Hello. I have a Rodenstock-Helicon 80mm f2.8. On the bottom of the lens, there's a little button that seems to activate additional iris blades that seem to cover the regular iris blades completely. Can anyone inform me of what this is supposed to be doing? you can see the button to the left of the VXM in the picture.
Rodenstock-Heligon 80mm bottom button
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The serrated lever to the left of the VXM opens the shutter so that you can look through the lens before shooting ("preview").
Thank you for the proper terminology. Is there an even more proper term for that lever? Would you happen to have any links to something that explains this a little bit better? I don't fully grasp what the point of this is. Can't you just look through the lens normally? I believe I did that before with the ground glass back.
It's a press focus or a preview button. The lens is in a leaf shutter. The press focus button opens the shutter so that you can compose and focus through it. The "additional iris blades" are the shutter blades. In the normal state of the shutter, those blades are closed, and open only briefly when the shutter is fired.
What camera are you using this on? If you adapted it to a camera with a focal plane shutter, then you've probably had the preview open all the time, but that's not how it was originally used.
What camera are you using this on? If you adapted it to a camera with a focal plane shutter, then you've probably had the preview open all the time, but that's not how it was originally used.
+1
Moreover you can/ could have used this lens on L. F. Camera with ground glass, using a 6x7, or 6x9 back.
Having the lens open, so can compose and focus is helpful
But as mentioned above, it may have been used with a focal plane shutter camera, where this feature would be rendered moot.
I'm using it on a Graflex Century.
So, when I take a picture and the press focus is closed, will I still be taking a picture that can be useable, or will it be all black? The press focus is used in conjunction with the ground glass right?
No disrespect, but I need to ask if you have experience with lens-in-shutter cameras, and also with large format cameras (or really any format that uses a darkslide). Recommend reviewing the essential (basic) steps to get light onto the film, but only for 1/60 (or whatever) of a second.
A detailed step-by-step guide is here: https://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-operate.html
In brief, let's assume you are using the ground glass to compose and focus, and a sheet film holder (or a roll film holder with a darkslide).
You want to:
1. Point camera at subject.
2. Set lens aperture on full open.
3. Use the press focus lever to open the shutter blades. (On some shutters you have to cock the shutter to use the press focus, on many you don't.)
4. Look at ground glass, compose and focus, set any camera movements if you use them, refocus.
5. CLOSE the press-focus lever. The shutter is now closed and the ground glass is dark.
6. Cock the shutter.
7. Insert film holder. Be sure it's firmly seated, ridge is in the groove of the back, etc.
8. Light meter the scene. Set aperture and shutter speed to desired values.
9. Pull darkslide. Now you should see why you had to CLOSE the press focus lever. Otherwise there is light on your film.
10. Fire shutter. The shutter briefly opens.
11. Reinsert darkslide.
12. Remove film holder.
If you were composing and focusing with the VF/rangefinder on a Graflex, the press focus lever would never be open. It is only open when you actually need to look at the ground glass.
Some shutters don't have a press focus lever (usually older shutters or really small sizes). On these, you have to use B or T to hold the shutter open while you focus on the ground glass.
A detailed step-by-step guide is here: https://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-operate.html
In brief, let's assume you are using the ground glass to compose and focus, and a sheet film holder (or a roll film holder with a darkslide).
You want to:
1. Point camera at subject.
2. Set lens aperture on full open.
3. Use the press focus lever to open the shutter blades. (On some shutters you have to cock the shutter to use the press focus, on many you don't.)
4. Look at ground glass, compose and focus, set any camera movements if you use them, refocus.
5. CLOSE the press-focus lever. The shutter is now closed and the ground glass is dark.
6. Cock the shutter.
7. Insert film holder. Be sure it's firmly seated, ridge is in the groove of the back, etc.
8. Light meter the scene. Set aperture and shutter speed to desired values.
9. Pull darkslide. Now you should see why you had to CLOSE the press focus lever. Otherwise there is light on your film.
10. Fire shutter. The shutter briefly opens.
11. Reinsert darkslide.
12. Remove film holder.
If you were composing and focusing with the VF/rangefinder on a Graflex, the press focus lever would never be open. It is only open when you actually need to look at the ground glass.
Some shutters don't have a press focus lever (usually older shutters or really small sizes). On these, you have to use B or T to hold the shutter open while you focus on the ground glass.
Before I bought this medium format Graflex I had zero experience with lens-in-shutter cameras, cameras with darkslides (I just put a giant piece of painters tape on my 6x7 back with the word "slide" on it so I can try and actually take photos of things, lol.) , and I still have zero experience in large format. I've now shot with this Graflex twice. I'm on a journey into analog and this is among my early steps. Thank you for helping me along the way. I have the rangefinder and haven't used the ground glass outside of once to do a dirty check to see if the lens was calibrated. I think that's the correct term.
Go on YouTube there are tons of videos on how to . . . Use your camera, and using large format cameras in general. Also as mentioned, the website. Large Format photography on its home page has a lot of info
There are actually not a lot of videos on this camera and due to naming issues, there's a bit of misinformation from my experience in watching videos that seemed to be about different cameras. While this is not a large format camera, am I correct in assuming that because it's Graflex, the design would be similar to its larger counterparts?
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