Speed Graphic Focal Plane shutter on other cameras

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

Hi There,

Just wondering if anyone has ever mounted a speed graphic FPS on another camera. Or used the rear standard from a speed graphic and mounted it on a technical camera or something like that? Is that possible?

Ian Grant · Jul 13, 2010

MPP in the UK made a rear mounted shutter, so did Thornton Pickard. I have heard of the Graflex shutters being used, a Speed Graphics only a box once the front, rails & bellows are stripped out, but i's a waste of a reasonable camera.

Ian

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

Ian, as far as I understand the Packard shutter only fires at 1/25? That's better than nothing but seems to leave a lot to be desired. Recently I've seen some graphlex shutters on ebay for sale, I think they are replacement parts. Just wondering.

Ian Grant · Jul 13, 2010

Thornton Pickard ain't Packard Very different The larger ones are quite rare though. There was a British MPP rear shutter that could be added to their early Micro Technical cameras, essentially a remake of the pre WWII Linhof Technika.

The Graflex shutters are intregal parts of the camera so not sold separately.

Ian

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

There's a few like this floating around ebay right now:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Graflex-Speed-G...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5cc94585

I was thinking it might not be that hard to make a rear standard and mount them to that.

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

Totally not sure if that's all the parts.

Ian Grant · Jul 13, 2010

There's bit's missing, that or a variant shutter was used for the MPP Micro Press.

That's the parts for a full rebuild/service on an existing camera, but not to make a whole new assembly.

Ian

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

Bummer.

Well if I can find a beater, I wouldn't consider it a waste of a camera...just making something out of something else.

Andrew K · Jul 13, 2010

I have seen a speed graphic shutter (well the rear section of the camera) mounted onto an old view camera - it should not be that hard a modification.

From memory Graflex did make an accessory focal plane shutter to fit onto a view camera too - I seem to remember seeing it in an old catalogue...

Have you thought about mounting a speed graphic shutter to the front standard of a camera? That way you could use a wreck no one would bother restoring (or feel guilty about wrecking) like a 1/4 plate speed graphic?

Would love to see some pictures of whatever you come up with - sounds like a fun project

Sully75 · Jul 13, 2010

woah Andrew...great idea. I was wondering about doing something with the smaller cameras. It certainly would be a lot cheaper. That's a perfect solution...that way you could have the back rotating and orientation of the rectangle wouldn't be important. And yeah, the cameras are plentiful on ebay and cheap.

Very interesting...

steven_e007 · Jul 14, 2010

I've just stripped and rebuilt a Speed Graphic. Unlike some other cameras that have focal plane shutters - the SG shutter isn't a module you can remove, it is built right into the body of the camera. So... you would have to remove the base assembly and any bits fastened to it (i.e: trash the camera) and then fix this heavy cumbersome box onto the back of whatever camera you wanted to receive the shutter.

Removing the parts of the shutter and remounting them in another camera sounds like a better project... but hopefully no one would trash a decent SG to do this - and an old one would probably need a new shutter curtain making anyway.

Seems like it is just one or two steps further to just building a focal plane shutter from scratch, copying the SG design? I did mull this over - as it would be possible to make it any size you wanted (10 X 8 or whole plate might be nice

It seems to me that there is only one real obstacle, which is making the top gear train and release assembly. That needs a bit of engineering skill... unless one can be sourced in some repairers scrap box, somewhere?

Sully75 · Jul 14, 2010

Thanks Steven. I like the idea of using a smaller format camera as a front standard, have you ever seen someone do that? It might make attaching the bellows challenging, but it seems doable.

steven_e007 · Jul 15, 2010

Hi Sully,

Just spent ages typing you a reply. When I hit 'submit' I got an error message saying the 'token had expired'. I lost the lot

Brief version:

It is very easy to take the back off a speed graphic - leaving a flat surface with screw holes. Making an adaptor plate to marry up to the rear of the camera which carries a plate to fit the front standard of the camera behind it should be relatively easy.

It sounds like a good idea - as long as the rear camera is very substantial - as the Speed Graphic is extremely heavy, especially equipped with a big lens to cover 10 X 8 or more...

I have an ancient Century studio camera that is HUGE! Built like something to stop trains running off the rails - it has a rear opening of 11" by 11" - probably intended to allow 10 by 8 in landscape and portrait, but it might stretch to 10" by 11". A Speed Graphic acting as a behind the lens shutter for this camera does sound like quite a good idea - it wouldn't trash the SG and doesn't sound too difficult to arrange.

But - first I need to renovate the Century camera.
This is a future project.
It is on my list.
It is a very long list...:rolleyes:

Speed Graphic Focal Plane shutter on other cameras

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