That lens is like the holy grail of wide angle! When you mentioned getting it on FPP a while back I had to rewind and listen a few times, with a bit of envy 🙂 Glad to see you’re making more videos, your carbon videos have been a favorite for many years!
Wally enjoy your videos. I am just starting LF photography and learning everything from scratch, so very appreciative of your informative and easy to understand videos. Very well produced.
Hey Mat, I'm looking into large format photography and processing the film at home for making prints. I was thinking of starting with 4x5 and I was wondering if you have a recommendation for a beginner lens for 4x5 format, or even 8x10 while I'm asking. Love your channel (subscribed btw), your videos, and your work. I hope I can have my own online shop like you some day. Thanks! Justin Sievers
Hey Vishal, thanks for the comment! The wrench there is a large format spanner wrench. That one is fitted to Copal 0 - 3 shutters, or you could get an adjustable spanner for use outside of large format photography (less portable).
Hi Mat, Thank you so much for your sharing in large format photography. May I ask where is the best place (online or offline shops) for large format lenses' centre filters?
Hi Matt, have you ever run into a situation where over-tightening the retaining clip hinders or stops movement of the aperture ring? This has actually proved challenging for me with ensuring a solid mount with certain lenses. The extent of tightening that you show here would be problematic for me. Thoughts? Love your LF video idea! Thank you for sharing and for the inclusion. Nice job!
Hey Daniel, thanks for the comment and question! I have actually run across what you've stated with larger shutters like Copal 3. From best I could determine, the solution here was to use a spacing pin with a flat head that threads into the back of the shutter in front of the lens board. Several of my 8x10 lenses have come with lens boards with an extra hole drilled out for this spacer, while others I've had to remove the pin. If the pin is removed, the aperture ring will perform like you mentioned.
I am wondering why, with my fujinon 150mm lens, the hole in the lens board is a little offset from centre? Is this just someone didn't make the hole correctly or is there a reason for offset lens holes? Cheers love the channel :)
Great question! Some LF cameras are designed with a front standard that requires an off-center hole to give full lens coverage at the "zero" position. On cameras with lots of movements, it's not a big deal to have either.
@@mjones410 yes, indeed, Linhof Technika cameras have a complex focus rack setup, these have a separate track for wide/tele positioning of the lens as well as the focal length infinity setting, therefore increasing the lens' centre height, this 'eccentric' board hole accounts for this, meaning when zero is set on rise/fall the lens axis is centred to the format frame in the rear standard.
That is all based on the diameter of the threads of the lens elements. Those will typically correspond to a Shutter size like a Copal #0, #1, or #3. Cheers!
I'm confused, so is the lens and the shutter sold separately? can i use different lenses with different shutters? I've seen in different videos that there's no such thing as a '8x10 lens' or a '4x5 lens' but it all depends on the light circle. So im guessing with the lens in this video, as the light circle (assumingly) covers an 8x10 film sheet, it can also be used for 4x5? But then would that mean that you would have to mount the lens to a 4x5 lens mount?
Large format lenses aren't always sold with shutters, but many are. If the lens was made for "pictorial purposes" it should have lens elements that conform to a standard shutter size. If using a non-pictorial lens, the lens may need an adapter ring to be fitted into a shutter. At the end of the day, the format a lens can be used for all boils down to image circle of the lens. If there's enough to cover a larger size film, it will always cover smaller sizes as well. Large format cameras all use a lens board, and they're not standardized by size of format, but by brand of manufacture.
Thanks for the comment Bo. While shifting through the various gears after cocking the shutter isn't proper procedure, it shouldn't harm a shutter that's in good working order. With a lens that hasn't been used/fired in a long time, this could cause some issues.
Hi Matt. I've been shooting 4x5 for a few years, and all my lenses have had focus previews. But today I bought an old 8x10 camera in an antique store, which came with a Goerz Dagor 12 inch 6.8 in a very simple Acme shutter. Problem is: no focus preview. You mentioned in this video not to panic, so I'm trying to follow your advice. Do I need to use the "T" setting for focus preview*? Or is there another trick? Thanks for your help! *Unfortunately, neither T nor B is currently working on the shutter, although most of the other speeds sound at least ballpark. But I think an overhaul is in the near future, or maybe a new(er) shutter.
Hi Andrew, if the lens is not opening/staying open for B or T modes, you may need to service the shutter or find a replacement shutter in order to focus the lens reasonably in the field. Acme shutters aren't ones that every repair place will service, so if you can find a more modern replacement that may be the best move.
That lens is like the holy grail of wide angle! When you mentioned getting it on FPP a while back I had to rewind and listen a few times, with a bit of envy 🙂 Glad to see you’re making more videos, your carbon videos have been a favorite for many years!
Hey Eric, thanks for the comment! New videos are coming out at least once a week, and here pretty soon there's going to be a deeper dive on lenses.
Thanks! I am planning on getting back into film photography, in particular B&W, and going up to a 4x5 format. Your videos are wonderful.
Thanks for checking out the channel and glad it could be a helpful resource on your large format journey!
