Can a 47 Super Angulon be mounted on an unmodified Century using a conventional Century board?

Hiking, I'd like sometimes to use it handheld (zone focused) with my Voigtlander CV 25mm finder (should be perfect).

Better idea for compact 6X9 and 47mm?

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On 2005-09-15 09:32, djon wrote: Can a 47 Super Angulon be mounted on an unmodified Century using a conventional Century board? Hiking, I'd like sometimes to use it handheld (zone focused) with my Voigtlander CV 25mm finder (should be perfect). Better idea for compact 6X9 and 47mm?

Yes, that's how my 47/5.6 SA is mounted.

Ought to be feasible.

A Brooks Veriwide might be a little more compact, and early ones have, IIRC, a 100 mm wide gate. Remember that the Century can't be closed with a 47 SA mounted.

Thanks for the fast feedback... sounds like a plan. Now all I have to do is figure out how to afford a 47. An F8 would be OK, since I'd be zone focusing anyway.

Years ago in San Francisco I photographed the visiting Taiwan Little League (the "kids" included a couple of seeming-drugged-up 30-yr-olds) with a Veriwide. Forgot about that camera. Maybe it'd be cheaper than a 47mm lens!

Quote:

On 2005-09-15 13:14, djon wrote: Thanks for the fast feedback... sounds like a plan. Now all I have to do is figure out how to afford a 47. An F8 would be OK, since I'd be zone focusing anyway. Years ago in San Francisco I photographed the visiting Taiwan Little League (the "kids" included a couple of seeming-drugged-up 30-yr-olds) with a Veriwide. Forgot about that camera. Maybe it'd be cheaper than a 47mm lens!

Good luck on finding an affordable 47 or Veriwide. It took me a long time to find my 47 and I think it cost me more, after all the dust had settled, than any of my other lenses including the 38 Biogon. Scary.

Some thoughts...


The 47mm Super Angulon f5.6 seems to fit a Copal 0 Century lensboard - unmodified since the bellows retraction compensates for the shorter focal length. This however brings the lens almost level with the drawbridge and requires the bed to be dropped.

I didn't realise this was a sought after lens - the version I've started using is on a press shutter and cost less than the Century Graflex itself. With a cable release, the camera works well shoulder-slung, rather than hand-held. It's only tremendous disadvantage is that the Century+47mm can not be safely closed into the box position, unlike a Century+65mm lens. Trying it out for candid urban photography, I've found the box attracts bewildering and undesired attention with the drawbridge left open. It lacks easy handling and portability, compared to a simple rangefinder design.

Perhaps with respect to hiking, I lament the absence of a tripod hole on the top of the camera plate, so that forward tilt could be used effectively, and the drawbridge used as a lens hood. This combination is a manual test of dexterity.

A Schneider Angulon 47mm XL f5.6 is also too large for a Century. Perhaps the 47mm f8.0 S.A. is not in the same league as the 47mm f5.6. You may want to check out the MTF profiles before deciding.

Good luck with your lens hunt.

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On 2005-09-15 17:10, R_J wrote: Some thoughts... The 47mm Super Angulon f5.6 seems to fit a Copal 0 Century lensboard - unmodified since the bellows retraction compensates for the shorter focal length. This however brings the lens almost level with the drawbridge and requires the bed to be dropped. I didn't realise this was a sought after lens - the version I've started using is on a press shutter and cost less than the Century Graflex itself. With a cable release, the camera works well shoulder-slung, rather than hand-held. It's only tremendous disadvantage is that the Century+47mm can not be safely closed into the box position, unlike a Century+65mm lens. Trying it out for candid urban photography, I've found the box attracts bewildering and undesired attention with the drawbridge left open. It lacks easy handling and portability, compared to a simple rangefinder design. Perhaps with respect to hiking, I lament the absence of a tripod hole on the top of the camera plate, so that forward tilt could be used effectively, and the drawbridge used as a lens hood. This combination is a manual test of dexterity. A Schneider Angulon 47mm XL f5.6 is also too large for a Century. Perhaps the 47mm f8.0 S.A. is not in the same league as the 47mm f5.6. You may want to check out the MTF profiles before deciding. Good luck with your lens hunt.

RJ, my 47/5.6 SA is single coated and in #00 Prontor Press; #00 Synchro Compur was standard. Later multi-coated 47/5.6s were put in #0s. As to why mine is in a press shutter, well, it came from a camera made for the Admiralty and there was a requirement for a self-cocking shutter so it could be fired by a solenoid.

A Century can't be closed on a 47/8 SA either.

The 65/6.8 Angulon and functional equivalents like the 65/6.8 Raptar/Optar and Leitmeyr Weitwinkel are not to the SA design and are much, much slimmer. But they also have less coverage and aren't quite as nice overall.

Cheers,

Dan

Hi Dan,

Just to let you know, it's possible to fit the 47mm f5.6 S.A. to a Copal. I've managed to fit one however the aperture lever jams at certain angles of the tiny 2x3" lensboard clips.

The lack of a shutter release led to this modification however for casual non-tripod work, the self-cocking shutter is certainly useful.