Just thought I would share this. I recently acquired a Betax #4 in very good condition. It came with several different threaded parts, and so I did a few measurements. What I discovered is that it fits over the barrel of my ancient Holmes, Booth & Haydens 1/4 plate Petzval type lens. So with a little artist tape for protecting the brass, I slipped the Betax over the end of the HB&H.
I did a sound test of shutter speeds earlier today, and the Betax is nearly at the marked speeds. Quite impressive for a very old shutter. I have one of the old style long throw cable releases, so now it is a ready to go bit of gear.
What I am curious about is making a different set-up for using the shutter, or getting a different adapter made to rear mount the shutter. An informal check shows that vignetting is slightly less at the front, than at the back, though the difference is only a few millimeters of image circle. My other thought was to have a filter adapter made for the front of the shutter, so I could use more modern filters with this set-up. Thought? Ideas?
I did one test shot on Fuji Instant FP100C45, using a Polaroid 550 holder on my Shen-Hao. I think I am ready to use this with transparency film next, like Fuji Astia 100F, or Kodak E100VS. There is a portrait project for some musicians that I have set-up for January or February 2009, and I think this might be an interesting approach, due to the unique signature of this HB&H lens. The shutter makes it much easier to use. Also, anyone with ideas on flash sync for a Betax #4?
Ciao!
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