Tonights adventure with the Speed

[Eric Rose]

Tonight I head out into the dark and lonely streets of Calgary stalking funky poorly lite buildings. At my side will be my trusty Speed fitted with my Nikkor 135mm enlarging lens. Ammo of choice for the night is Delta 100.

Check out the pics of my beauty (ya right) Speed with the Nikkor screwed to it. Hey if there is a will there is a way.

I'll post the results if they turn out.

 

[Eric Rose]

ARGGGG! I just found out the Speed doesn't use a standard tripod thread. Adventure has been postponed. Friday night.

 

[MikeS]

Eric:

How do you define a standard tripod thread? Everyone I've ever seen was a standard 1/4-20 tripod thread. Now some of them have the threads recessed quite a bit, my Speed wouldn't fit on my friends tripod, but fit mine perfectly, when we compared them, the screw on my tripod stuck out quite a bit more than his.

On another note, the focal plane shutter is one thing I really miss since switching over from a Speed to a Technika! With it you can do things like use enlarging lenses as taking lenses, not worry about shutters, etc.

I do have the remains of an old pre-anny speed that I'm thinking of modifying into a removable focal plane shutter that I could mount on the Technika, but even tho there's really only a focal plane shutter left in it I still have trouble with the idea of modifying it. I mean I doubt it could really ever be restored back into a working Speed anymore, so I might as well.

-Mike

 

[noseoil]

Eric, a venerable veteran if ever there was one.

Mike's right, a longer screw will get you through. tim

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Linhof did make a removable focal plane shutter for the Technika, if you can find one in working condition. I've seen a couple show up for sale in various places.

Bob Salomon said they were prone to mechanical problems, so they discontinued them. I'm guessing they made it too fiddly with one knob to control the shutter speed, unlike the old Graflex shutters that had a one to choose the slit width from a set of fixed slits and one to set the spring tension. Not sure if the Linhof had a variable slit width, but that would make it less robust.

 

[Eric Rose]

I will try a long screw. No shorties allowed!

 

[Donald Qualls]

I will try a long screw. No shorties allowed!

Well, and if that doesn't work, there's always a Slow, Comfortable Screw, Up Against the Wall. Won't make the camera work any better, but it'll relax ya' (just don't drive after drinking it)...

 

[John Kasaian]

Eric,

My first Speeder had a worn out tripod fitting. You can hand hold the Sprite, brace yourself against anythig solid object ('46 Hudson Hornet, Railway Express Baggage cart, or a very large Cigarette girl for example) and have at it with your long exposures. Either that or you might try to duck tape the thing aboard the tripod.

Good Luck!

 

[Phillip P. Dimor]

That's a nice, well-worn speed! I'd love to see results from the 135mm Nikkor!

 

[Eric Rose]

That's a nice, well-worn speed! I'd love to see results from the 135mm Nikkor!

Well worn for sure! I showed the good side LOL.

 

[jjstafford]

I have seen three Linhof FP shutters for sale in my life. They seem to go to collectors who put them on a shelf. The last one went for about $2400US.

 

[Eric Rose]

So I found my tripod I normally use for 35mm has a screw long enough for the Speed. Whahoo! I'm in business. Friday night Batman and Robin prowl the dark and lonely streets of Calgary.

 

[Craig]

If you're Batman, who's Robin? Ian? Will you be wearing your underwear on the outside like all true superheros?

 

[KenM]

That's an image I did *not* need in my head. Thanks Craig.

Now go play with your trains....

 

[Alex Hawley]

Wow, what an old soldier that one is, and still working. I think I'd be calling it the Seargent Major.

 

[joeyk49]

CRAIG!!!

For Goodness sake! Pllllllease keep in mind that many of us are VISUAL learners! (Particularly men and I'm guessing most in photography)

I had the Jimmy Olsen image going quite nicely, with the white shirt and bow tie, until someone came along and stomped on it with the underwear thing...

Friday's here...hope to see the fruits of the prowl soon!

 

[Eric Rose]

Sounds like Batgirl might be joining us as well. No Ken, it's not Erna.

 

[MikeS]

Linhof FP Shutter

Bob Salomon said they were prone to mechanical problems, so they discontinued them. I'm guessing they made it too fiddly with one knob to control the shutter speed, unlike the old Graflex shutters that had a one to choose the slit width from a set of fixed slits and one to set the spring tension. Not sure if the Linhof had a variable slit width, but that would make it less robust.

I would love to get one of the Linhof focal plane shutters! In the meanwhile, I think I will take the remains of a pre-anny Speed that I have here, and make my own focal plane shutter attachment for the Linhof. (or any 4x5 with a grafloc back)

I was reading in the 1959 edition of Linhof Practice about their focal plane shutter, and was surprised to find out that it did in fact add thickness to the camera body (I initially assumed that considering that it replaced the regular back that they were able to keep the working above/below the actual camera body, and as the shutter cloth isn't very thick that it wouldn't add to the body thickness, but I was wrong). Linhof had an interesting solution to that problem. They made a spacer that was the same thickness as the difference between the regular back, and the FP shutter back, and you place that against your infinity stops, then pull out the front standard till it stops against the spacer.

The shutter I'm designing will probably add considerable thickness to the body, but I don't see why a similar approach wouldn't work. (of course it would only work with longer lenses) I mostly want this so I can hand hold a 360mm Tele-Xenar, something I don't think would work too well using the compound shutter's top speed of 1/100th! (of course I could be wrong, it might be fairly easy to use the compound for hand held use, but I won't know till I get it back from Carol Miller, as it wasn't working when I got the lens/shutter combo)

I'm still interested in making the focal plane shutter, as I just think it would be a nice capability (1/1000th second) to have, and while the Linhof FP shutter would no doubt be a more elegant solution, I know the Speed Graphic shutter is simple, and reliable!

Just as a side note: I don't endorse chopping up old classic cameras that are in good shape, or even in not so good shape, but the body I'll be using is in such bad shape (other than the actual shutter portion, which works great) that I don't think it qualifies as chopping it up, that's already been done to it!

-Mike

 

[ian_greant]

Actually I'm Batman. Robin aka Eric is learning my nightcrawler ways.
When I first met the lad he took photos in the daytime feh!!

I haven't developed anything from our adventure last night (stayed out too late prowling the streets) but I was out for a warmup session the night before with my Rollei.

Here's the result.