Studio Shutters: Worst Large Format Invention Ever?

[E. von Hoegh]

Is anything worse than a Studio Shutter? They're fragile, unreliable, impossible to find any parts--let alone replacements. Most of them don't work correctly and the few that do are sure to break soon. Wollensak must have found their dumbest designer to create the cursed contrivances and jammed their thumb in the eye of large format history by selling so many of the damn things. I'm going to build a time machine just so I can travel back in time and punch the inventor in the nose. Can you come up with a worse LF product?

Wollensak Optimo shutter, an unmechanical device with an undersized air cylinder, an unrealistic top speed that, if you used it, would loosen all the internal linkages and render the thing not worth repairing, has a hard to find latch which holds the front plate, etc etc. That, or the Yankee dayight tank.

[E. von Hoegh]

Here's the worst piece of shit ever.

Slow, Cold, Windy, Noisy, inefficient, the lights are dim, the windsheild wiper is a joke, the door on the drivers side is fake, won't go 70mph all day long on the freeway, no front brakes, 2 speed growler of a transmission, no place to put anything, gas tank is under your butt, go up too steep of a hill and it'll starve for gas and quit, if you find one that works at all it's sure to break!

What a worthless pile of crap. I'd like to go in a time machine and slap Henry Ford. What an idiot.

You forgot the dance you have to do between Brake and Reverse when descending a steep hill, so you don't char the brake band. And you can always back up the hill.

[Jim Noel]

You have to think about the equipment available when these shutters first reached the market. They were the only shutter which could be used with large lenses. If you don't like them, don't buy them and have some respect for those who invented the items which now make our photographic efforts easier and more productive.
Jim

Is anything worse than a Studio Shutter? They're fragile, unreliable, impossible to find any parts--let alone replacements. Most of them don't work correctly and the few that do are sure to break soon. Wollensak must have found their dumbest designer to create the cursed contrivances and jammed their thumb in the eye of large format history by selling so many of the damn things. I'm going to build a time machine just so I can travel back in time and punch the inventor in the nose. Can you come up with a worse LF product?

[Diane Maher]

What does this missing part look like?

[goamules]

This thread was from almost 2 years ago...

[E. von Hoegh]

This thread was from almost 2 years ago...

Is there a statute of limitations on threads?

[Jim Galli]

Wollensak Optimo shutter, an unmechanical device with an undersized air cylinder, an unrealistic top speed that, if you used it, would loosen all the internal linkages and render the thing not worth repairing, has a hard to find latch which holds the front plate, etc etc. That, or the Yankee dayight tank.

Did you realize the Optimo blades do not reset in the same position each cycle. They only go one direction. Thus the lightning speeds attained. So they go ccw on one throw and cw the next. They rarely have equivalent speeds going both ways.

[William Whitaker]

In other words, they work half the time - at best.

[goamules]

I didn't like Studio Shutters way back when this was first written, but I've since had a couple that worked great. Same as any shutter, some work good, old dirty and worn out ones don't. And ALL my Optimos have worked great. No, it's not a modern Copal or whatever, but they work fine for me.

[E. von Hoegh]

Did you realize the Optimo blades do not reset in the same position each cycle. They only go one direction. Thus the lightning speeds attained. So they go ccw on one throw and cw the next. They rarely have equivalent speeds going both ways.

Yes, I have experience with them. That's how I know they are crap.

Edit - "junk" to "crap"