Anyone here using rangefinder press cameras?

jtk · Feb 9, 2019

My baby Century Graphic with drop bed works fine at infinity with 47 f8 Super Angulon. Very nice @ 6X9.

Lots of depth of field, of course, but 5X Peak Lupe is handy.

jtk · Feb 11, 2019

My baby Century was originally set up with 80/2.8 Xenotar...arguably comparable to the Planar that the Graflex XL used as standard for its 6X7...except that the Xenotar doesn't vignette on 6x9 and the Planar does.

Dan Fromm · Feb 11, 2019

Funny. My 80/2.8 Planar (ex-Graflex XL) covers 2x3 and my 80/2.8 Xenotar (cleaned with steel wool, unusable but I tried it out anyway) doesn't. Schneider claims that the 80/2.8 Xenotar covers 91 mm.

Lee Rust · Feb 11, 2019

How about the Graflex XL? I find it to be a very adaptable camera, especially for macro with the close-up spacers.

jtk · Feb 11, 2019

Lee Rust said:
How about the Graflex XL? I find it to be a very adaptable camera, especially for macro with the close-up spacers.

The XL was cursed by it's designers, who (according to them) used plastic teeth in the focus ring to engage the helical grooves in the lens tube...BECAUSE, they told me, that way the focus ring setup would bust when dropped, protecting the lens. Goofy but true. I loved my XL but needed the money more for some other forgotten fantasy.

jtk · Feb 11, 2019

Dan Fromm said:
Funny. My 80/2.8 Planar (ex-Graflex XL) covers 2x3 and my 80/2.8 Xenotar (cleaned with steel wool, unusable but I tried it out anyway) doesn't. Schneider claims that the 80/2.8 Xenotar covers 91 mm.

That's wonderful. Photography is full of diverse experiences. I'd trust Dan Fromm before I'd trust Schneider. My Xenotar coverage testing consisted of scans 120 roll film with 6X9 roll back on Century, shot at infinity. As I disremember, XL body didn't allow the Planar to cover 6X9 even though the Graflok back and roll backs could handle 120 and 6X9.

Dan Fromm · Feb 11, 2019

jtk said:
That's wonderful. Photography is full of diverse experiences. I'd trust Dan Fromm before I'd trust Schneider. My Xenotar coverage testing consisted of scans 120 roll film with 6X9 roll back on Century, shot at infinity. As I disremember, XL body didn't allow the Planar to cover 6X9 even though the Graflok back and roll backs could handle 120 and 6X9.

Interesting. As you'd expect, I trust Schneider more than myself.

Cheers,

Dan "just gotta be contrary" Fromm

PCGraflex · Feb 14, 2019

BrianShaw said:
Yes

Me too.

Anyone here using rangefinder press cameras?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency