Sinar F question

[ndlaw2009]

Hello all, I am new to the forum, and *brand new* to large format photography! My experience with film photography has been limited to medium-format Hasselblad work.

A family friend is letting me explore the world of large format photography with one of her late husband's cameras -- a Sinar F with a pair of lenses. I have read a lot about the operation of the camera and finally took possession of the camera yesterday evening. It appears this camera has been used very little, if at all. Unfortunately, as I was removing it from the carrying case, I must have looked at the front standard wrong, because the rail clamp snapped right off. I have since read that it is not uncommon for this to happen as a result of the clamp being overtightened.

I have looked online (ebay, etc) to find a replacement front multipurpose standard and have found a couple. My question: Is the camera still operable while it has the broken front rail clamp? I am not going to be hiking with the camera nor do I anticipate doing anything crazy with it. The entire body still seems "solid" and the tilt, shift, and swing movements all seem to work just fine. I just wanted to make sure it is "safe" to use with teh current broken clamp while I obtain a replacement front standard.

Thanks in advance for the information!

[Joshua Dunn]

Can you post a photo of the damage to the front standard?

-Joshua

[ndlaw2009]

Of course! Photo attached. It is the bottom of the front standard where the clamp "connects" over. In the photo I am holding the little plastic piece that snapped off.

[Joshua Dunn]

Thanks for the clarification. So to answer your original question, you could probably could use it if you are very careful and keep the rail completely level you could probably use it. The reason you need the rail level is so gravity does not make it slide backwards or forwards while you are working. The problem is it may not be square to the rear standard without being clamped down. It also has the potential to move while you take the photo itself, so you will need to be very careful when you actually trip the shutter.

If you are new to large format there are already a lot of things that will learning when you when trying to make a photograph. Fighting with broken equipment shouldn't be one of them. I would recommend replacing it before you start. Don't spend too much money. Keep in mind that the last version of the Sinar F series, the F2 can often be bought as a complete camera for less than $400 (often $300) and is a far better camera. So if you can find a replacement front standard on the cheap, do so. Otherwise I would buy a used F or F2. That way all of the accessories you have (lens boards etc) will still work with what you have. A quick search on keh.com lists a Sinar F for under $200 and an F2 for under $300.

Hope this helps.

-Joshua

[Drew Wiley]

If you are going to spend money, might as well find the front standard to the F2 version, rather than another old F+ one, or even a complete F2 camera. Buying full used cameras is often cheaper than purchasing just a front standard by itself. The money won't be wasted because Sinar is a component system. Extra rail sections from one camera can become linked together to make a longer rail for longer focal length lenses, a second bellows can be turned into an excellent compendium lens shade using a little set of clips and a rod they offer, and so forth. These are wonderful cameras, and it had the most extensive system of components, which are still abundant on the used market.

[sharktooth]

I had a look at my F to see what you were talking about. It looks like the lip on the standard that hooks the bottom clamp rod has broken off. I tried this as an experiment, and it seems to work just dandy.

Be Forwarned that this method requires a "Complete Loss of Dignity", but that never stopped a Sinar blasphemer such as moi.

All you need is a long zip tie to hook around the top of the standard, and also onto the bottom clamp rod. Cinch it up as tight as you can, and that should still leave it loose enough so that you can still move the standard on the rail. Further tightening with the bottom clamp knob works like it normally does to lock the standard down. If you have a black zip tie, and cut off the extra bit, then it will hardly be noticeable.





Good luck! Shame is for sissies.

[Drew Wiley]

Those F+ front standards were really just an intermediate bellows standard deployed at the front end for sake of a more affordable entry level camera model. It worked, but often needed replacement over the long haul.

[ndlaw2009]

Thank you all for the help! sharktooth, I like your solution in the shorterm. In the long term, I do like Joshua's idea of getting an F2 off of KEH. if nothing else, it will let me have spare parts! Is the front standard on an F2 able to be used with an F1 rear standard/lens board/bellows/etc.?

[Joshua Dunn]

Yes.

-Joshua

[sharktooth]

You can also use any F series rear standard as a front standard. The only issue is that the focus knob and the rise/fall lock knob will be on the opposite side when used on the front. This is hardly an issue, unless you're disabled with one hand. Since your current F doesn't even have focus capability on the front, this would be a performance benefit.