A fun medium format project

Many years ago I found a Speed Graphic 2x3 at an estate sale. It was old enough that it didn't have a Graflok back arrangement and had to use small format sheet film. As a result it didn't see a whole lot of use. Then on day I got the idea of trying to adapt the back to take a roll film holder. So, now with the use of some sheet metal from an ancient frozen juice can (almost period-correct) it has a semi-permanently mounted 6x7 Rollfilm holder and is lots of fun to use. While the 101mm f4.5 Wollensack Raptar may not be up to the standard of the Zeiss and Schneider lenses on my other medium format cameras it still does a pretty nice job. The rear shutter works fine as well, pain in the petootie though it might be. Carrying around the leather-covered "little" thing, it is amazing what attention it attracts and how happy people are to have their photo taken with it.

DSC_1079 by fiddlefye, on Flickr

DSC_1078 by fiddlefye, on Flickr

Very nice! Bet its great fun to use on the street, what with people's reactions.

Looks like you lucked out with the film back as well: appears to be one of the newer Graflok magazines with upgraded mechanics. The lighter-colored wind lever usually indicates new and improved rollers, although it can get confusing because there are several colors indicating different attempts to improve the back design. In a recent thread about using these mags on Mamiya press, I think it was mentioned backs with red-colored lever are the most desirable.

(BTW, dan_fromm here on photo.net is a great resource for this kind of Graflex minutiae.)

Interesting fix, but to my taste entirely wrong headed. Two reasons:

The ancient standard solution to using roll film with a press camera (2x3, 3x4, 4x5) that has a spring back is an insertion type roll holder. The Adapt-A-Roll 620 is one such, I have a small pile of them. To learn more about them, go to graflex.org and read the FAQ. I wrote the AAR 620 section.

You took off the focusing panel. This makes it impossible to focus any lens but the one the rangefinder is calibrated for. If the RF isn't calibrated for the lens now mounted on the camera, tough luck.

Orsetto, Graflex roll holders' film carriages interchange freely between old style shells (no pin rollers at the ends of the gate) and new style shells (one pin roller at each end of the gate). The OP's roll holder has a new style (lever wind) film carriage whose blue lever indicates that it is from an RH-10 (10 nominal 6x7 exposures/roll). It has an old style shell which may or may not have the pin rollers and which may or may not have a 6x7 gate.

I wrote "may or may not have pin rollers" because late old-style roll holders (knob wind film carriage) were delivered with shells that have pin rollers. The OP's roll holder's shell is old style (not badged RH-x) and therefore probably has a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 (nominal 6x9) gate, but I could be mistaken.

OP, which is it?

Orsetto, so you'll know, the color code is: red lever, 2 1/4 x 3 1/4; blue lever, 2 1/4 x 2 3/4; green lever, 2 1/4 x 2 1/4. The color has nothing to do with design.

Interesting fix, but to my taste entirely wrong headed. Two reasons:

 

The ancient standard solution to using roll film with a press camera (2x3, 3x4, 4x5) that has a spring back is an insertion type roll holder. The Adapt-A-Roll 620 is one such, I have a small pile of them. To learn more about them, go to graflex.org and read the FAQ. I wrote the AAR 620 section.

 

You took off the focusing panel. This makes it impossible to focus any lens but the one the rangefinder is calibrated for. If the RF isn't calibrated for the lens now mounted on the camera, tough luck.

 

Orsetto, Graflex roll holders' film carriages interchange freely between old style shells (no pin rollers at the ends of the gate) and new style shells (one pin roller at each end of the gate). The OP's roll holder has a new style (lever wind) film carriage whose blue lever indicates that it is from an RH-10 (10 nominal 6x7 exposures/roll). It has an old style shell which may or may not have the pin rollers and which may or may not have a 6x7 gate.

 

I wrote "may or may not have pin rollers" because late old-style roll holders (knob wind film carriage) were delivered with shells that have pin rollers. The OP's roll holder's shell is old style (not badged RH-x) and therefore probably has a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 (nominal 6x9) gate, but I could be mistaken.

 

OP, which is it?

