How to Mount View Camera Lenses to Lensboards

[reddesert]

Yes I know differently. The 180mm and 210mm are mine, the 250mm is from an eBay listing.

Attachment 243386

Attachment 243387

I also have a Fujinon 210mm in the Seiko #1 shutter that is like a Copal #1 shutter but slightly larger. I've posted about it here before to assist people. It mounts in a 48mm hole versus the 42mm hole for a Copal 1. The mount thread is M46-0.75 (Copal 1 is M39-0.75). The M46-0.75 thread is the same as 46mm filter thread, so if you lose the retaining ring, you can use something like a 49->46 step down filter ring that has a 46mm female thread.

[Alan Townsend]

I recently ordered a lens mounting flange from a vendor and had to return it due to being the wrong size for my lens, so am posting this to help others avoid the expensive ship it three times syndrome. Comments very welcome.

1. Find a vendor that supplies lens mounting flanges for view camera lenses.

2. CALL THE VENDOR on the phone to discuss the proper flange for your lens.

3. Do not use tables, websites or advice from anyone on a forum.

4. Shutters that are the same but have different lenses mounted to them do not always share the same thread sizes and may require different flanges due to various thread adapters that may be present.

5. Example is my 9 1/2 inch Goerz Gold Dot Dagor on Ilex Acme #3 shutter that uses a "Goerz 2 1/8-25 tpi flange" and neither standard flanges listed in tables for "Ilex Acme #3" or "Ilex Acme #3 - Kodak Type", whatever that means. Is that for a Kodak lens?

Alan Townsend

I will try to conclude this thread with a few photos of the lens board hole drilling and mounting. I did wind up ordering a circle cutter on Amazon for $7.50 for cutting holes in wood between 1.4 and 4.8 inches in diameter.



Tin Can suggested a hole saw, but saw this and figured it more gentle on the materials. I was able to cut 3, 56mm holes quickly after setting the blades and testing.



The lens board are 2 pieces of 1/8 in. mdf glued together.



I mounted the new flange using 3 #2 stainless steel flat head screws with nuts and brass washers.



The washers were the hardest parts to get. I used brass #4 washers I got on Amazon doubled due to the thinness. The finished board with lens looks good.





So, to mount a lens on a view camera, I suggest using a wooden lens board, with a hole cut by an adjustable cutter, using a flange from a vendor that you have called to ensure the correct part is shipped the first time. MDF is a good material for this, since it's hard, doesn' absorb moisture and warp, and is rigid enough to hold the lens flange properly. Wooden boards require flanges for the most part, unless the lens has a very wide shoulder so that a lens collar will work. My Optar 90 and 135 lenses are like this. I also just made a new flat lens board for my 90mm Optar, to replace the 2 inch deep recessed lens board that I made for my Calumet 25 years ago. That board almost always showed the cable release in the picture, so was avoided mostly.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice on this.

Alan Townsend

[domaz]

Nice work, don't forget to do the flashlight test with your new lensboard and the lens attached with the shutter closed. You might be surprised how easy it is to have a light leak if sometimes not totally "tight". Also paint the back of your boards black.