New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back

QT Luong · 7-Feb-2005, 00:51

A new article by Paul Owen,
The Shen Hao 6x17 Roll Film Back and Ground Glass Viewer - A User's Review, has been posted. Please feel free to leave any constructive comments in this thread.

paul owen · 15-Mar-2005, 15:17

Just an update on the film back. I have installed a fresnel lens in the viewer and the improvement in screen brightness and eveness of illumination is quite amazing! What's more amazing is the fact that I simply cut down a flexible A4 page magnifier (cost £2!) and using clear self adhesive corners for photo albums fixed it in place over the existing ground glass! I recently paid a brief visit to Scotland where I used the 6x17 back wihout any hitches and the transparencies that I got back from the lab are further proof (to me anyway) that this film back was a "wise investment".

Bill_1856 · 15-Mar-2005, 15:38

How much did the thing cost?

David A. Goldfarb · 15-Mar-2005, 15:48

Mine (the Da Yi version) was about $545 including shipping from Hong Kong from a seller on eBay who goes by "oneworld3".

Scott Fleming · 15-Mar-2005, 16:34

Pictures would be nice.

Bill_1856 · 16-Mar-2005, 17:00

Paul, isn't there a problem with shadowing of the film edges with anything but very wide lenses? (I have a 5x7 back for my 4x5 Nagaoka camera, and with normal FL lenses it's only a 5x6 because of the shadows from the bellows.)

David A. Goldfarb · 16-Mar-2005, 20:38

It works with lenses from 75mm (wider if there are such lenses that cover the format) to 150mm before you see mechanical vignetting. Still, you can get about 6x16.5 with a 168mm lens or about 6x15 with a 210mm lens.

I've posted some impressions and test shots in this thread:

http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?p=113867#post113867

paul owen · 20-Mar-2005, 17:08

The only vignetting I have found is when using a 210mm lens. Anything up to a 150mm works fine. The 210mm gives a frame size of approximately 160mm long as opposed to the 175mm full frame.

paul owen · 20-Mar-2005, 17:09

There are pics of film back and viewer on Robert White's web site (under LF section - Shen Hao). Cost me just shy of £500 UK pounds (including VAT and shipping).

Mosadek Miah · 21-Mar-2005, 21:14

David, I also had the DAYI version of the 6x17 back (also purchased from ebay seller - oneworld3 - in Hong Kong when the thing first came out in early 2004), and I was disappointed by it for a couple of reasons - sold it thereafter. Firstly, the felt material lining inside the film window area was poorly glued in, and was coming apart at the corners, and intruding into the image area all around. The useable image area I achieved was only 54mm x 165mm at best with a 90mm lens. I could never get close to 56x170mm, never mind the 178mm Paul managed.

I also owned an Art Panorama 6x17 back once, and found this to be MUCH better in this regard, giving a full 56mm x 178mm image, just like the Art Panorama 170 cameras.

Can anyone tell me if the recent DAYI 6x17 backs have the same problems with the felt lining and image area limitation?

Also, there is another manufacturer - Kang Tai, I think (also calling their back the "KT617 Art Panorama") selling on ebay, for a bit more - USD$733. They have examples of images taken with 90mm and 150mm lenses, and claim the full 56x168mm image area - anybody got one of these or compared it with DAYI/Shen Hao??

Thanks!

7-Feb-2005, 00:51	#1
QT Luong Founder Join Date: Aug 1997 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 1,498	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back A new article by Paul Owen, The Shen Hao 6x17 Roll Film Back and Ground Glass Viewer - A User's Review, has been posted. Please feel free to leave any constructive comments in this thread.

15-Mar-2005, 15:17	#2
paul owen Join Date: Nov 1999 Posts: 745	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back Just an update on the film back. I have installed a fresnel lens in the viewer and the improvement in screen brightness and eveness of illumination is quite amazing! What's more amazing is the fact that I simply cut down a flexible A4 page magnifier (cost £2!) and using clear self adhesive corners for photo albums fixed it in place over the existing ground glass! I recently paid a brief visit to Scotland where I used the 6x17 back wihout any hitches and the transparencies that I got back from the lab are further proof (to me anyway) that this film back was a "wise investment".

15-Mar-2005, 15:38	#3
Bill_1856 Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,935	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back How much did the thing cost? __________________ wilhelm (Sarasota)

15-Mar-2005, 15:48	#4
David A. Goldfarb Whatever Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: New York, New York Posts: 3,850	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back Mine (the Da Yi version) was about $545 including shipping from Hong Kong from a seller on eBay who goes by "oneworld3".

15-Mar-2005, 16:34	#5
Scott Fleming Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 288	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back Pictures would be nice.

16-Mar-2005, 17:00	#6
Bill_1856 Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 1,935	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back Paul, isn't there a problem with shadowing of the film edges with anything but very wide lenses? (I have a 5x7 back for my 4x5 Nagaoka camera, and with normal FL lenses it's only a 5x6 because of the shadows from the bellows.) __________________ wilhelm (Sarasota)

16-Mar-2005, 20:38	#7
David A. Goldfarb Whatever Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: New York, New York Posts: 3,850	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back It works with lenses from 75mm (wider if there are such lenses that cover the format) to 150mm before you see mechanical vignetting. Still, you can get about 6x16.5 with a 168mm lens or about 6x15 with a 210mm lens. I've posted some impressions and test shots in this thread: http://www.apug.org/forums/showthread.php?p=113867#post113867

20-Mar-2005, 17:08	#8
paul owen Join Date: Nov 1999 Posts: 745	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back The only vignetting I have found is when using a 210mm lens. Anything up to a 150mm works fine. The 210mm gives a frame size of approximately 160mm long as opposed to the 175mm full frame.

20-Mar-2005, 17:09	#9
paul owen Join Date: Nov 1999 Posts: 745	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back There are pics of film back and viewer on Robert White's web site (under LF section - Shen Hao). Cost me just shy of £500 UK pounds (including VAT and shipping).

21-Mar-2005, 21:14	#10
Mosadek Miah Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1	New article by Paul Owen: Shen Hao 6x17 RF Back David, I also had the DAYI version of the 6x17 back (also purchased from ebay seller - oneworld3 - in Hong Kong when the thing first came out in early 2004), and I was disappointed by it for a couple of reasons - sold it thereafter. Firstly, the felt material lining inside the film window area was poorly glued in, and was coming apart at the corners, and intruding into the image area all around. The useable image area I achieved was only 54mm x 165mm at best with a 90mm lens. I could never get close to 56x170mm, never mind the 178mm Paul managed. I also owned an Art Panorama 6x17 back once, and found this to be MUCH better in this regard, giving a full 56mm x 178mm image, just like the Art Panorama 170 cameras. Can anyone tell me if the recent DAYI 6x17 backs have the same problems with the felt lining and image area limitation? Also, there is another manufacturer - Kang Tai, I think (also calling their back the "KT617 Art Panorama") selling on ebay, for a bit more - USD$733. They have examples of images taken with 90mm and 150mm lenses, and claim the full 56x168mm image area - anybody got one of these or compared it with DAYI/Shen Hao?? Thanks!

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