Wally enjoy your videos. I am just starting LF photography and learning everything from scratch, so very appreciative of your informative and easy to understand videos. Very well produced.
Thanks for the comment Roger and welcome to large format!
Hi Matt - great job
Thanks Matt, this helps so much!
I'm glad this could help and stay tuned!
Hey Mat, I'm looking into large format photography and processing the film at home for making prints. I was thinking of starting with 4x5 and I was wondering if you have a recommendation for a beginner lens for 4x5 format, or even 8x10 while I'm asking. Love your channel (subscribed btw), your videos, and your work. I hope I can have my own online shop like you some day.
Thanks!
Justin Sievers
Hey Matt! Super channel! Was curious about the 'wrench'. I need that in my kit. What is it exactly called?
Hey Vishal, thanks for the comment! The wrench there is a large format spanner wrench. That one is fitted to Copal 0 - 3 shutters, or you could get an adjustable spanner for use outside of large format photography (less portable).
Hi Mat, Thank you so much for your sharing in large format photography. May I ask where is the best place (online or offline shops) for large format lenses' centre filters?
Hi Matt, have you ever run into a situation where over-tightening the retaining clip hinders or stops movement of the aperture ring? This has actually proved challenging for me with ensuring a solid mount with certain lenses. The extent of tightening that you show here would be problematic for me. Thoughts?
Love your LF video idea! Thank you for sharing and for the inclusion. Nice job!
Hey Daniel, thanks for the comment and question! I have actually run across what you've stated with larger shutters like Copal 3. From best I could determine, the solution here was to use a spacing pin with a flat head that threads into the back of the shutter in front of the lens board. Several of my 8x10 lenses have come with lens boards with an extra hole drilled out for this spacer, while others I've had to remove the pin. If the pin is removed, the aperture ring will perform like you mentioned.
I am wondering why, with my fujinon 150mm lens, the hole in the lens board is a little offset from centre? Is this just someone didn't make the hole correctly or is there a reason for offset lens holes? Cheers love the channel :)
Great question! Some LF cameras are designed with a front standard that requires an off-center hole to give full lens coverage at the "zero" position. On cameras with lots of movements, it's not a big deal to have either.
thanks MM :)
@@mjones410 yes, indeed, Linhof Technika cameras have a complex focus rack setup, these have a separate track for wide/tele positioning of the lens as well as the focal length infinity setting, therefore increasing the lens' centre height, this 'eccentric' board hole accounts for this, meaning when zero is set on rise/fall the lens axis is centred to the format frame in the rear standard.
how do i determin which shutter I can get for my lens?
That is all based on the diameter of the threads of the lens elements. Those will typically correspond to a Shutter size like a Copal #0, #1, or #3. Cheers!
What dictates the choice of the Copal shutter number? Is it tied to the physical characteristics of the lens?
Good question! It's all tied to the diameter of the lens cells and what closest size will fit them. Standard sizes are Copal 00, 0, 1, and 3.
@@MatMarrash Does that mean that the associated adapter ring is specific and unique to that lens and shutter combination?
I'm confused, so is the lens and the shutter sold separately? can i use different lenses with different shutters? I've seen in different videos that there's no such thing as a '8x10 lens' or a '4x5 lens' but it all depends on the light circle. So im guessing with the lens in this video, as the light circle (assumingly) covers an 8x10 film sheet, it can also be used for 4x5? But then would that mean that you would have to mount the lens to a 4x5 lens mount?
Large format lenses aren't always sold with shutters, but many are. If the lens was made for "pictorial purposes" it should have lens elements that conform to a standard shutter size. If using a non-pictorial lens, the lens may need an adapter ring to be fitted into a shutter. At the end of the day, the format a lens can be used for all boils down to image circle of the lens. If there's enough to cover a larger size film, it will always cover smaller sizes as well. Large format cameras all use a lens board, and they're not standardized by size of format, but by brand of manufacture.
I am warried about that if I wind the shutter and then adjust the shutter speed, would it damage the shutter timer since I used this way before....
Thanks for the comment Bo. While shifting through the various gears after cocking the shutter isn't proper procedure, it shouldn't harm a shutter that's in good working order. With a lens that hasn't been used/fired in a long time, this could cause some issues.
Hi Matt. I've been shooting 4x5 for a few years, and all my lenses have had focus previews. But today I bought an old 8x10 camera in an antique store, which came with a Goerz Dagor 12 inch 6.8 in a very simple Acme shutter. Problem is: no focus preview. You mentioned in this video not to panic, so I'm trying to follow your advice. Do I need to use the "T" setting for focus preview*? Or is there another trick? Thanks for your help!
*Unfortunately, neither T nor B is currently working on the shutter, although most of the other speeds sound at least ballpark. But I think an overhaul is in the near future, or maybe a new(er) shutter.
Hi Andrew, if the lens is not opening/staying open for B or T modes, you may need to service the shutter or find a replacement shutter in order to focus the lens reasonably in the field. Acme shutters aren't ones that every repair place will service, so if you can find a more modern replacement that may be the best move.