Introducing: A camera I didn't need but looks like fun

[Ian Grant]

That is what I'm beginning to see... I got it because I thought it might be better for landscapes than my Mamiya TLR but the ease of changing from a 65mm to a 135mm on the Mamiya is giving me second thoughts...

I would hate to lose one of the lens board screws while out on a hike.

I was using Mamiya 645 cameras for landscapes but found I really needed tilt for some shots, I looked at a MF field camera option but I'd already been using 5x4 for over a decade for work and had an enlarger so went down that route. My De Vere monorail was too heavy and large outside a studio as it was a Whole plate camera which also had Half plate and 5x4 backs, so I went for a Wista 45DX.

Like you I sometimes want to use other lenses, in my case usually a wide angle alongside a standard. At first I thought my Busch Pressman might be a MF option, there are occasions when I like to shoot MF, need to travel light and want something more than my 645s which I rarely use these days or my TLRs all of which have no movements. In the end I built myself a 6x7 field camera using some Graflex parts I'd acquired - focus track etc from a Quarter plate Speed Graphic, and front Standard from a 5x4 Pacemaker Graphic.

Sometime ago I planned to convert a 9x12 Patent Etui to take inter-changeable lenses, the idea was to use a K mount I'd kept from off a scrapped Pentax body then attach K mount adapter to each lens. That would work with the Busch Pressman as well, it's not a new idea it was used on a few pre-WWII 9x12 cameras (obviously not K mount though). I've seen pages on the net showing this done some years ago.

Ian

 

[shutterfinger]

I'm not a huge fan of the Grafmatic film holders. I have a 45 and while it's supposed to hold six sheets of film, I find it jams up frequently when I try to load all six.

Bent septum or weak springs. Lay the septums on a flat surface and check for any unevenness, discard any that are not correctable. They occasionally show up on ebay.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I'm not a huge fan of the Grafmatic film holders. I have a 45 and while it's supposed to hold six sheets of film, I find it jams up frequently when I try to load all six. It does a lot better if I only load five. Also, I like being able to write directly on the film holder what shot I took and any special developing needs. With the Grafmatic, you can still take notes on that, but I find it more cumbersome and confusing. All in all, it's an okay device. It's certainly fun to use and an interesting piece of engineering. But I don't like taking chances with my sheet film. It's just too expensive.

Something is out of alignment or bent. Get it fixed or replaced.

 

[saman13]

Well, I ordered some 2x3 Arista 100 and Fuji Instax film from B&H, was delivered yesterday. But, someone seems to have stolen it from my porch while I was at work.

What do you think the odds are the thief takes up film photography?

 

[shutterfinger]

What do you think the odds are the thief takes up film photography?

I doubt the thief had a clue what was in the box, just something they could sell for a fix or food. The probably opened the film and looked at it in the light to see what it really was.
Hope you reported it.

 

[shutterfinger]

Miniature Speed Graphic with RH10 Graphic roll film holder attached with home made retainers.

Fully assembled, insert removed, top retainer, bottom retainer. Scrap pieces of .035 aluminum used for the retainers.

 

[saman13]

B&H is reshipping my order. This was a much more prompt response than I expected! Kudos to them.

They were much more helpful than Fedex. I spent 35 minutes waiting for someone to answer my call, spoke to someone for two minutes who said he would report it and have someone call me back within two hours. 24 hours later, still no call.....

 

[saman13]

But back to interchangeable lenses on LF cameras... Why do none use a system similar to what Mamiya TLRs use? It seems like it would be perfect. If I got a press camera "for parts", I could see myself making a prototype of a lens board retainer like this.

 

[jim10219]

But back to interchangeable lenses on LF cameras... Why do none use a system similar to what Mamiya TLRs use? It seems like it would be perfect. If I got a press camera "for parts", I could see myself making a prototype of a lens board retainer like this.

They kind of do. A lot of people use the Technika lens boards for all of their lenses, and then just use a Technika adapter on all of their LF cameras. Personally, I use the wooden Graflex Anniversary 4x5 lens boards for all of my lenses and adapters on my other LF cameras, so I never have to pull out a lens from its lens board to switch cameras. These wooden lens boards are cheap, and they’re quick to change. There are just two sliders to move, and the lens board pops out. Pop in the new one, and slide the two sliders back down. It takes seconds.

