Sinar
Encyclopedia
Sinar AG is a Swiss company producing medium format and large format cameras
.
The name SINAR is explained (in numerous company publications) as an acronym for "Studio, Industrie, Natur, Architektur, Reproduktion", though in an April 2011 company press release, the acronym is explained as "Sach-, Industrie-, Natur-, und
Architekturfotografie sowie Reproduktion". (In English it is often seen explained as "Science, Industry, Nature, Art, and Reproduction". The company itself mentions "Still, Industrial, Nature, Architectural and Reproduction photography" in the English version of the April 2011 press release.)
Yet it is extremely unlikely that the company name was coined as an elaborate acronym. "Sinar" is also the Malay/Indonesian word for a ray of light, which probably is not a coincidence.
Technika) and field cameras of the day. His main aim was to produce a large format camera of high precision and simple operation, with a system of parts that were readily interchangeable. The Sinar system's versatility is based on the interchangeability of parts as well as a large number of accessories that have been produced over the years. Major components (rails, bellows, lensboards, and standards) made in the 1940s are still usable with currently manufactured Sinar equipment.The Museum of Modern Art
has a Sinar Norma in its permanent collection.
, the unique asymmetric tilts and swings of the P series Sinar cameras ensured a full conformance to the Scheimpflug principle—bringing subject plane, lens plane, and sensor (film) plane to meet at a precise virtual 'line' and not merely at a point—as was the case with less sophisticated tilt/shift cameras.
The P series also introduced features such as self-arresting rack and pinion gearing and a precision-engineered quick format change system that allows the photographer to switch between 4x5/5x7/8x10 formats quickly without having to fully disassemble the rear standard. This was accomplished by using a common rear standard bearer and unlocking a single knob to switch among the various format frames. Another new feature implemented in the P series was the Sinar system of calculating swings and tilts (using its proprietary ground glass) as well as the Sinar depth of field calculator. A key feature of the Sinar P system, particularly in the domain of scientific and industrial photography, is the precise machine tolerances that are part of the fittings and movements.
The Sinar LCD shutter system enables their ccd camerabacks to have a much extended density range in video mode for focusing capability in a wider range of ambient lighting. This system has been used in modified mode by RIT to obtain multispectral images suited to aging analysis of color pigments in artworks. More recent innovations are the integration of Canon and Nikon SLR cameras as camera backs onto the P standard with adaptors from fellow Swiss camera assesories manufacturer, Foba. and other adaptions enable standard Hasselblad lens to be integrated which results in improved wide angle performance with DSLR cameras
Sinar cameras provided optional lens-independent, automatic, self-cocking shutters with built-in apertures and film plane metering. More recently, Sinar has promoted the use of digital backs especially within the high-end studio environments.
Originally made in Feuerthalen
(north of Zurich
), Sinar moved its base of operations to Zurich after separating from Jenoptik
in October 2009.
View camera
The view camera is a type of camera first developed in the era of the Daguerreotype and still in use today, though with many refinements. It comprises a flexible bellows which forms a light-tight seal between two adjustable standards, one of which holds a lens, and the other a viewfinder or a...
.
The name SINAR is explained (in numerous company publications) as an acronym for "Studio, Industrie, Natur, Architektur, Reproduktion", though in an April 2011 company press release, the acronym is explained as "Sach-, Industrie-, Natur-, und
Architekturfotografie sowie Reproduktion". (In English it is often seen explained as "Science, Industry, Nature, Art, and Reproduction". The company itself mentions "Still, Industrial, Nature, Architectural and Reproduction photography" in the English version of the April 2011 press release.)
Yet it is extremely unlikely that the company name was coined as an elaborate acronym. "Sinar" is also the Malay/Indonesian word for a ray of light, which probably is not a coincidence.
Founding
Swiss photographer Carl Hans Koch invented the Sinar camera in 1947 due to his dissatisfaction with the imprecise nature of wooden view cameras and the limitations of technical (e.g., LinhofLinhof
Linhof is a German company, founded in Munich in 1887 by Valentin Linhof. The company is well known for making premium rollfilm and large format film cameras...
Technika) and field cameras of the day. His main aim was to produce a large format camera of high precision and simple operation, with a system of parts that were readily interchangeable. The Sinar system's versatility is based on the interchangeability of parts as well as a large number of accessories that have been produced over the years. Major components (rails, bellows, lensboards, and standards) made in the 1940s are still usable with currently manufactured Sinar equipment.The Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
has a Sinar Norma in its permanent collection.
P series
The Sinar P, introduced in 1970, had asymmetric tilts and swings, as opposed to the traditional center or base tilts. This permitted rapid and precise settings without losing sharpness on the axis. Furthermore, whereas base-tilt/front-swing view cameras of the time ensured partial conformance to the Scheimpflug principleScheimpflug principle
The Scheimpflug principle is a geometric rule that describes the orientation of the plane of focus of an optical system when the lens plane is not parallel to the image plane. It is commonly applied to the use of camera movements on a view camera...
, the unique asymmetric tilts and swings of the P series Sinar cameras ensured a full conformance to the Scheimpflug principle—bringing subject plane, lens plane, and sensor (film) plane to meet at a precise virtual 'line' and not merely at a point—as was the case with less sophisticated tilt/shift cameras.
