Grafmatic is a type of film holder. I never used one but I've seen them
around.
Fred Picker said the preferred type of filter to use with a view camera is
a gelatin sheet placed behind the lens. He outlined a sort of "Z" shaped
piece of metal strip with one end mounted on the lens board with a small
screw. That steel strapping strip they used to use to hold crates shut
during shipping was the ideal stuff to use. The other end sticks out beyond
the lens but outside the range of the lens (it doesn't block the view).
Wrap a layer of electrical tape around it to prevent scratching the filter.
Then get a small magnet with a piece of electrical tape around it or a
piece of rubber flexible refrigerator magnet. Use the magnet to hold the
filter sheet in place in back of the lens.
I've been using these for many years (decades). I'm very careful with my
filters and none have a scratch on them.
I also carry a handful of trash bags with me to put over the camera in case
it starts raining. I''v had good luck with not getting my wooden camera wet.
You can use whatever you want for the lens board as long as it's sturdy..
Aluminum just happens to be easy to work with. I like the 6061 alloys.
Zack
On Wed, Apr 3, 2019 at 6:39 PM <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Thanks Chauncey. Just had a salesman try to tell me you needed the cam to
mount the lens. The only pictures I have ever seen of a cam appeared to be
a wire structure to use it as a rangefinder. That I have no intention of
doing. I intend to use it like a field camera, so am I right to think that
I won't need the cams? I understand if you use them, they are made for a
specific lens. But if I want to handhold something, its highly unlikely I
would want it to be a 4x5. In the 50s, well its hard to believe newspaper
photographers were using 4x5.
Trying not to be too hard on a salesman, but my gut and his own admission
was he didn't know. He had never used one and I think was basically
reading the same line I was. Thing is I had a credit card out ready to buy
till he started giving me what I suspected was bad information. Will talk
tomorrow with someone else and see if they give me the same thing. You
have something they don't have though and that is experience with it.
By holders, do you mean film holders that would go in front of the ground
glass? I have some, but I thought those were pretty much standard. If I
need to make a modification to accept them, what kind of mods would be
involved and how simple is it to do? If I make that mod, would it cause
problems when using the originals?
Thanks to those that suggested wood to save weight. You are absolutely
right it would be much lighter. Personally, and I might be alone here, but
I find a wooden field camera that is well done a thing of beauty. It is a
piece of art that is used to create art. I would love to have one at some
point in my life, but they are at least double the cost. A while back I
bought one to refurbish that was without much of anything. I learned a lot.
I learned how to make a ground glass. I had a plan for making a back, but
the show stopper for now was the bellows. It's not that the bellows was
bad. It didn't have one at all. With the cost of the bellows and so many
other things unknown, I felt it was time to shelve the project. The money
would have been better spent being used for a better camera. I thought I
could have made a bellows, but I could see fairly quickly that the time it
was going to take to learn to do that was more than I would have been
willing to invest.
Even if I had wood, this camera could see some rough use. Wood usually
doesn't tolerate getting wet too well. No camera likes it, but wood and
tent camping just might not mix.
Also is there any reason why a lens board would have to be made out of
aluminum? I am much better working with wood than metal, but its also
likely that the wood would need to be so thin to fit that it wouldn't have
the necessary strength. Thanks for your help
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: copal no 1 shutter questionThanks
From: Chauncey Walden <clwaldeniii@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, April 03, 2019 5:36 pm
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Tech III board is a simple piece of aluminum easily made from .06
hobby shop aluminum. I have 2 Tech IIIs and make all my boards. Nothing
special is required. I also have an Ilex 215 and it is a good Planar type
lens and is convertible. They came in several shutters so best to wait
until it is in hand. A simple modification is required to the Tech III to
use a Grafmatic holder but it will take a Kinematic as is. I love mine
which I acquired for $200 each.
Chauncey
Sent from my iPad
On Apr 3, 2019, at 12:19 PM, <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> <
mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well think I have finally found my field camera, but not sure about a
couple of things. Found an old Linhof Technika III, and from everything I
have read those old cameras seem to have been extremely well built and
tough. Though the sheer beauty of a wooden field camera appeals to me, I
also want to be able to take it into the field without worrying about what
might happen to it. This early III is at a price point that although I
wouldn't necessarily like it if it was damaged, it really wouldn't be that
big of a deal either.
What I don't know is about the lens boards, and really haven't found a
picture of one. Some are quite simple, but others can be quite complex.
If its just cutting the right size piece of metal and putting the right
size hole in the center, that I can handle. If there are threads involved,
it has light traps and other things as a part of the lens board, that could
get much tougher. Any help would be appreciated.
Now I have an Ilex Acutar No 545 Its a 215mm lens with 8 1/2 coverage.
It's in a Copal 1 shutter. I have no way to know how old this old lens
might be, but the little use I have with it makes be believe it is a fairly
decent portrait lens. I am sure there are better now, but in its day it
looks to me like it would have been a pro grade level lens.
But it would need to be moved to a lens board that would fit the field
camera, and I see nothing and have found nothing that tells me how big of a
hole in the lens board is needed. I am taking a wild guess in the dark,
but I am guessing it might be 42mm, but I really don't know. If anyone
knows what I need to move the shutter and lens to use it on the linhof, its
appreciated. Never having seen how these come apart, I have learned to be
careful.
Thanks in advance for any help
Mark 73
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