My Versatile Camera

[Wayne R. Scott]

My versatile camera is a Crown Graphic 4x5. It can be used as a rangefinder, a point and shoot, or a view camera. Lens can be changed, close-ups taken and portraits shot. It can use 4x5 film, 120 or 220 film in 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 or 6x12 formats by changing backs. It can shoot polaroid film type 55 that gives you a positive and a negative from the same shot. You do have to pick which exposure is best though to get either a good negative or a good positve. It can be used as an enlarger with a graflarger back and it can be a copy camera.

Wayne

 

[Stu :)]

Wayne, ain't field cameras are great!
I have a Linhof Technika IV and does everything I ask of it, except ultra-wide angles. The rangefinder on my camera is blessing and a curse. It's good to verify what is in focus when you're using a limited DoF. But when you start extending the bellows for macro or tele-photo work, the cam gets in the way.

But with depressing note of sadness I must say that my Linhof and Toyo 8x10 are getting used less and less. Nothing beats a 4x5 tranny or 8x10 contact sheet, however I foresee a 10D with PC lens replacing one of them soon...

And you forgot 35mm.

Stu 🙂

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Stu,

Yeah you are right I forgot the minature format. It seems a pain to carry a 4x5 and then shoot 35mm film, but it can be done.

I wish I had an 8x10, it is on my list to aquire this year along with a Bronica RF645 kit. I almost got an 8x10 last year at a huge swap meet in Missouri. I had walked all day looking at vendors tables and looking for old cameras, at the next to last vendor I saw a guy with an 8x10 and asked if it was for sale and he said he had just bought it for $25.00 US. He then left and I looked on the table and he left the film holders there as he did not know what they were. I bought them for $2.00 a piece, but alas, I have no camera yet.

Platinum Prints here I come!

Wayne

 

[Todd.Hanz]

I have a crown graphic also and they are great to work with. I had a Meridian 4x5, kind of a collectors item as it was made in the U.S. during the war when Linhof wasn't being imported over here. A guy in New York started the company and they were made for about 5 years, sales fell off when Linhofs returned, It's a pity I sold it, it was an all metal body, sturdy and tight with full tilt and shift front AND rear like the Linhof's , it was compared to the Technika III.

Todd

 

[GeneW]

Wayne, do you mind expounding a bit on the 4x5 Crown Graphic? I've been interested in 4x5 as long as I can remember but have never taken the plunge. I've often wondered if you could even learn to use one of these without a little private tutoring.

The Crown Graphic -- was that a press camera in its day? Say unlike a Toyo field camera? How hard is it to find MF film holders? Then the biggie -- what's a ballpark cost for getting a Crown Graphic with a few needed accessories?

Gene

 

[RichardS]

The Crown Graphic, as I recall, was the cheaper version of the Speed Graphic and the principal difference was lack of a focal plane shutter. I used one years and years ago when I worked for a paper that had not yet made the switch to 35mm cameras.

I can't tell you anything about getting supplies for it but you shouldn't have any problems learning how to use it.

Dick

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Gene,
The Crown Graphic is similar to the famous Press Speed Graphic, it does not have the focal plane shutter in the body, you use the leaf shutters on the lens. This makes the Crown lighter and narrower.

Go to http://www.graflex.org/ for more than you want to know on Graflex cameras.

As far as cost I paid $195. from a local dealer for the Crown with the 162mm lens. This is considered equal to a 50mm in 35mm cameras. Mainly you will find them with a 135mm or 127mm lens as standard which is really a slightly wide lens.

I bought a Super Graphic for $350 that came with a 545 Polaroid back, an RH-10 roll film back (6x7 format), 2 Graphmatics, instructions, 200 sheets of out dated Plus-X and Tri-X film and I think 12 or so 4x5 double sides film holders, this camera's lens is a 135mm Optar. The Super Graphic has a revolving back so you can do portrait or horizontal wihout rotating camera body on the tripod. It is a metal body and has more front standard movements than any other press type camera.

I picked up a Graphic View II monorail in a package deal that included a graphmatic film holder, another 12 or so double sided film holders, a polaroid 500 back, (3) 3 cell flash guns , some hard cases, reducing backs for 3x4 and 35mm, flash cords, a 178mm Aero Ektar mounted on a graphic lens board, some extra lens boards, Kodak Ektar 100mm WF lens, Kodak Ektar 190 lens, A Wollensak 90mm lens, Plus a Baby Rolliflex TLR, Contax IIIA with 21mm Biogon, 35mm Nikkor f2.5, 50mm Sonnar f1.5, 135mm Zeiss
lens. Several boxes of neat cameras like Canon A1's, Beseler Topcon Super D, Olympus Pen FT, Etc., ETC.

Some times even a blind sow finds an acorn every once in a while.

As far a learning how to use one, there are very many ways you can make mistakes, about all of which I have done. This site is a good one to start you out http://www.largeformatphotography.info/

Feel free to ask more questions, there is much I do not know but I will share my mistakes and hopefully some of my success.

Wayne

 

[GeneW]

Wayne, Dick, many thanks for the information. I still have to explain to my wife about the Zorki when it arrives so I'm not going to take a 4x5 plunge right now, but I'm storing up this info like chestnuts for the winter ...

Gene