Ideas for new shutters 40 years from now when ours are all dead

[reddesert]

$700 isn't wholly an unreasonable for a brand new shutter. With a Raspberry Pi or Adruino board to programed to trigger it, you could get solid shutter speeds, too.

Noting that this 45mm shutter is just slightly wider across than the housing of a Copal #3 (also 45mm aperture), I could imagine some creative person figuring out a way to make it fit.

https://www.uniblitz.com/wp-content/...-datasheet.pdf

The price for a Uniblitz shutter is not unreasonable (especially considering these are professional tools for industrial applications) but the problem is also that you typically need a $1000 shutter controller box as well.

This is partly where I was going with suggesting that advances in electronics and micro-motors mean someone could design a compact, low-voltage, and extremely reliable electromechanical shutter for photography, if only there were a viable market for it. Existing Uniblitz and similar shutters typically use a large electronics box that runs off AC power. However, a modern AF SLR has electromechanical shutter and AF lens motor that run off a compact 7.4V lithium battery. I think that a unit could be designed that was more compact, economical, and portable than a Uniblitz controller, but I doubt there is a strong market case for it when Copal shutters are still quite reliable.

[Amedeus]

For info on the Rodenstock eShutter, see links below to the pdf for both shutter and Sinar compatible control box.

Battery operation is possible and the control can either be a dedicated box, computer or smart phone through and interface.

The aperture is a significant improvement over the Copal 0, 1 mechanical versions but all this comes as Oren stated, a significant price tag. Developed for digital back studio view camera commercial use mostly.


http://www.rodenstock-photo.com/Arch...r.en_10383.pdf

https://sinar.swiss/assets/Uploads/P...ol-EN-web2.pdf

Bryan, documentation for the Rodenstock eShutter, which is a current product in its "250" version, states explicitly that existing lenses intended for analog use can be mounted in it. So the vendor, at least, has entertained that possibility.

Unfortunately, the shutter unit itself and the control box needed to use it untethered in the field each costs well into four figures in dollars, pounds or euro. Even if one could get by with an outfit consisting entirely of lenses in #0 shutter, and even allowing that a single control box can be used with multiple lenses, the cost of a multi-lens kit in eShutter would be prohibitive for most of us.

So the big question is whether anyone can figure out how to do it for substantially less money, despite what under the best of circumstances is going to be a very small market. I'm not assuming the answer is "no"; folks who have been involved in lens design and manufacturing will be far better qualified to address that question than I can be. But there's the challenge.

Cheers,

[Corran]

Personally, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I shoot LF film with the aid of a smart phone!

[Amedeus]

So the big question is whether anyone can figure out how to do it for substantially less money, despite what under the best of circumstances is going to be a very small market. I'm not assuming the answer is "no"; folks who have been involved in lens design and manufacturing will be far better qualified to address that question than I can be. But there's the challenge.

All depends on where you develop and manufacture quite frankly. The development of all the tooling required to stamp the parts takes time and is mostly a lost art unless you want to hire a number of watch makers.

It can always be done but in order for a company, large or small, to make money on it, any new shutter development and production is going to require a capital investment.

Copal announced a long time ago that they were shuttering the business. No one stepped up and the digital MF lens manufacturers had to roll their own.

There's no Copal 3 (or 00, 0, 1) replacement for LF photography. The Melles Griot and Uniblitz shutters are geared towards optical benches and lab work. Yes, they can be used and yes, you can make a less expensive control box in small quantities but how many are willing to pay for a $1k shutter combo that is 4" in diameter and has a max speed of 1/60th second.

I'm happy I have a few digital Sinar shutters for my LF needs and few mechanical Copal ones for back up.

YMMV,

Cheers,

[Amedeus]

Personally, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I shoot LF film with the aid of a smart phone!

Hell has frozen over a few times in my lifetime ...

[Jim Noel]

Personally, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I shoot LF film with the aid of a smart phone!

second that

[Tin Can]

A money pit that leads nowhere good.

I may hammer my digital disease to oblivion.

or not

Personally, it'll be a cold day in Hell before I shoot LF film with the aid of a smart phone!

[Bob Salomon]

Are you saying you own and use them for LF photography?

Used the system, yes, often. Currently,no. At my age it becomes difficult to haul that stuff around anymore! But I still have the control on my phone, should I suddenly lose my arthritis and have my torn rotator cuff operated on again. But all of the orthropods at NE GA, Emory and the VA have told me that I would have to have a reverse shoulder replacement and I really don’t want to do that as it is a last step procedure!

[Dan Fromm]

For those of you who want to explore making controllers for Ilex and Melles-Griot (same thing) electronic shutters, here's a link with very useful hints: https://web.archive.org/web/20170903...older/shutter/

FWIW I have an oscilloscope camera with an Ilex Electronic #3 shutter and integral control box. It runs on 110/60. The camera's control panel claims the shutter will do 1/125. I've tested it, it runs at least one stop slow at all speeds. Thing is, there really aren't that many lenses that will fit an Ilex #3. Most of the modern lenses we use have cells that fit Compur/Copal/Prontor standard shutters.

If I needed to use the shutter I suppose I could cut the camera apart, remove the control electronics, put them in a breadbox and make a battery pack plus inverter to get 110/60 for field use. That or measure the DC voltages the internal power supply makes and build a battery pack that produces them. I've never been able to justify the effort.

[Tin Can]

So it runs at 1/50th or less.

Small Packards can do that or close.

I suggest we all stock up on small Packards as the Sinar shutter is already rare and who fixes them, Bernice? I have a perfectly working Sinar I will never take into field dust and grit.

I have plenty of 'Barrel lenses' which are actually Cobal shutters with lens in disguise which are shuttered with a Packard.

A Packard is easily cleaned.