Hello from Salt Lake City

[rleishm]

I have been a DSLR and Canon junky, but I recently inherited a Burke and James 5X7 view camera with a Bausch and Lomb 7/5" f4.5 lens with a Synchro Alphax matic shutter. Some questions:
1. After T and B there is a 100 in black followed by 50, 25, 10, 5, 2, 1 all colored red--I suppose these numbers represent shutter speeds, but I'm not sure if they are 100ths if a second or. . . ?

2, Also, even when I cock the shutter, the release cable plunger seems to wedge alongside the internal 'trigger' and holds the shutter open on the second attempt to use it. Do I need a special shutter release or is the mechanism probably warn?

3. Where should I look to learn how to use the back plane and lens adjustments in the process of focusing and establishing the focal plane/depth of field, etc.?

Anxious to learn,
Bob Leishman

 

[armadsen]

Welcome to Photrio! Unfortunately I can’t answer your questions, but just wanted to say hi from a fellow Salt Laker. I shoot large format (4x5) now and then. It’s a blast!

 

[Rick A]

Welcome to the asylum.
The shutter speeds are fractions of a second, just imagine there's a 1 above the speed number, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, etc. You may need a longer throw cable release for that shutter, I have several Alphax shutters and they're fussy about which cable I use. Here's a couple of sites that will help you.

A large format photography home page

www.largeformatphotography.info

Large Format Photography Forum

A discussion forum on large format phtography http://largeformatphotography.info

www.largeformatphotography.info

 

[rleishm]

Welcome to Photrio! Unfortunately I can’t answer your questions, but just wanted to say hi from a fellow Salt Laker. I shoot large format (4x5) now and then. It’s a blast!

Thanks for the reply. It’s good to know Salt Lake is represented here.

 

[rleishm]

Thank you. I’ll check them out. I was wondering if I needed one with a shorter throw since on the second release it seems to bind and hold open the shutter. I’ll dig further.

 

[rleishm]

Welcome to the asylum.
The shutter speeds are fractions of a second, just imagine there's a 1 above the speed number, 1/100, 1/50, 1/25, etc. You may need a longer throw cable release for that shutter, I have several Alphax shutters and they're fussy about which cable I use. Here's a couple of sites that will help you.

A large format photography home page

www.largeformatphotography.info

Large Format Photography Forum

A discussion forum on large format phtography http://largeformatphotography.info

www.largeformatphotography.info

Thank you. I’ll check into those leads. I wondered if I needed one with a shorter throw as this one seems to bind and hold the shutter open on attempts after the first.

 

[mshchem]

Welcome!!! That's a great old beast of a camera.

 

[koraks]

Welcome to Photrio, @rleishm !
I second what @Rick A said about the shutter speeds and the release cable. Some shutters need a release cable with a slightly longer throw than others. Try operating the lever manually to see if it's reliable that way; then use something like a pin or watchmaker's screw driver to mimic the action of the cable release. If all that works well, it's just a matter of finding the right kind of cable. There are plenty for sale on various platforms, including very affordable Chinese ones.

I wondered if I needed one with a shorter throw

If there's a problem with the throw, it's usually that the throw is too short, not too long. If the throw is too long, you'll just press down until the shutter lever won't go any further and that's fine (without forcing it, of course).

 

[Don_ih]

If the shutter binds open, a cable with too long a throw was used and bent the point of contact which trips the shutter. Then a short-throw cable won't trip it and a longer-throw cable trips it, slips past it, and binds the shutter open. The shutter probably needs to be taken apart and adjusted.

 

[koraks]

If the shutter binds open, a cable with too long a throw was used and bent the point of contact which trips the shutter.

Hm, good point. This can indeed happen. In this case, the shutter would remain open with the protruding pin of the release cable wedged against the shutter release lever, right? I've not (yet) had this happen, but I can see how it could.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to Photrio!!

 

[Rick A]

If the shutter binds open, a cable with too long a throw was used and bent the point of contact which trips the shutter. Then a short-throw cable won't trip it and a longer-throw cable trips it, slips past it, and binds the shutter open. The shutter probably needs to be taken apart and adjusted.

Not necessarily, sometimes the internal trip lever is slightly bent to the side allowing the cable release to slip off and jam.

 

[Sirius Glass]

You probably need a different cable release.

 

[Don_ih]

Not necessarily, sometimes the internal trip lever is slightly bent to the side allowing the cable release to slip off and jam.

True - but the end result is also needing the shutter serviced.

 

[rleishm]

maybe one day we can get together for a shoot. I've got a lot to learn, and sometimes it's quicker to see and do than to read and interpolate. , .

 

[rleishm]

And this will be my next step. thank you.

 

[armadsen]

maybe one day we can get together for a shoot. I've got a lot to learn, and sometimes it's quicker to see and do than to read and interpolate. , .

Well, I’m no Ansel Adams, but I’m always happy to share my hobbies with others.

 

[rleishm]

Well, I’m no Ansel Adams, but I’m always happy to share my hobbies with others.

 

[JulienPictures74]

Welcome to Photrio!