Sinar F11976

History

Sinar was founded in 1948 by Carl Koch in Schaffhausen and introduced the modular monorail concept that would come to define professional studio large-format photography in the second half of the twentieth century. The original Sinar monorail established the 140mm lensboard standard and the asymmetric tilt geometry. The P series (introduced in the late 1950s and refined into the P and P2) represented the fully specified top-of-line, while the F series was developed to offer the same system architecture at a lower entry cost.

The F1 was followed by the Sinar F2, which added a more refined rear-standard mechanism and a depth-of-field calculator integrated more fully into the standard frame. Both F1 and F2 share all accessories with the P series. Sinar also produced the C and X series in later decades as the analog large-format market contracted.

The Sinar system became standard equipment in European and American advertising studios through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. It was particularly dominant in Swiss, German, and British commercial photography.

Why It Matters

The Sinar F1 represents the most accessible route into the most influential modular large-format system ever built. Its asymmetric tilt system genuinely changes how technical camera work is done: a photographer applying a Scheimpflug tilt correction on the F1 can make the adjustment without losing focus on the subject, because the tilt axis passes through the plane that matters. This is a significant workflow advantage over cameras with base tilts, where focus must be re-established after every tilt adjustment.

The F1 is also the most common Sinar on the used market, making parts, accessories, and service more available than for rarer models. The 140mm Sinar lensboard has been adopted by dozens of manufacturers, so lens options are essentially unlimited. Sinar's own metering system (the Sinar metering probe, which reads through the lens onto the ground glass) is compatible with F1 bodies.

Lenses & Accessories

The F1 mounts all lenses in Copal or Compur leaf shutters on Sinar 140mm lensboards:

• Schneider Symmar-S 150mm f/5.6 - the canonical studio standard for this system
• Schneider Super-Angulon 90mm f/8 - essential wide angle with generous image circle
• Schneider Super-Angulon 75mm f/5.6 - popular wide for architectural use
• Rodenstock Sironar-N 150mm f/5.6 - preferred by many for slightly warmer rendering
• Rodenstock Apo-Ronar 300mm f/9 - long-focus process lens, commonly used for product
• Nikon-Nikkor W 150mm f/5.6 - Japanese alternative standard
• Sinar roll-film backs - 6x7, 6x9 on 120 film
• Sinar Polaroid back - type 59/79 pack film for proofing; type 55 for positive-negative
• Sinar depth-of-field calculator - integrated into later standards, add-on for F1
• Sinar metering probe - behind-lens spot metering direct to the ground glass
• Bag bellows - required for lenses shorter than ~80mm; the standard bellows cannot compress sufficiently

Sample Photographers / Notable Use

• Standard equipment in Swiss and German advertising studios through the 1970s-1990s for catalogue and product work.
• Used extensively in European fashion photography where precise perspective control and interchangeable backs were required.
• Adopted by architectural photographers for front-rise work where a full monorail was preferred over a technical camera.
• Remains a common large-format teaching camera in photography programs due to its modularity and the clarity of its movement geometry.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Sinar
• Wikipedia: Sinar