View Full Version : How to Mount a Copal 3 Shutter

William Marderness
28-Sep-2005, 02:57
I am unsure how to mount a lens in a Copal 3 shutter on a Sirnar lensboard. Does the spacing ring go in front of the board (between the shutter and lensboard) or in back of the board (between the lensboard and retaining ring)? I think the spacer should go on the back of the board, but I have seen lenses mounted with the spacer on the front, even with large boards, so I am unsure.

Ted Harris
28-Sep-2005, 06:52
The spacer ring goes in front of the board. The purpose of the spacer is to gie you clearance between the board and the front standard so that you can operate the controls of the shutter on cameras, such as many field cameras, where space is cramped and there would not be room for the front element of the lens without the spacer. If you are using your lens exclusively on a monorail camera you may not need to use the spacer. Since the rear element threads fit inside the spoacer it has nothing to do with cell spacing .... just a way to use big lenses on smaller cameras.

Steven Barall
28-Sep-2005, 12:50
How you do mount a Copal 3 shutter? Very very carefully! Try the "T" setting. I got a million of 'em folks. Did you hear the one about the traveling photographer and the farmers daughter? He wanted to see what would develop but all she did was laugh at his enlgarement. No, seriously folks... He promised to shoot her with his ultra large format but when he exposed himself she laughed and said " and what makes it even worse is that 4 inchers don't even have that much movement anyway".

28-Sep-2005, 13:43
I have a monorail, and I put the spacer behind the board. But if you mount it this way, you'll need to remove the little lock pin on the back of the shutter, or drill a matching hole in your board.

29-Sep-2005, 08:32
mmmhhhhh, I'm just a little bit confused! ;))))

I have a 300 Sironar S which is mounted on a Calumet C1 lensboard (my 8x10" camera).
I mounted this lens exactly as a Copal 0 or Copal 1 lens, i.e. putting the front elements into the hole of the lensboard and then fixing it with the retaining ring.
Then I mounted the spacer ring on the retaining ring, for some reasons they fit perfectly, and finally I mounted the rear element...now I'm wondering if this could affect in some way focusing...