 

[saman13]

They kind of do. A lot of people use the Technika lens boards for all of their lenses, and then just use a Technika adapter on all of their LF cameras. Personally, I use the wooden Graflex Anniversary 4x5 lens boards for all of my lenses and adapters on my other LF cameras, so I never have to pull out a lens from its lens board to switch cameras. These wooden lens boards are cheap, and they’re quick to change. There are just two sliders to move, and the lens board pops out. Pop in the new one, and slide the two sliders back down. It takes seconds.

Got it. So I guess the earlier pressman lens boards with 4 screws is just an inconvenient design (which I think is something people have written about before here).

 

[shutterfinger]

B&H is reshipping my order. This was a much more prompt response than I expected! Kudos to them.

They were much more helpful than Fedex. I spent 35 minutes waiting for someone to answer my call, spoke to someone for two minutes who said he would report it and have someone call me back within two hours. 24 hours later, still no call.....

Report package theft to your local police. If reported to the supplier or delivery service they will have to report it to the police. I started including signature required for delivery on items I return after servicing unless going to a P.O. box or similar. I had an ebay purchase stolen a few years ago within 5 minutes of delivery, I heard the box hit the porch but it was gone when I went to pick it up a few minutes later. The disgruntled neighbor that likely took it was identified but the theft could not be proven.

News and magazine print did not have a way to enlarge negatives for their publications therefore the printed image was the actual negative image size. Press photographers set their cameras up with the lens that gave them the coverage they wanted from a given distance so they could quickly get in, get the shot, and get back to the paper. Lens interchangeability was not a high priority in design.

 

[saman13]

Film got here! I ordered 50 sheets of Arista EDU 100 and to packs of Fuji Instax mini film. Loaded the Instax in the Busch first:

These were shot handheld in rapidly fading light, which is why they're not so sharp. Plus, the first was shot wide open, just to see how the lens performs. I need to get used to how the camera handles and switching back and forth between the rangefinder and viewfinder. As you can see, composition suffered, and my exposures were off. But, it's instant film. It's just for fun.

Tried doing some exposure testing, but my negatives turned out pretty thin. I think I need to increase my developing time.

Busch Pressman C, Arista EDU 100 (Shot at 50), f8, 3s. Developed 6.25min at 74 degrees in replenished XTOL.

Pretty fun little camera! Love being able to shoot Instax film in it. One issue though: The film will not fit in all 2.25x3.25 film holders. It is about 5mm longer than cut film and so it can interfere with the folding part of the holder that the dark slide gets inserted into. This camera came with two types of film holders. The Fidelity film holders did not work. The smaller, older, tattered film holders it came with did work. Go figure. The nice film holders will be for sheet film and the beat up ones will be for Instax.

 

[John51]

I know about using camera movements for architecture but in what circumstances are movements useful in landscape?

 

[Ian Grant]

I know about using camera movements for architecture but in what circumstances are movements useful in landscape?

Front rise, and front tilt both of which I used yesterday

Front rise as there was an old engine house and chimney in the landscape shot and tilting the camera converges the verticals, front tilt to keep a foreground sharp.

Ian

 

[Ian Grant]

Tried doing some exposure testing, but my negatives turned out pretty thin. I think I need to increase my developing time

Be aware that a Film's speed under Tungsten light is less than with Daylight. FP4 for instance is 125 ISO in Daylight and 80 EI in Tungsten light. As few use Tungsten light these days it's often not given. The Old EFKE 25 was in fact 25 ISO in Tunsten light and I used it at 50 EI in daylight, (EFKE said 40 EI).

So while I rate Fomapan 100 at 50 EI in daylight it may well need to be rated at 25-32 EI in your example.

Ian

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I know about using camera movements for architecture but in what circumstances are movements useful in landscape?

Primarily to keep the forground sharp, front tilt. Plus the usual movements if there are buildings in the scene.

 

[saman13]

Be aware that a Film's speed under Tungsten light is less than with Daylight. FP4 for instance is 125 ISO in Daylight and 80 EI in Tungsten light. As few use Tungsten light these days it's often not given. The Old EFKE 25 was in fact 25 ISO in Tunsten light and I used it at 50 EI in daylight, (EFKE said 40 EI).

So while I rate Fomapan 100 at 50 EI in daylight it may well need to be rated at 25-32 EI in your example.

Ian

I think I had learned that somewhere along the way, but also forgot it somewhere along the way. Thanks for the reminder!