Relaxing in the Vondelpark

mshchem said:

Nice picture. 4x5 Crown is the perfect camera for this occasion. Well done!

Click to expand...

SJC1952 said:

I just love this. I've always wanted a 4x5 Crown but bought a 5x7 instead which isn't suitable for hand held photographs.

Click to expand...

Marco B said:

Secondhand 4x5 Crown's go for reasonable prices these days. You just should be aware there is a myriad of variants.

E.g. mine has the earlier fifties side-mounted rangefinder with an extra re-inforced metal bracket that sits over the rangefinder for holding the flash. While my flash is unusable as requiring the one-time Magnesium type throw away bulbs, it is a very convenient and comfortable handle for carrying the camera (especially since the leather strap on the other side was in need for replacement, which is now done).

Some even earlier (or later?) models don't have the extra metal bracket, and the flash attaches directly to the external housing of the rangefinder. This is fragile, as the rangefinder's external housing is only attached to the body with small screws, while the extra bracket is bolted through the body. However, my version with the extra bracket, which also seems for the larger type flash, seems rarer. Later models of course moved the rangefinder to the top of the camera.

Also, the side mounted rangefinders are difficult to calibrate if you only have the standard manual for the Kalart. Crucially, and stupidly, a vital piece of information regarding the positioning of the internal camera arm that follows movements of the bed while focusing, is missing. If you do not know how to attach and tension it, you can try as you want with the standard Kalart range finder manual, but won't get it properly calibrated because you will likely be working outside the design constraints of the rangefinder as the internal arm is not properly attached and tensioned before starting the calibration process described as in the manual. It took me 2.5 days and lots of frustration to figure this issue out. Once I realized the issue was with the tensioning and placement of the internal arm, calibration became much easier and in fact even possible.

I still want to document this somewhere, but it will only be valid for the side mounted version of the Kalart. In addition there is a second problem with a ridiculously thin locking bold inside the Kalart, that serves as screw as well, and that easily gets busted once you attempt to tighten it. Mine got to when I applied force, requiring me to tighten it from the back, which is a nuisance.

But not having a properly calibrated rangefinder dooms the camera for handheld work of course (unless wanting to do guess work), as each shot will be out of focus with large apertures practically wide open like used in this photo, so it was crucial getting it right and investing the time to figure it out.

Click to expand...

SJC1952 said:

Thanks for your detailed information here Marco. If I go down the secondhand 4x5 crown route I'll have a much better idea of the different variants available. Stefan

Click to expand...