Adapting a lens board to use a Sinar Copal shutter

[Ian Grant]

As some here know about 3 years ago I picked up a Sinar Copal shutter at a camera fair for £20. I assume the seller thought it was broken as it would fire when a cable release was used. NAS saw it on a visit to my house, then went to his car returning with his special heavy duty, extra long throw, Sinar cable release and it worked fine.

I don't have a Sinar camera or any relevant lens boards, initially I thought of front mounting to a lens, not ideal. So how to attach to a 7"x7" wooden lens board? Then how to attach a lens in front? This need a bit of lateral thinking. . . . . . . . . . .

The answer has been to make an adapter to slip the shutter on a lens board, and lock it in place, I began by making the frame it sits in.





The shutter has 2 lips, the top one fits under a wooden bar at the top, the separate piece of wood slides in when the shutter is in place to lock it in position. It will be screwed to the lens board when completed, allowing easy removal of the shutter if needed.





I decided in the end to make the lens board an integral part of the adapter.

Actually the shutter is being used the wrong way around, normally the front fits the rear of a Sinar front standard, instead of the bellows, which are the attached to the rear of the shutter, but as the shutter speeds are marked on both sides of the adjuster, and I'm not using Sinar DB lenses, it is not an issue.

It is still a work in progress, mostly finishing the lens board and tidying up cosmetically, before refinishing, 7 painting.

Ian

 

[MartyNL]

A couple of things...
Which camera/lensboard has the shutter been 'adapted' to work on?
How will the lens be attached?

 

[Ian Grant]

Agfa Ansco Commercial View, or Universal View, both 10x8.

My biggest lenses fit the same flange, so Wood or Aluminium lens boards, maybe one that adapts to take Linhof/Wista as well as MPP/speed Graphic wooden lens boards, (these two are identical in size).

Ian

 

[Ian Grant]

An update.

I had a good think and decided to where possible mount my barrel lenses on 4"x4" lens boards. These are used on early Speed Graphics as well as MPP Micro Techical cameras (MkIII - MkVII). I have a pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic which I completely rebuilt a few years ago, it's fine for outdoor use but flash sync is not possible.

The 4"x4" lens board adapter to fit the Sinar shutter is now almost complete, it just needs final finishing and a slider and retaining strip of brass fitted.






Ian

 

[MartyNL]

Is it not mounted backwards..?

 

[Ian Grant]

Is it not mounted backwards..?

It is, deliberately.

This way around I can easily fit wooden or metal lens boards. They aren't designed to be fitted directly with a lens board, the side normally facing the lens clips into a Sinar front standard. The shutter can be removed from its adapter, there's no modifications to it at all.

After I made the adapter I found others had done something similar, it makes sense.

Ian

 

[Soulstar89]

An update.

I had a good think and decided to where possible mount my barrel lenses on 4"x4" lens boards. These are used on early Speed Graphics as well as MPP Micro Techical cameras (MkIII - MkVII). I have a pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic which I completely rebuilt a few years ago, it's fine for outdoor use but flash sync is not possible.

The 4"x4" lens board adapter to fit the Sinar shutter is now almost complete, it just needs final finishing and a slider and retaining strip of brass fitted.

View attachment 6659


View attachment 6660

Ian

Nice work Ian!!! This will open up many possibilities. My sinar shutter is still waiting patiently to be used.

 

[Nas]

My experience with the Sinar shutter is it works the best with the Sinar monorail system especially when you’re using old brass lenses with protruding rear elements as I do because you can place the shutter on its own standard and connect it to the lens standard with bellows very easily.

 

[Ian Grant]

Nice work Ian!!! This will open up many possibilities. My sinar shutter is still waiting patiently to be used.

Yes, the opportunities loom. Two simpler lens boards to make, then I can use all my Petzval and longer RR, and other Brass lenses, with the shutter.

My experience with the Sinar shutter is it works the best with the Sinar monorail system especially when you’re using old brass lenses with protruding rear elements as I do because you can place the shutter on its own standard and connect it to the lens standard with bellows very easily.

But you have to owner a Sinar, I'm trying to downsize, definitely no more LF cameras.

You have made me think as 2 of the 3 lenses hat fit my 12x10 camera protrude backwards from their flange, max though is 2 cm, and they share the same RPS thread 3" flange, so a special 4"x4" lens board, sort of mini top hat.

Ian