[MF3D.FORUM:991] Re: Mounting tips?

[Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

David Motz wrote:
> 
> I just got my first batch of MF Spicer mounts today.  I'm wondering if
> anyone could offer any hints on how to mount my Sputnik images.

Important!  The side with the smaller openings and the rounded
corners is the front.  Right, David L?  ;-)  Also, the larger
part goes at the top as a thumb hold area.

Perhaps the master mounter could chime in with some tips,
but I'd suggest trying a straight edge on a light box to
make sure the first chips is level.  If you are lucky,
you will be able to mount the second chip to the straight
edge and have perfect vertical alignment.  But you may
well have to adjust the vertical of the second chip.

Greg Erker wrote up a description of how he does his
mounting.  I forget which generation of the list it was
posted to; it might very well not yet be in Marco's
archives.

> I'm used
> to mounting Realist format in Spicers using an RBT jig.

Don't you miss those sprocket holes!!??

> Are there any tricks for aligning the chips to prevent
> rotational errors?

If you use the straight edge and are shooting with a
stereo camera, rotation errors should not be an issue.

> I was surprised by how much
> smaller the mount opening is than the chip.

Most folks are!  Although probably not necessary for most
Sputnik shots, the cropping can be required for twin-camera
shots if the verticals are not in good alignment.  And I
hear Sputniks are not always well aligned vertically.

> And how little cardboard
> there is around the sides of the mount.

The sides are not so bad, it's the small middle that's more
of an issue!  It's hard to get good stiffness into the mount,
although Ernie Rairdin sure manages to make his rock solid.

> It looks like a lot of the image
> will need to be cut away to allow for taping the mounts shut.  (I use
> double sided tape for this.)

A small amount of physical trimming may be helpful, but
I don't think I would call it a lot.

> Are mounting gauges available for medium format?  Any tips I should be
> aware of?

Yes and yes.  I usually try to include a mounting gauge when
someone orders MF mounts for the first time.  But I feel like
I've known you as a customer for a long time, and forgot to
include a gauge.  And there's one other thing...

We seemed to reach a consensus here that the gauge RMM has
distributed for a number of years is rather conservative
regarding infinity separation.  So it is on my list to make
a new gauge.  Before doing so, I would like the group's
advice.  I'm considering including multiple infinity lines
so the gauge would look something like:

View with fixed-width font!

                                     N
                                     e
                                     a   FFFF
                                     r   1234
         ________________________________________
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |-------|-------------------|---||||---|
         |______________________________________|

F1= 2.3; F2=2.5; F3=2.7; F4=2.9

(I made the values evenly spaced rather than futz with making
a realistically to-scale ASCII drawing.  I could also use
tips on what values should be used for F1...Fn.)

Whaddya say?  Brilliant or idiotic?  ;-)

Paul Talbot