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Bolex shutter degree angle question


Robert Chacon

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No, the two-blades shutter mechanism opens until 135 degrees. You count with 133 degrees as compensation for the shutter not throwing a sharp shadow on the film but that’s rather a swiss pedantry.

For 180 degrees you would have to exchange the shutter group (plus more). There is actually no two-blades variable shutter design that goes to 180 degrees. The blades must still overlap in the widest open position. Three-blades variable shutters exist, for example with the Mitchell 16 Professional, going to 235 degrees, from serial number 227 on. A beautiful camera by the way

Paillard-Bolex H-16 cameras up to serial number 100,400 have a 190 degrees shutter together with a different claw mechanism.

Edited by Simon Wyss
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5 hours ago, Robert Chacon said:

Sorry should've been more specific, i mean for example, changing the 133 angle to lets say 180. Just wondering if its possible to mod it to a higher shutter degree angle.

The Bolex trailing claw pull down mechanism (found in all reflex models) is not a fast pull down - for half a revolution the claw is pushing against the film, and as it pulls back across the perf the shutter should still be closed, so it really requires more than half a shutter revolution to cleanly transport the film. The largest shutter angle Bolex made for this claw movement was 170 degrees in the electric models EBM and EL, discarding the variable shutter. You could potentially try to replace the variable shutter in a REX model with a fixed 170 degree shutter, but what is your goal? It’s a lot of effort to gain a fraction of a stop more light. 

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