Sironar-S lens that has been lovingly stored in my camera safe for a couple of years without use. What is the appropriate method of exercising this fine piece of glass before shooting with haste? Thanks in advance for your helpful comments and suggestions.

[Neal Chaves]

The glass needs no exercise, it is the shutter that is of concern. A late production Copal shutter when stored properly should need no attention if a simple trial of the slow speeds reveals no abnormalities. Long term or even short term storage of Copal shutters is best done with the shutter released and the speed ring set to B or T to release internal tensions.

[Oslolens]

Test the all the shutter speed with "Shutter-speed" app, if only to know the deviation. My fastest shutter was with a 180 or 210mm Fujinon-W, now sold. All other shutters fastest speed could be almost one speed slower, while most settings in-between was accurate.

Big Wehman, Toyo 5x7" and a small Chamonix

[Bob Salomon]

Test the all the shutter speed with "Shutter-speed" app, if only to know the deviation. My fastest shutter was with a 180 or 210mm Fujinon-W, now sold. All other shutters fastest speed could be almost one speed slower, while most settings in-between was accurate.

Big Wehman, Toyo 5x7" and a small Chamonix

A shutter is accurate if it is within 30% of its marked speed.

[Jerry Bodine]

Here's a screenshot from Flutot's Camera Repair website:

[Pfsor]

Obviously, before measuring your shutter speeds, you have (and you should!) to exercise it. Start with slower speeds, activate each of them several times and go up to the highest speeds. Listen carefully to the sound of the shutter, at each speed. If you hear something strange, activate the shutter several times on that speed. Things should go well. I have woken up several Copal shutters from their hibernation without any problems - when the lenses were properly stored. Good luck!

[Jac@stafford.net]

I use a strange approach for LF shutters: I find speeds that are accurate enough and I work exposures around those speeds. 1/125 is most likely correct, higher speeds are likely to be unreliable. Slower than 1/125 or wherever the slow speed escapement activates are also unreliable, however given our LF film metrics a bit of over-exposure is not bad while under-exposure failure with short speeds are death. With slow exposures a little bit is one stop sometimes two stops over which and it is still acceptable.

Just my 2 bits.