 

Orsetto, so you'll know, the color code is: red lever, 2 1/4 x 3 1/4; blue lever, 2 1/4 x 2 3/4; green lever, 2 1/4 x 2 1/4. The color has nothing to do with design.

I still have the spring back, so I could end up using an insertion holder if I ever came upon one. The back I have does have the pin rollers and works very well. For the purpose I put the camera to it works very well - basically a nice, super-cheap, cool-looking rangefinder that is easily carted about and reasonably convenient to work with. I don't really need to run any other lenses on it as I have other medium format options for that sort of thing. It does what I need it to do, heretical or not.

Thanks for the further clarification on Graflex roll back lever color: in that Mamiya Press thread some of the roller>shell>lever details got got a bit mixed up. The topic there was limited to 6x9, making the red seem more significant.

Yes, I had guessed that the lever colour was related to the image dimensions, but never was sure that was the case. Good to know!

OP, here is an AAR 620 for 2x3 cameras on ebay.com: ADAPT-A-ROLL 620 2 1/4X3 1/4 ROLLFILM ADAPTER | eBay

They're not particularly rare, if you're patient you should be able to find one at a price you like. They have one advantage over clip-on roll holders like Graflex' own. When loaded carefully they'll give nine exposures/roll. But note that while they'll happily feed film from a 120 spool they must take up on a 620 spool.

Be careful when shopping. AARs were sold in sizes to fit 2x3, 3x4 and 4x5 spring backs. Take care to get the right size.

About heresy. Graphics are multipurpose cameras but as far as I can tell most were used only with the lens sold with them. I've used many lenses on my 2x3 Graphics (35 to 300 mm on a single camera, up to 480 mm on a tandem rig) but I'm an extreme outlier.

OP, here is an AAR 620 for 2x3 cameras on ebay.com: ADAPT-A-ROLL 620 2 1/4X3 1/4 ROLLFILM ADAPTER | eBay

 

They're not particularly rare, if you're patient you should be able to find one at a price you like. They have one advantage over clip-on roll holders like Graflex' own. When loaded carefully they'll give nine exposures/roll. But note that while they'll happily feed film from a 120 spool they must take up on a 620 spool.

 

Be careful when shopping. AARs were sold in sizes to fit 2x3, 3x4 and 4x5 spring backs. Take care to get the right size.

 

About heresy. Graphics are multipurpose cameras but as far as I can tell most were used only with the lens sold with them. I've used many lenses on my 2x3 Graphics (35 to 300 mm on a single camera, up to 480 mm on a tandem rig) but I'm an extreme outlier.

The problem with using a variety of lenses with a Graphic of the vintage of mine is that the lens board is tiny. The later versions give considerably more room for mounting different options. I've used all manner of lenses on my 4x5 Speed Graphic, though!

The problem with using a variety of lenses with a Graphic of the vintage of mine is that the lens board is tiny. The later versions give considerably more room for mounting different options. I've used all manner of lenses on my 4x5 Speed Graphic, though!

Hmm. Y'r Miniature Speed Graphic takes boards 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". So do my 2x3 Pacemaker Graphics. Larger Graphics have larger boards.

I never found my 2x3 Graphics' boards limiting, or even their tiny 48 mm square lens throat. See http://www.galerie-photo.com/telechargement/dan-fromm-6x9-lenses-v2-2011-03-29.pdf

Few of my lenses have rear cells too large to pass through the front standard's lens throat. I put them on the camera by removing the focusing panel (easy to do with a Graflok back), unscrewing the lens' rear cell from its shutter, mounting shutter and front cell, and then reattaching the rear cell. The last step can be a little fiddly.

Graflex introduced the Graflok back in 1949, three years after the last Mini was made. They offered Graflok backs to be retrofitted to Minis. These have the flash terminal in the right position. Graflok backs for 2x3 Pacemakers will fit Minis. I scavenged my 2x3 Pacemaker Speed's Graflok (correct one for that camera) from a Mini.

Of course all this could be nothing more than a discussion without a pic or two taken with this lovely camera :D. Peter

Something I need to rectify, though first I need to actually take a few more pics with it. I have a nice roll of HP5 that would do!