The P series also introduced features such as self-arresting rack and pinion gearing and a precision-engineered quick format change system that allows the photographer to switch between 4x5/5x7/8x10 formats quickly without having to fully disassemble the rear standard. This was accomplished by using a common rear standard bearer and unlocking a single knob to switch among the various format frames. Another new feature implemented in the P series was the Sinar system of calculating swings and tilts (using its proprietary ground glass) as well as the Sinar depth of field calculator. A key feature of the Sinar P system, particularly in the domain of scientific and industrial photography, is the precise machine tolerances that are part of the fittings and movements.
Accessories
Sinar has manufactured many accessories since its establishment, including a unique swing-out filter holder that allows the photographer to use a polarizing filter as well as 4x4 inch gel filters. Sinar also made what many consider to be the best 4x5 reflex attachment that employed an adjustable mirror for the best possible viewing of the image. Adapters (now discontinued) were made by Sinar to adapt this viewer to various other view camera makes such as Plaubel, Linhof, and Toyo. The Zoom series of roll film backs, which allow the use of 120/220 film formats from 6x6.45 to 6x12 formats with the ultimate in film flatness, further extends the format capabilities of the Sinar. The Zoom film backs are usable on any 4x5 camera with an international (Graflok) back.The Sinar LCD shutter system enables their ccd camerabacks to have a much extended density range in video mode for focusing capability in a wider range of ambient lighting. This system has been used in modified mode by RIT to obtain multispectral images suited to aging analysis of color pigments in artworks. More recent innovations are the integration of Canon and Nikon SLR cameras as camera backs onto the P standard with adaptors from fellow Swiss camera assesories manufacturer, Foba. and other adaptions enable standard Hasselblad lens to be integrated which results in improved wide angle performance with DSLR cameras
Sinar cameras provided optional lens-independent, automatic, self-cocking shutters with built-in apertures and film plane metering. More recently, Sinar has promoted the use of digital backs especially within the high-end studio environments.
Originally made in Feuerthalen
Feuerthalen
Feuerthalen is a municipality in the district of Andelfingen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Langwiesen also belongs to the same municipality.-History:...
(north of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
), Sinar moved its base of operations to Zurich after separating from Jenoptik
Jenoptik
Jenoptik is an optoelectronics group located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany and a descendant of the pre-war Zeiss company. The business is divided into five divisions: Optical Systems, Lasers & Material Processing, Industrial Metrology, Traffic Solutions and Defense & Civil Systems.- Company profile...
in October 2009.
Representative products
- Sinar Norma: the original system camera, convertible from 4x5 to 5x7 and 8x10 formats.
- Sinar P/P2 (Perfection): introduced in 1970, forms the basis for current high-end cameras, convertible from 4x5 to 5x7, 8x10, and P3 formats.
- Sinar P3: high-end, digital, medium format view camera.
- Sinar F/F+/F1/F2 (Field): classic, entry-level, 4x5 and 5x7 (F2) and 8x10 large format film view cameras; simple and robust, the starting point for many students of photography around the world.
- Sinar F3: entry-level, digital, medium format view camera.
- Sinar C/C2 (Combination) System camera that combines a P/P2 style rear standard with a F/F1/F2 style front standard—marketed as a less expensive alternative to the P/P2.
- Sinar X: camera that was a stripped down version of P2 in 4x5 format only.
- Sinar Alpina/A1: entry level view camera that had a unique flat but incompatible rail system with other Sinar cameras, also sold as the Zone VI monorail camera in the 1970s.
- Sinar Handy: "Point and shoot" 4x5 camera that used a 4x5 P format frame and ground glass back mounted on a handgrip, and used lenses mounted in focusing mounts.
- Sinar E: P2 that was connected to a computer, which calculated and carried out the movements for the photographer. This camera is very rare and sold at a cost of over US$30,000 in the early 1990s.
- Sinar m: modular digital hand-held, auto-focus multi-format: medium format and 35 mm format camera (taking Zeiss or HasselbladHasselbladVictor Hasselblad AB is a Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras and photographic equipment based in Gothenburg, Sweden.The company is best known for the medium-format cameras it has produced since World War II....
lenses in medium format, or NikonNikon, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
lenses in 35 mm format), also adaptable to the Sinar P3 medium format view camera. - Sinar Hy6: auto-focus, hybrid (film & digital), multi-format (6x6 and 6x4.5) camera, developed between Sinar and Franke & Heidecke (the manufacturer of Rollei cameras).
- Sinar-approved Sinaron lenses: made in partnership with Rodenstock, Germany.
- Sinar camera backs 22, 23(H), 44, 54 (M, MC, H), 75 H, eVolution, eMotion22, 75,86,86H and live video (LV) options, (H defines it as piezo crystal controlled multishot).
- Sinar arTec specialist architectural film/digital panoramic camera with tilts also used for interiors and landscapes with 28 mm lens.
- Sinar P2/3 adaptation for Canon and Nikon digital SLR mounting using sinar CPL lens (also nikon/hasselblad lens).
- Sinar eShutter system for remote aperture/shutter control.
External links
- Sinar AG website.
- Pascal's Rolleiflex Pages Information on the Rolleiflex 6008 AF, Rolleiflex/Sinar Hy6, and Leaf AFi camera systems.
- Foba slr view camera adaptors Information on the sinar view camera camera mounting for Canon and Nikon SLRs.
- Sinar Spare Parts Catalogues Manuals of parts and adjustments for Sinar large format cameras.