Focus with Crown Graphic and Speed Graphic

I currently use medium format but would like to give a shot to large

format(4x5) at the easiest,cheapest and compact way.

How do you focus with RF Crown graphic or speed models? Can you get a

very accurate focus?

Well, assuming you have the right cam, you focus with the rangefinder. Or you can focus with the scale. Or you can focus with the groundglass. Or you pop some AA batteries in the rangefinder and you can focus on a cave wall at midnight with the projected split beam. Can your M/F do all that?

All of the above is with a top R/F Crown. It's as accurate as you set it up to be.

The graphics are probably the easiest and cheapest way to try out LF. Probably the most compact too.

Just generally if you are talking about focusing while handholding, its doable, if you have a strong left arm. These were designed as press cameras, and if you ever catch a photo event in the 50's or early 60's you will see most of the photogs with 4x5 press cameras swinging them around while changing film etc. Most of those guys used the wire hoop and scale focused.

You can get accurate RF focus if you take the time to check the RF against the GG before you take it out. Close ups might be a problem also cams that are designed for the stock older lenses might be off with a different newer design. Also with LF I find myself shooting within the dof and with more aperture than MF. IE you could shoot 400 film, 1/125 at F32 scale focus and have a deep DOF.

I have a super speed and its not that difficult to RF focus and they are all pretty much the same. You just look through the range finder to focus, then look through the viewfinder to frame. Its quite a few steps, but if you have a good working graphmatic film holder you can rip off a lot of shot fairly quickly.

Not as fast as a MF camera, but....

Lately, for B+W, I have found HP5 so clean that I only use Efke 25 on a tripod and HP5 400 for hand holding or to freeze action. Other than that I use E100G E6 film, and thats about it.

Also the RF focus only really works if you dont use movements.

There are cams for each lens. When you change a lens, you pop in the appropriate cam so the range finder will sync.

If you use tilt/movements you really need to use the GG back.

Also not all early graphic cameras have tilt if that is important to you.

Most of the graphic cameras are fairly cheap considering what they are. The latest models are obviously the best ones. The early cameras are wood cameras. The latest two, the super graphic and super speed graphic were aluminum cameras and are more stout and the big plus for me is they have rotating backs.

The Super speed graphic is probably overpriced and sells for more $ and has a 1/1000 shutter. The Super graphic is more reasonable but only has a 1/400 shutter.

Hi Tony,

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There are basically 3 ways to focus with the crown/speed graphics

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1. Use a rangefinder that is adjusted properly for the lens (either by using a cam or by modifying the rangefinder)

<p>2. Ground glass focusing with a loupe.

<p>3. Scale focusing (Mark 1 eyeball together with guessing the distance)

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<p>Regarding accurate focus:

<p>1. Rangefinders are very accurate from infinity to about 8 feet, provided that the rangefinder is aligned to the lens used. Below 8 feet, it is usually not so accurate. Top Rangefinders need one cam for each lens, while side mounted rangefinders (Kalart or Hugo Meyer) can only be adjusted for 1 lens at any time.

<p>2. Ground glass - it does not get any more accurate than this (provided that the ground glass is aligned properly to the film plane)

<p>3. Your guess is as good as anyone's for scale focusing..

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<p>There is a fourth way to focus and that is by using a light beam or laser projected onto the rangefinder assembly. The 2 light beams will converge when the rangefinder is focused correctly. This works only in darker conditions as the light beams are usually not too bright..

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<p>Note that there are 3 different rangefinders for the graphics and the adjustment procedures and cams are different. The super graphic uses different cams from the crown/speeds.