Crown Graphic lens recommendations

I want to buy a Crown Graphic. If anyone is interested in selling

theirs, please see the WTB ad I just placed in the Classified section.

 

I would like recommendations for additional PRE-OWNED lenses to fit

the Crowns. I shoot only outdoors, mostly landscapes and buildings.

I have no experience with the additional camera movements but look

forward to learning.

 

Please give your recommendations for quality versus price. Of

course, I am looking for those hidden gems (good quality at a

relatively low price), so if you are particularly fond of a certain

lens, let me know. The average selling price would be greatly

appreciated if you know it.

 

Yes, I have viewed other posts here and at graflex.org.

 

My first choice will be a longer focal length lens. Other posts seem

to favor the 210mm or 240mm length. What is the longest lens that

the Crown can handle (I don't mind removing the lens to close the

camera)?

 

My second choice will be a 90mm lens.

 

BTW: If you happen to be interested in selling any of these lenses,

send me a email; it will save me the trouble of placing another WTB

ad.

Check on eBay. There are lots of Crowns and Speeds for sale, every day. I wouldn't bid much over $200 unless it appears exceptional. Watch out for the "estate sale" items (the "I don't know anything about these, but..." listings) - best to look for a seller who is selling other photographic equipment and knows the merchandise.

 

You're unlikely to find one with anything other than a 127 or 135 lens. Crowns and Speeds were mostly sold as press cameras, and the press wanted a point-and-shoot, hand-held camera. This meant a relatively wide-angle lens.

 

If landscapes are your interest, these are good lenses and probably more suitable than a longer lens. For buildings, though, there's typically little excess image circle to accommodate tilts and shifts.

 

Good luck! Great camera. My Crown is fifty-four years old, but they're so rugged you'd never guess it.

Frank, 4x5 isn't like 35mm. Before you go lusting after more glass, use your camera with its "normal" lens for a while. It may well be all you ever need.

Dear Frank,

 

I have used a 305mm lens on my Crown Graphic, but the bellows draw limits close focusing to just around 9 feet. While another lens is nice, consider purchasing a few grafmatic film holders and using the Crown as a hand held rangefinder (make sure the one you buy has a good rangefinder and matching cam). It's great fun that way.

Frank, the longest standard-issue lens for the 4x5 Crown Graphic is the 17"/5.6 TeleOptar. That's 385 mm. The camera absolutely positively won't close with it mounted.

 

The camera's maximum extension is 12.5". Do the arithmetic yourself.

I'm lucky, because years ago, I bought a 4x5 Crown that had the 150/4.5 Apo-Lanthar, for a song.

Frank, I recommend you concentrate your search on the "side rangefinder" SR models of the Crown Graphic. Although the "top rangefinder" TR models were of later vintage, they are not as convenient to operate, especially the rangefinder. You can adjust the rangefinder of the SR for different lenses yourself since they don't require a separate cam [hard to find these days]. That isn't possible with the TR models. I think you'll find you use the rangefinder enough to justify the added convenience. My 53 SR is still going strong.

 

I agree that you should use the standard lens for awhile before going to other focal lengths.

 

The older Optars were generally fine lenses, and the newer Kodak Ektars were not necessarily better. After all, the "Crown Special" [last model of the Crown Graphics, were Special because they were CHEAPER!

I have a 2x3 Crown and Speed Graphics, as well as a 4x5 Speed Graphic. As someone else mentioned prior, these aren't like 35mm's. Try out whatever comes with the camera, you may find it more than enough. The real magic is that big negative!

My complete lens set used with my Crown Graphic is :

- wide angle : 100mm wide field ektar (90mm are a little bit too short for confortable use with the Crown bellows ; the 100mm provides more room)

- normal angle : 6.3/150mm fujinon

- moderate short angle : 203mm wide field ektar

- short angle : 9/240mm fujinon

As you can see I selected compact and light lenses as I use my Crown for landscape and nature on the field (backpacking)

I use three lenses for my CG. A 135mm Schneider that the camera is cammed for. A 90mm Optar and a 203mm Ektar. The ektar is a wonderful lens BTW. I use two extra infinty stops for 90 & 203. I find it very fast to focus then with the GG. I have the top rangefinder. I like having the split beam focusing for working in the dark. Doing night scenes of outdoors and buildings with the rangefinder and sportsfinder will show you what L/F speed work is all about.

 

Please learn to use the bed drop then front rise, forward tilt. A lot of misguided souls wreck their SG,CG by chopping them up with files and hacksaws attempting to get front tilt thats already there. There's a touch of shift built in too. Don't expect much movement because the light small Graphic lenses don't have much coverage anyway. (Except the 203) It's a great camera, good luck.

Coupla issues:

 

1. If you want to use the rangefinder, it will be difficult to use anything but the "standard" lens, usually a 135mm Optar. Every focal length has it's own cam, and they are hard to find. Rangefinder focusing gets a little dicier with longer focal lengths because of the limited depth of field.

2. The standard (135mm) Optar (or sometimes a Schneidar Xenar) is a four-element Tessar derivative, very sharp when stopped down but not much coverage, so you do not get much movement. But then, the camera does not have much movement.

3. With 4x5 you can crop and still get a good, big enlargement if it is in focus. So a little on the wide side does not hurt. The 135mm is sort of a wide-normal, in 35mm terms about like a 40mm.

4. The biggest issue with the camera is the bellows. If someone has taped the corners of the folds, the bellows is on its way south.

5. The biggest issue with the lenses is sticking at the slower speeds, because the volatiles in the lubricating oil have evaporated out, gumming up the clockwork of the slow speeds. If you want anything resembling depth-of-field, you have to stop down and use slower speeds. This is particularly true with a press camera, where the movements are limited and do not allow the swings, tilts and shifts that can help compensate for the inherent limited depth-of-field of the longer lenses. It is a function of focal length--you get the same depth of field at f/16 in an older Optar as you do in a fresh-out-of-the-box APO Symmar if they are both 135.

Ellis Davidson wrote "1. If you want to use the rangefinder, it will be difficult to use anything but the "standard" lens, usually a 135mm Optar. Every focal length has it's own cam, and they are hard to find."

 

Ellis, I hope you were writing about the top RF fitted to late Graphics. The Kalart RFs attached to the side of earlier ones doesn't have interchangeable cams.

I have a Crown Graphic with a 203 mm f7.7 Kodak Ektar lens and Synchro Compur shutter that I would be wiling to sell. Any offers? Serial Number is 942913 -- maybe that lets you identify the date of manufacture.

Mark S

Mark Saifer,

 

I'm interested in buying your Crown Graphic and lens. I'm new to 4x5. Will this camera accept the current Polaroid 4x5 back?

 

Thanks,

 

Dale Roberts

Asheville, NC