The perils of old timber Graflex film holders!

[Keith]

For some reason I'm very drawn to my Crown Graphic at the moment! 🙂

I love the old timber framed genuine Graflex film holders that came with the Crown ... there's only three of them out of the twelve that the camera came with and I always tend to pick them before the other plastic types for some reason if I only intend shooting a few frames ... they have a really nice feel to them.

I spent ages to day setting up a couple of double exposures and having exposed both negatives went to remove the holder from the camera and it completely disintegrated as it came out of the back of the Crown totally ruining a couple of shots I had spent close to an hour deliberating over and then shooting.

I guess LF wasn't meant to be easy! 😀

I'm bored with 135mm, 120 and digital at the moment ... can we have some LF chat ... please!

Maybe even some pics to inspire me? 😛

 

[Krzys]

I wish I could join in but I had to sell my LF gear 🙁

I love your double exposure sets though.

 

[gdi]

I retired my wood holders - I had several and each had developed some form of crack or light leak on one side. But none disintegrated!

 

[Nokton48]

I put my new 47mm F8 Super Angulon (on Sinar Norma recessed lensboard) on my 5x7 Norma, I wanted to see the entire image circle. Set up the camera outside, turns out the #00 Compur shutter jammed itself open, so I couldn't expose any frames. Hopefully the shutter can be repaired, it sure looks nice and clean (from Ebay).
Sending it to Paul Ebel, for overhaul. A new repair source, highly recommended. $75 for a #00 Compur overhaul.

I've always preferred plastic holders, and never have had any problems, although all of mine are really clean-looking. I have certainly seen boatloads of ratty-looking wooden holders.

 

[Finder]

Hate to say it, but sometimes plastic is better than wood. It is a pity because I think wood is lighter. And the weight of the holders have always been a problem working in the field. Do you go with fewer holders and change in the field or do you have a good number of holders and have to lug them around. I have found somewhere between 5-10 holders are a good compromise depending on whether I am using negs or slides. But ten holders is still a haul.

I wish the multi-sheet holders would come back--the fuji holder was pre-loaded and the Graflex holders tend to have bent film plates which make them useless unless you can find spares.

(Is this good large-format chat?)

 

[Nokton48]

Here's my "Poor Man's Jobo" happily spinning away, this morning. Loaded in the -new- 11x14 Unicolor Unidrum are four sheets of 5x7 Shanghai. Developer was ADOX Borax 20C for twelve minutes. Since my new 47mm F8 Super Angulon is now stuck-open (needs CLA) I switched to my also-new 75mm F8 Sinar Norma Super Angulon, which I just received from the UK, and I have not tested it yet.

The 75mm F8 does not cover 5x7 (didn't expect it to) but it's an extremely sharp lens, even out to the edges at F22. I am new to 5x7, this is only my sixth sheet of the Shanghai. But I like the negs very much, this is a great retro LF film 🙂

 

[Finder]

Here's my "Poor Man's Jobo" happily spinning away, this morning. Loaded in the -new- 11x14 Unicolor Unidrum are four sheets of 5x7 Shanghai. Developer was ADOX Borax 20C for twelve minutes. Since my new 47mm F8 Super Angulon is now stuck-open (needs CLA) I switched to my also-new 75mm F8 Sinar Norma Super Angulon, which I just received from the UK, and I have not tested it yet.

The 75mm F8 does not cover 5x7 (didn't expect it to) but it's an extremely sharp lens, even out to the edges at F22. I am new to 5x7, this is only my sixth sheet of the Shanghai. But I like the negs very much, this is a great retro LF film 🙂

Put enough neutral density on your 47mm and you will be able to make fine exposure by just uncapping and capping the lens. 😀

 

[Morca007]

I received quite a few wooden holders with my Crown Graphic, but I haven't had the nerve to try them out yet. I might try testing them with photo paper soon, though.

 

[ChrisN]

I have to test some of my holders for leaks. I'm going to cut some printing paper to size, then give them a good dose of sunlight from all angles. That will be cheaper than exposing film, and I can prepare the paper and load the holders under a safelight. I want to try some paper negatives too - I think the paper is supposed to be about iso 6 sensitivity. That should be fun for some long exposures.

LF has many pitfalls but I can't think of a more fun way to spend a few hours (outside). 🙂

I'm also on the lookout for a six-element enlarger lens in 135mm focal length, if anyone has a spare one sitting around!

 

[Keith]

Being the tightarse that I am I glued the offending holder back together last night and it seems fine and will in future provide me the thrills of 'photography with risk' when I feel inclined! 😛

One thing I have noticed is that these wooden holders benfit from running a piece of candle wax lightly over the surfaces that slide in the graflok when being removed or inserted. That one the other day had sort of stuck and when I gave it a good pull the fifty year old glue holding it together called it quits! 😀

The chat has been nice but I'm waiting for some pics here by the way ... in the meantime I'll start without you! 😀

 

[DNG]

@Keith
Wonderful images
Gorgeous tones and detail

 

[Finder]

I have not done any large format in years. I don't have a Graphic, but I do you a graphic lens on my Wista. From a long time ago in Tokyo.

 

[Morca007]

Finally scanned this frame I made of my father, about a month after taking it.

 

[ChrisN]

...

The chat has been nice but I'm waiting for some pics here by the way ... in the meantime I'll start without you! 😀

Ok

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

When I was in college, I bought an old Graphic View at the local camera store. It included no lenses, so I answered a newspaper ad from a local portrait photographer who was retiring and bought two lenses cheap from him. He had gone to high school with my grandmother! He gave me some of those old wooden holders and most were still solid and light-tight. I still have them. One was engraved with the name of another old photographer who had worked for one of the local newspapers. He too was a former classmate of my grandma!

 

[degruyl]

Personally, I have mainly been shooting large format for the past three months or so...that ends up being a lot of pictures. I have found the crown to be very addictive (and I ended up purchasing a bigger camera as a result).

On the other hand: I have had similar problems with grafmatics: one of my grafmatics is "temperamental". I often lose all six shots because I can't close it. I have relegated it to the "spare parts" drawer, even though it cycles fine when it is not in a camera.

 

[oftheherd]

When I was in college, I bought an old Graphic View at the local camera store. It included no lenses, so I answered a newspaper ad from a local portrait photographer who was retiring and bought two lenses cheap from him. He had gone to high school with my grandmother! He gave me some of those old wooden holders and most were still solid and light-tight. I still have them. One was engraved with the name of another old photographer who had worked for one of the local newspapers. He too was a former classmate of my grandma!

That's a neat story. I have several wooden holders for the 8x10 that I keep promising myself to cover the bellows leaks and use.

Thanks Keith; you have both scared me and warned me.

Nice photos all. I guess I am going to have to get busy with my recently purchased Calumet 4x5. I was dry shooting with it the other week, trying my convertable lens and the 75mm. That one is going to be fun! If I get around to it soon, I will post here.

EDIT: Keith, did you ever spring for a rollfilm back for your 4x5?

 

[Ronald M]

Wood glue and tape, rubber bands or clamps.

Ground the plastic ones before loading to keep down static electricity..