Now I've done it

I swear I only called up the shop to *ask* *some* *questions* about the camera...but when I liked the answers I suddenly heard myself saying "I'll take it". So there's a 5x7 Eastman View 2D on its way to my door, with lensboards and holders (albeit no lens).

Anything I need to know about it as a shooter? I've done basic research and concluded that it meets my modest needs (for instance, I don't need a lot of movements), but I don't know what surprises I'm in for. My previous LF experience has been with folding plate cameras, and it seems like this camera is likely to be in many ways an overgrown wooden version of the same concept.

Now I'm all impatient. Mind, I've got no lens (well, a barrel Kodak No. 33, and maybe I can use my hat as a shutter; I assume my various Voigtlander 135mm lenses won't cover 5x7) and no film, but I just want to get my hands on the actual machine!

-NT

Well... for one thing, ya don't even need a lens with LF You can have plenty of fun even with just a pinhole in foil, and making contact prints...

Actually, your 135s might well cover 5x7, at least at close focus / macro. One of the funnest aspects of LF is the very wide range of affordable lenses you can use.

One thing to watch out for: 5x7 film holders can be very pricey. They are in short supply. Do keep any eye out for them and if you buy oldies, test them thoroughly for leaks. It'll take some patience and some $$$ to build up a collection of good holders.

Here's another holder tip: chamonix does make 5x8" holders. If you can adapt your camera to that, it may be worth it, esp. if you prefer the aspect ratio. Consider also that 5x8 is had from 8x10 by one cut. If you do the math you may see some wisdom in doing that. Also, believe it or not, 5" rol film is still available... that's what I often use for b&w in my 5x8 holders, 5" panatomic x roll film.

Enjoy!

P.S. I hand shutter all the time, no big deal. Why people spend megabucks on adapters for packards just to get up to that speed is beyond me. Experiment and have fun.

keithwms said:

One thing to watch out for: 5x7 film holders can be very pricey.

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The fact that it came with *seven* of them was a considerable factor in my decision!

If I can get coverage out of my 9x12 lenses, I'll be delighted---I've got a 135mm Heliar that might be the best lens on earth, and it sounds like one of the lensboards I'm getting will probably take a Compur #1 shutter. I hadn't even thought about pinholes, but that's another good point, so to speak.

-NT

You're doomed.

ntenny said:

The fact that it came with *seven* of them was a considerable factor in my decision!

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Well now, that's an excellent score!

But you are indeed doomed. That's okay, we doomed folks hang out together and do fun, doomed things.

Oh no.... now you've stepped really deeply into the muck. God help you.

From one 5x7 Kodak 2D owner to another...you certainly are doomed. Welcome to the club!

gene

I bought what was billed as a 5x7, it turned out to be an 8x10 with a 5x7 back. I already had a few 5x7 holders, so I had to get a few 8x10 holders (after finding an 8x10 back). The bellows has a few cracks, but so far no light leaks. I need to find a sturdy portable tripod. I have a Majestic with a geared head, but it is way too heavy for field work.

Well, it's here, and this is one lovely camera. As far as I can tell, everything is in working order; the tilt knobs are a little stiff, and as expected the extension rail isn't there, but I've got what appears to be a happy, healthy 5x7 with two lensboards and no fewer than seven double-sided holders. Some of the holders are in better shape than others, but I think they're all usable. To my astonishment, I've just found that some of them contain glass plates---though whether they're actual plates, or just glass spacers to support the sheet of film, I don't know, and obviously the ones I've discovered are now exposed if they weren't already. But I guess I'll have to try processing any others that turn up---I stopped opening holders when I realised what I was seeing.

Unfortunately, now I need to get a bigger tripod! There's no way the little thing I've got is going to hold this camera.

-NT

But you are indeed doomed. That's okay, we doomed folks hang out together and do fun, doomed things.[/QUOTE]

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It's doomded, dontchaknow?(VBG)

Glad it meets your expectations and you're pleased with it! I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it on the happy road to doomdedness (once you get a tripod of course - and a lens, filter, dark cloth, cable release, loupe). Seriously, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy playing with my 4x5.

Now that I've had a moment to play with the new toy in daylight, I'm astonished to report that my 135mm Color-Skopar (from a 9x12 cm Voigtlaender Avus) appears to cover the 5x7 format nicely! Haven't tried the Heliar yet, but this already means that I have a nice wide-angle lens in a working shutter.

I have, though, a dumb question: How am I actually supposed to mount it to the lensboard? I can place the shutter on a lensboard, with the threaded portion sticking into the hole and enough clearance that something could screw onto it and hold it in place, but what's supposed to thread onto it? Do I need to find a machine shop that can cut me a mounting flange to fit the threads, or something?

-NT

I guess it depends on how deep the threads are on the lens. Lots of the old lens' had brass mounting flanges you screwed to the lens board then screwed the lens on. Before you spend too much time and money on this, make sure the lens will cover 5X7. SK Grimes can fix you up, no doubt.

Ron

Another excellent lens for 5x7 is a Kodak Ektar 203mm/ 7.7. Small and vary sharp. They show up on Ebay quite regularly. Try to hold out for one that has a good shutter as described by the seller.

Well, the behemoth works. Attached is a print of the first-light photo, taken with a 210mm Fujinar-SC and contact-printed on Fomalux; mhcfires and I had it out in the field this morning (along with a cross-section of his remarkable equipment collection) and burned a few more sheets, which are now drying and look reasonable at a quick glance.

I expect to have quite a bit of fun with this camera. Just looking at the ground glass is pretty exciting, and while the photo here is nothing special in itself, seeing it as a contact print of that size really knocked my socks off. There's just Something About Contact Prints.

-NT