Sharpness of images on Graflex Speed Graphic

Pardon- thats light falloff in the lower middle left of the frame, not right.

See the highlighted areas are not in the Depth of Field for the apperature you have selected You have to check esspecially the cornors of 4x5 for this.

Sorry about the highlight job stupid mouse is not very fluid at the moment, sticks and causes the cursor to do crazy things in paint shop.

You are right above saying it is like a vignette, because that is what it is you need a higher F stop to bring the entire image into focus.

One more thing about your ground glass, some backs have the screen between the ground glass and the lens, instead of the other way around if the screen is not installed correctly the focus will be off.

Flatbeds vary alot in performance; and also dont pull out the entire sharpness of a negative. Trim down a 4x5 negative; and place it in a 35mm film scanner; of say a minimum of 2700 dpi; hopefully a 4000 dpi unit. Then you will see if you have a flatbed scanner problem; or a camera lens problem.

OK, so your camera has a fresnel lens. It should be in front of the ground glass, i.e., between the ground glass and the lens. The ground side of the GG should face the lens.

 

If your fresnel is not factory issue, you may have the wrong focusing panel. If so, you'll never ever get good focus on the GG. To check this, remove the GG and fresnel from the focusing panel. Then look at the bosses the fresnel rests on. If they are more than ~ 1 mm high, remove the fresnel, it is not factory issue.

 

Y'know, Scott, you've asked a lot of questions here about your Graphic but show no sign of having tried to help yourself. Don't be so lazy or parasitic or whatever. Go to www.graflex.org and work your way through the site map. Most of what you need to know is there.

 

Good luck, don't panic,

 

Dan

Scott, maybe I missed it, but I never did see your response to the question whether you used a tripod for the first pic. If not, that could easily contribute to the lack of sharpness. I know the camera is handholdable, but for the quality you are seeking, a tripod will be necessary. If you haven't yet, try a comparison between a shot with, and without use of a tripod. It will amaze you.

 

For help with the lens, you can send your camera to Fred Lustig in Nevada [go to graflex.org helpboard and use the search function]. He can put it all back together, and he's got all the parts.

 

He can install a solenoid if you want one, and they are nice for use as an electronic release.

 

With respect to your original question, there are Optars, then there are Optars. Remember, Graflex used Optars as their standard lens for a long time, and since these were primarily professional cameras they tried not to use inferior lenses. Let's hope it is your technique, not the lens [cheaper to improve].

My Super Graphic had an Optar 135 f/4.7 that did not impress me with

it's sharpness. By comparison I have used a number of Ektars (127mm &

203mm) and they have all been excellent. Even the 127mm which doesn't

really cover 4X5 is sharper in the corners than the 135 Optar was.

(This at working aperure f22, though the Ektars do get sharper in

the center at larger apertures) There are enough issues to work with

to get good sharpness in large format (DOF, tilt, focus, movement...)

I think you should try another lens. You might get one excellent

modern lens to compare others to. ( Like Sironar S, etc)

Or look for a 203mm f/7.7 Ektar in good condition.

Scott, one more thing. Make sure your lens is in line with your film plan. When you pull out the lens and bellows and slide it up the rails to the infinity stops, there is a chance that it is not exactly parralel to the film. Use a square to check and if needed correctly align the infinity stops.

(1) If yo are shooting at f/5.6 you can't expect a sharpimage over the entire 4x5 frame. As others have said, you will have to stop down to f/16 or f/22 to do that.

 

(2) If the Optar has a circle W then it is a post war lens, and is single coated. You should get good results, but you will never know hand held at f/5.6 A tripod is a must if you are evaluating lens sharpnes.

 

(3) Don't get hung up on the lens. The name on it is secondary after 30-40-50 years of use. If it was poorly maintained, or misused, the manufacturer doesn't matter. This is true of a lens that is just a few years old. You can get great results from an Optar, Raptar, Ektar, or Xenar.

The optar lenses were made by different companies, Wollensak, Schneider and later Rodenstock. The Schneider lenses had occasional quality control problems. Make double sure your focus panel is supposed to have a fresnel (not all were) and that it is installed correctly. Freznel under the ground glass with ridges facing te glass, ground glass with the ground side facing forward toward the lens. If the focus panel has weak springs, get them fixed. As mentioned, make sure the front standard locks down square on the rails. It's possible that someone had the lens apart and reassembled it incorrectly. Lenses shouldn't be a major concern as there are lots of excellent older lenses at very good prices out there. Graflex.org is going to be your best info resource.

My 3200 Epson produces distinctly more detail scanning at an indicated 3200ppi Vs indicated 2400ppi. ( I say "indicated" because there's debate about older flatbeds getting beyond 2400ppi or so).

 

I didn't notice you mentioning sharpening...which is always necessary with flatbed-scanned film (better done after scanning but possible when scanning).

 

If you don't use a little Unsharp Masking you will *always* get less than your image has to offer. Avoid types of sharpening other than USM, Unsharp Masking until you get USM under control. Use the Photoshop viewer and stop sharpening just before you see white spots or white outlines on the horizon.