Shutters:
Ilex
Copal
Compur
Compound
Alphax
Rapax
Prontor
Betax
Lets talk Shutters: We carry a stock of good pre-owned large format shutters that are
available for use in remounting your barrel lenses. Personally, I am a big fan
of both the ilex shutter and Alphax shutter. Other popular well made shutters
include the Copal, Compound, Prontor, and the Compur shutter. These are all
nice shutters that have proven themselves over time as being both durable and
reliable with the possible exception of the Compound shutter. The Compound is a
wonderful shutter, but it is slightly more susceptible to damage from abuse
than the others. Today the preference of the general population has fallen on
the Copal shutter. Copal shutters are very nice but my personal preference is
toward the classic shutters for custom lens mounting. Please see my personal comments and opinions on
these large format shutters below.
ilex Shutter: The long time
favorite shutter of large format photographers around the world especially for
larger lenses. It would be safe to say that when it comes to custom lens
mounting, the ilex shutter has been used more than any other shutter. They were
the first choice for Kodak for their commercial Ektar line and all lenses
requiring a #3 or larger shutter. I believe Kodak was correct in using other
brands for their smaller shutters as they were of higher quality in general.
The ilex #3, #4 and #5 shutters have
been accepted as the standard large format shutter until they were overtaken by
the smaller Copal shutter offerings. The #5 is highly sought after for mounting
BIG barrel lenses in as it is one of the biggest standard shutters made second
only to the big Compound shutter. It should be noted that the #5 Alphax and
Betax shutters have only a slightly smaller lens mounting diameter but have a
slightly larger maximum aperture than the #5 ilex shutter and are 1/2 inch
smaller in overall diameter.
Copal Shutter: Let me start off
by saying Copal shutters are nice shutters with excellent features. They work well and look nice. For most photographers a nice Copal shutter will outlive their
days of taking pictures. I sell many Copal shutters and have Copal shutters on many
of my personal lenses. However this humble photographer prefers to use the
classic shutters on vintage lenses. I know I will catch a some flack for my
opinion, never the less it is my opinion and feel I have to be honest about it.
You will see countless examples of 60 to 90 year old shutters from the other manufacturers listed on this page in fine working order or in need of a simple clean
and lube. With little care those that have not been abused will last another hundred years or more. They
are more durable than modern shutters and will withstand much more abuse than a modern Copal. With
that said, you have to love the way a beautiful lens looks in a Copal shutter.
The black face complements many lenses. The Copal Press shutters are
particularly nice. Unfortunately I am not a Copal shutter distributor yet. I do
carry good, lightly used, 0 and #1 Copal Shutters as well as an occasional
Copal #3.
Wollensak Shutters: Modern Wollensak
shutters include the Alphax shutter, the Betax shutter,
and Rapax shutter. Wollensak is an excellent manufacture whose products as a
hole are highly under rated. They have many outstanding lenses, but that�s
another story. Lets take a look at
their large format shutters:
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Alphax Shutter: My personal favorite.
They have slightly larger mounting holes than ilex shutters of the same size. They are extremely reliable shutters with little that a simple clean and lube
will not fix. The Alphax shutter due to it�s high reliability were the
shutter of choice for sequential shot surveillance cameras before the
days of video. In these cameras a shutter would typically see more use
in a month than most would experience in a lifetime of use. The #3
Alphax shutter is almost identical in overall size to the Copal 1
shutter offering the most compact #3 shutter available.
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Rapax Shutter: Wollensak�s answer to the Compur rapid
shutters. They are only available in size 3 and smaller. The
Rapax shutter line is Wollensak�s most complex, with internal workings that
are only comparable in quality to the precision Compur shutter.
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Betax Shutters: Wollensak�s first clockwork shutters.
While not as cosmetically appealing as the Alphax shutter, the #5 Betax
is perhaps the best choice for a large shutter available to someone on
a tight budget. Betax shutters have the same dimensions as the Alphax.
You could always step up at a later date if you chose to. On many
lenses the look of the black faced shutter is particularly appealing.
Compur Shutter: German quality and craftsmanship
are clearly visible in the Compur shutter. They will typically last a lifetime
or two of shooting as compared to the more limited life expectancy of the Copal
shutters. I know I may catch a lot of flack for that statement but it is my
opinion never the less. It has been my experience that while an older Compur
shutter may require a clean & lube every 10 to 20 years, it is due to the
much closer tolerances and precision craftsmanship. A Copal shutter on the
other hand is unfortunately like many of today�s modern cameras. They are considered more like throw always.
They are typically used until they die and usually replaced rather than
repaired. If you watch ebay regularly you will frequently see relatively
new lenses with nonfunctional, broken, or as is most often the case, a
replaced Copal shutter. By sharp contrast, it is very rare that you will see a
lens in a Compur shutter that has been replaced or that needs anything more
than a simple servicing. You will find this to be true even on Compur shutters
over 50 years old. Last of all, the reason most of the new lenses come in
Copals is really quite simple. They are less expensive than a Compur shutter.
