Lens board tilt on a Eastman 2D

[Robert Vigurs]

I purchased an Eastman View Camera No. 2D today, 8x10. I paid $158. I enjoy my 4x5,and can enlarge negatives, or portions thereof with my old trustworthy 45 mcrx. I am looking in to alternative printing processes and having a larger negative size will aid that. I have found that with landscape photography, it is very helpful to have some front tilt. Otherwise I have some image distortion with rear tilt only. I really feel it would be hard to do without front tilt This 8x10 has a rise/fall knob, in the center of the lens board, rather than at the bottom. This is partly why I purchased it. I want to modify this camera to have front tilt. Looks to be an easy job. Am I correct here? Has any one done this? Although somewhat reticent to modify such a pure example of an early camera, I really feel I will need this movement for what I have in mind. I thank you in advance for any pointers here. Robert

[EdWorkman]

Whycha' try the back tilt.
I shot the local feedmill with 183 Protar V i got from eddie gunks and was worried about running out of rise. To get plenty and get rid of the street foreground I tilted the base and tilted the back , er, back to vertical. I concluded I could do what I want to do without hacking my front standard [ which I too was considering].
Now that I reflect on that, I wonder if the fuji 250 coulda' worked the same way. Without any tilting it vignetted . The Protar V just ran out of rack, not IC.

[dsphotog]

If Ed's traditional method isn't enough tilt for you, and you want to keep the camera original.....
It might be possible to make a special lensboard with a tilting panel in the center.

[GSX4]

I'll take a picture of mine. I bought a beater 2D with good bellows, then found other parts to make one good one. The parts camera had a modified front standard to add in swing, tilt and rise! I now have a 2d with extension rail, sliding tripod mount and all the movements I'd ever need. After re-fitting, and tightening/glueing stripped screw holes, the camera is quite rigid now and ready for more years of service! I hope to try it out tomorrow for the first time of it's second life.

[Robert Vigurs]

Andrew, I'd love to see a pic of the front standard modifications, if digital you could email them to me at robertvigurs@gmail.com. And yes Ed, I was thinking that I could make Mr Scheimpflug happy by tilting the whole works in the direction I need. A lens board only tilt is also an option. Ed, I'm in Santa Cruz. Are you also in this area?

[Robert Vigurs]

The reason I asked if you lived close by Ed, is that I seem to remember a post you had about a non working 4990. I have two. I'd sell one to you for $160 if you still need one. Works great. You can come by and try it out. I hope I did not break any rules here. Robert

[Brian Ellis]

Richard Ritter modified my 2D to add front tilt. He did an excellent job. The cost was $250 about six years ago. I thought it was well-worth the cost to have someone who really knew what they were doing do the work and to get the fit and finish right. But then I have no wood-working skills at all so doing it myself wasn't an option.

Possibly I'm misunderstanding Ed's message but what he describes doesn't sound like the equivalent of front tilt. Front tilt alters the plane of focus. Aiming the camera up and tilting the back to bring it parallel with the subject doesn't change the plane of focus, it changes the area included in the photograph and eliminates converging verticals, i.e. as Ed says, he extended front rise.

[BetterSense]

I just sold an 8x10 2D camera, and it have front tilt. Is there more than one model of 2D?

[Brian Ellis]

I just sold an 8x10 2D camera, and it have front tilt. Is there more than one model of 2D?

Maybe you sold the one I had modified by Richard Ritter. : - ) I'm not aware of a 2D that came from the factory with front tilt but that doesn't mean there wasn't one.

[Robert Vigurs]

I'm thinking there is more than one front standard design. The 2D I bought has a single knob centered on the right for rise and fall. Another 2D, still up for sale on evil bay, has two knobs for loosening /tightening, at the bottom of the lensboard.