Attempting to Replace Lens on Gowlandflex, Don't Know What I Need

[jbhalper]

I'm not quite sure what I need to provide to ask this question, but I'm looking for some help. I inherited a Gowlandflex TLR. From what little I've found so far, it looks like maybe an earlier model box-style one, with the rotating Graflok back.

The Schneider-Kreuzach Xenar 210mm viewing lens is still with the camera, but as you can see from the picture, the picture lens is missing. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for to attempt to rehab this camera, and was hoping I might be able to get some guidance from some more experienced, wiser photographers.

The opening on the lens board is right around 42mm across (the circle is not perfect, so it's between 41.6mm and 42mm), and it's slightly protruding so the outer limit of the plate that is flat is about 46mm across.



I only started with large format in July or so, and I'm really not confident in my ability to pick out the right replacement here on the first try.

My thanks in advance for your time and attention!

[ic-racer]

Is this a 5x7 camera?
If I had that camera I'd look for a couple newish Symmar-S 210mm lenses that are multicoated. Those are plentiful on the on the used market and pretty inexpensive. You don't need a shutter on the top lens, but the Symmar-S lenses are usually so inexpensive the shutter is essentially free. Just leave it open. Therefore, I'd just make a new lensboard that is flat and forgo the complexity of trying to match the flange focal lengths of one lens 'in barrel' and the other 'in shutter.'

[Gem Singer]

Judging from pictures on the Peter Gowland website (www.petergowland.com), this could be an older 4x5 Gowlandflex camera.

Any standard 210mm lens, mounted in a Copal 1 shutter, from a major manufacturer, should work just fine. An older Schneider Xenar would be ideal.

Check with KEH (www.keh.com). They have one in stock.

[jnantz]

Judging from pictures on the Peter Gowland website (www.petergowland.com), this could be an older 4x5 Gowlandflex camera.

Any standard 210mm lens, mounted in a Copal 1 shutter, from a major manufacturer, should work just fine. An older Schneider Xenar would be ideal.

Check with KEH (www.keh.com). They have one in stock.

+1

enjoy your gowlandflex, they are wonderful ...


john

[jbhalper]

Yes, a 4x5, sorry for not including that originally.

A 210mm with a Copal 1, huh? Thanks for the guidance, I'll start looking around. Love KEH, thanks for the guidance.

[Marizu]

Mine is exactly the same as that but it has a vertical viewing 'chimney' with a magnifier in the top.
It has a 180mm Xenar viewing lens and a 180mm Symmar taking lens fitted.
I am guessing that this is because the Xenar is slightly faster (f4.5 vs f5.5).
The lens board has a small top hat bulge (like yours) for the taking lens which has something to do with the fitment.
I'd look for a 210mm Symmar if I were you.
My Symmar is an old one in a Copal shutter that has speed markings 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400 but it syncs with flash nicely.
This is a really enjoyable camera. I love it!

[ic-racer]

Yes, a 4x5, sorry for not including that originally.

A 210mm with a Copal 1, huh? Thanks for the guidance, I'll start looking around. Love KEH, thanks for the guidance.

You can only use the exact same lens that was originally on that camera unless you make a new lensboard or go to great lengths to calibrate the flange-to-film distances of the existing lens in barrel to a different lens in shutter using shims on the mounting flange of one of the lenses.

Just look at the film-to-flange distances on the 210mm lenses listed here ( http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lenseslist.html ). No two are the same !!!

Marizu's advice seems sound (Find an older Symmar 210) but be sure to check the collimation of both lenses.

If it were me, I'd go with two identical modern multicoated Symmar-S lenses and a flat lensboard and leave the shutter on the top one open.

Using different lenses for the top and bottom is just asking for trouble. Peter did it correct the first time but now the lens is gone and so is Peter.

[Marizu]

Ic-racer, these cameras do not take a flat lens board. In addition to the top hat for the taking lens, the lens board has a bend in the centre!
I don't know exactly what the angle is but I recon it is about 5 degrees. The OP can check this by running their finger along the edge of the board from top to bottom.
Seriously, just getting a Symmar of similar vintage to the taking lens (check approx age by serial number) is the best way that I can think of to get this thing working right.

Peter Gowland was doing some weird voodoo with this camera.

[jbhalper]

Marizu is right about the lens board. The way that it is held in place is with a shallow bend that creates the tension so that it is secure. I would have to go to some trouble finding a large enough, strong enough piece of metal and then getting the holes and angle remade as well.

ic-racer, (or anyone), I'll expose my abilities here and ask, how do I check the collimation? Is that the film-2-flange measurement on the lens list there? I presume I want them to be exactly the same, or one at the flat measure of the board, and the other accounting for the approximately 1cm difference because of the way the stock film board is designed? I understand if you can't answer this part directly, but I appreciate your replies in general.

Does anyone know if the phone number at http://www.petergowland.com/camera/repairs/ is safe to call? I don't mind getting someone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, but I'd hate to upset someone by asking for Peter.

Having different lenses that don't work in tandem is not what I hoped for, but would be operable in some less than optimal way because the graflok back does have glass to focus against.

I do have the viewing hood (removed in the attached photo) and the real magic of this camera for me right now is simply looking through the focusing lens right now. Gorgeous.

[E. von Hoegh]

Marizu is right about the lens board. The way that it is held in place is with a shallow bend that creates the tension so that it is secure. I would have to go to some trouble finding a large enough, strong enough piece of metal and then getting the holes and angle remade as well.

ic-racer, (or anyone), I'll expose my abilities here and ask, how do I check the collimation? Is that the film-2-flange measurement on the lens list there? I presume I want them to be exactly the same, or one at the flat measure of the board, and the other accounting for the approximately 1cm difference because of the way the stock film board is designed? I understand if you can't answer this part directly, but I appreciate your replies in general.

Does anyone know if the phone number at http://www.petergowland.com/camera/repairs/ is safe to call? I don't mind getting someone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, but I'd hate to upset someone by asking for Peter.

Having different lenses that don't work in tandem is not what I hoped for, but would be operable in some less than optimal way because the graflok back does have glass to focus against.

I do have the viewing hood (removed in the attached photo) and the real magic of this camera for me right now is simply looking through the focusing lens right now. Gorgeous.

"Collimation" is the wrong word.
Ideally, both lenses would have the exact same focal length, so the viewing and focussing lenses would track properly- that is, you would shim one or both lenses so they are both at infinity focus, they will then have coincident focus down to the closest focussing distance allowed by the camera.