Personally, I do not see the logic in saving $50.00 on the price of a $600.00
-$5000.00 lens by using a shutter that is less expensive. Time to get off the
soapbox now.
The Prontor shutter is also a well made
German shutter but not very common so I will not go into detail on them.
Compound Shutter: One of the few
pneumatic shutters that have survived in a world dominated by the clockwork shutters.
They are high quality, German engineered, marvels. The #5 Compound is the
largest commonly available shutter made for the large format photographer. With
its massive 82.8mm front and rear lens opening it is the best choice for you if
you have a monster barrel lens for custom lens mounting. They not only have the
largest lens opening, but also have the largest clear aperture available on any
standard shutter. Compound shutters are a bit more delicate than other shutters
on my list with paper thin leaves that can be easily damaged by an
inexperienced shutter service man. Overall, the Compound shutter is an
exceptional shutter. There quality design enabled them to not only survive, but
to compete with modern clockwork shutters many decades after pneumatic shutters
were considered obsolete.
Need a Shutter? We carry a
selection of well cared for classic shutters in sizes 00, 0, 1, 3, 4, & 5
including the #5 ilex shutter as well as some as new Copal 0 and 1 shutters for
your custom lens mounting needs. A measurement of the diameter of your barrel
lens would help narrow down what size shutter you will need. To be able to
recommend the smallest size possible it is always best to have the lens in hand
but I will do my best to help you select a shutter. Being a field photographer
myself, size and weight are always an issue and I try to keep them to a
minimum. All the shutters I sell with the exception of the as new Copals
have been serviced (a 50 dollar value). The prices are as follows (with some
exceptions).
Servicing Shutters:
At LensN2shutter, we service all of the classic shutters we sell just prior to shipping them. This way you can be sure you will receive a shutter with a "fresh servicing" rather than a serviced shutter that has sat on a shelf for 10 or more years.
Antique Shutters:
Yes, we service the old Volute, Unicom, Kileos, Kodak, Verio, Optimo, Victor and many others that most shops will not even consider touching. We do this as our contribution to keep many fine lenses in there original shutters where they are more collectible. Besides, when you are shooting a f:18 Protar, a shutter such as the Volute with speeds down to a full 3 seconds can be most useful.
It would be ideal to have shutters fire at the speeds indicated on the shutter. As a general rule though all shutters (even new shutters) commonly do not fire at the speeds marked on the shutter at the higher speeds even when they are in good repair. Realistically the top speeds are simply not as marked on the shutter.
In most cases re-calibrating the shutter is not necessary and can even be harmful. On all shutters (in our experience), the springs settle in and result in the shutter loosing some of its original speed. Once this has happened, the speeds typically remain very consistent (actual shutter speeds do not change from this point until a servicing becomes nesary) provider they are taken care of. When the slow speeds start sticking it is time for a servicing that will bring all the speeds back to the "settled in speeds".
While bending the springs can return a shutters speed to the marked high speeds, it will again settle out but to a slower speed as before. Due to altering the factory spring, the speeds will typically settle out consistently slower than a shutter with an unaltered factory spring. For this reason, we do not bend springs when we service shutters. This is our experience from over 30 years of working on large format shutters. Others may not agree, they are entitled to there opinion.
In our opinion, the most important thing is that it fires consistently at any given speed or setting and that you know what the actual speed is for each setting. For those of us that have a small lens selection keeping track of the speed corrections for the various settings is easy. With a large lens selection it is a bit more difficult.
The best method I have seen for people with large lens selections is a note on the lens board of each lens with the proper speeds for that shutter marked on it so that there is no confusion. Regardless of how you do it, the time slip from your shutter should be copied and kept in your camera bag for future reference.
Shutter speeds are generally very close to the marked speeds at all but the top 2 or 3 marked speeds. Top speeds are simply misrepresented often at the far end of the standard ASA tolerance of 33% (1/90th firing at 1/60th is within specs even though it is a full stop slower). For example; the best speed we have recorded for a new Copal 1 shutter set at 1/400 is 1/185 with most turning in a dismal 1/135. That is over a full stop of error.
Generally speaking the following top speeds are what you should expect to see for the following shutters. For those shutters with a range given for the top speed, the most commonly recorded speeds are toward the bottom of the range.
#00 All_____40-60% of the top marked speed
#1 Copal____1/135
#3 Copal____1/60-1/90 (most at 1/75)
#3 Alphax___1/50
#3 ilex______1/60-1/90
#4 Alphax___1/30-1/50
#4 ilex______1/30-1/60
#5 Alphax___1/20-1/35
#5 ilex______1/20-1/40
Additional things to consider: