Toyo 45A Lens Board & Fitting

[Sean White]

After being fed up with waiting to rent my college's Toyo CF camera, I've recently purchased a Toyo 45A. I've not bought a large format camera before so please excuse my ignorance, but I was wondering if the lens boards differ between the 45CF & 45A, or whether all Toyo boards are the same size?

The lens I'm looking to fit to it is a Rodenstock 72 APO - Sironar - N 1:5.6 f150mm - Assuming I have the correct copal, is there anything specific to look out for when fitting the lens? Is it a simple case of screwing the two halves together?

Thank you

[Gem Singer]

The lens boards for the CF and the A are the same size (110x110 mm).

Assuming you have a lens board that is milled for a Copal 0 shutter, there is a retaining ring under the rear element.

Unscrew the rear element, unscrew the retaining ring, and make sure that the index pin on the back of the shutter has been removed.

Insert the shutter and the front element into the opening in the lens board. Screw the retaining ring onto the threads on the rear of the shutter. Make certain that the lip of the retaining ring is fitted inside of the hole. Then tighten the retaining ring so that the shutter is in the position that you prefer and screw in the rear element.

This is easier to do than to describe the process in words. Seek help from someone with experience if necessary.