Speed Graphic: still alive as a press camera in 2005

Hi folks, I had fun playing with my Graflex Speed Graphic (ca. 1939)

recently. It is a Pre-Anniversary Speed (Annys came in 1940 with

telescoping front sports finder and dual focus knobs). <br>Here, I

submit my "presentation" on my (amateur) use of a S.G. as modern

press camera, from a little piece I covered on an old mill here in

Alexander County, North Carolina: <a

href="http://www.taylorsvilletimes.com/outandabout.htm" >The

Taylorsville Times</a>

Folks,

 

I forgot to mention these were shot on J&C Classic Pan 200 film, 4x5" sheets, developed in Rodinal 1:50. Interior pics shot with two #25 flash bulbs, Kodak B-C Flasholder (at camera) and Kodak Flasholder Extension Unit on 20-foot cord.

 

Also, lens is a (much newer) 127mm f/4.7 Ektar in Synchro-Compur 1/400 shutter. A couple shots were on Agfa Scala 200 B&W slide film, accidentally developed in the same soup with J&C Classic Pan 200! I was really worred when I realized I had mixed up the film holder, but came out amazing acceptable.

 

Tried scanning but got very constrasty results, so I photographed the negs on a light table handheld with a Canon Powershot G3 digital camera. I plan to make prints from these soon.

 

--Micah in NC

Nice photos, glad to see the Speed still in use as intended! I'm in Wilson, NC - working on putting a 1942 Speed back together - with the Aero Ektar 7" f2.5 just for fun. No photos for now, but as soon as it is light-tight...

 

Best,

 

Wigwam Jones

Larger image:<div></div>

Folks,

 

Sorry for all the posts (shows how scatter-brained I can be), but this larger image shows my poor "capture" technique--the terrible distortion of the negative edges is from wide-angle, close-up use of the Canon digital camera, not the Speed Graphic, of course!

 

Wigwam, thanks for the kind words! Let's see, Wilson is what, couple hours' drive from Taylorsville area? (I work in Taylorsville but live 15 miles north in Moravian Falls, in Wilkes Co.)

 

--Micah in NC

Nice story telling with the SG. How did your subjects react when you showed-up to cover the story with an old press camera?

 

If you're having problems scanning the neg, have you considering trying to make a contact print and scanning it instead?

Ya, I'm about 1 hour drive east of Raleigh. Next to Rocky Mount, if you know that area. I'm semi-familiar with your area - not being a native. Mrs. Wiggy and I moved here from New Mexico last year. Still miss the green chili we could get there...sigh.

 

Keep up the good work!

 

Best,

 

Wiggy

Excellent Picture!

 

I guess the folks will be elated if you give them a 8x10 of it.

 

Cheers from Pablo in Raleigh

Gee, folks,

 

Thanks! I appreciate the nice comments.

 

Mike, you're right! I really should've done some contact prints for the scans (we don't have a film scanner here at The Times, just old and/or low-end flatbeds). Prints are the way to go if I need to scan something here at work. By the way, the Linney family was amused to see me using such an old camera--it dates to the same time their mill was built! They thought that was a nice touch: they're using the old ways, and so was I!

 

Wiggy, I was thinking Wilson is the other way (west of me). Oops. I know where Rocky Mount is, though. Do you ever get up to the mtns of N.C.? Nice photo opportunities in the foothills and mtns, IMHO.

 

Pablo, you read my mind. I do intend to make an 8x10 print of the family's "portrait" and give it to them, especially since they were nice enough to give me bags of stone ground corn meal and pancake mix! Hey, you're in Raleigh! Seems to be a small, thriving faction of old camera users here in N.C.!

 

--Micah in NC

I have a Speed Graphic, not that old, and its been retrofitted with an internal filter holder. Last year a test of the unit showed it as working fine, but photog's light meter (ahem) was in failure mode... What is nice with these units is the heavy strap, allow one to swing it with deadly force when needed...Actually they're fantastic cameras, well made..

One really useful pair of features of the Speed Graphics is the rear focal plane shutter and the groundglass.

 

This permits you to use barrel lenses on the camera (optics and iris only, no shutter). There are lots of process and copy lenses around and available quite cheaply, often for less than $25 for a 250mm lens. The APO-Raptars and Gerogons (which are awkward to mount into common leaf shutters) are usually pretty good buys. Some people like enlarging lenses as well.

Um, Ed, I'm a happy Speed Graphic user (2x3 Pacemaker Speed, also a Century Graphic which is NOT a Speed). I use process lenses as taking lenses. Some process lenses work very well as taking lenses, and I'm very happy with the ones I've kept.

 

But, by an odd coincidence, Rodenstock doesn't recommend using Apo Gerogons as taking lenses. According to them, an Apo Ronar will shoot better at infinity than a true telephoto lens of the same focal length, but Apo Gerogons should not be used to photograph distant subjects. Yeah, I know, some people, possibly you too, have ignored Rodenstock's advice and lived.

 

I've tried using a variety of enlarging lenses as taking lenses. I think you shouldn't have recommended them except as taking lenses, perhaps and then not all of them, for use close-up. Not one (that's none, zero) of the ones I've tried gave even marginal image quality at infinity. I love my little 4"/5.6 Enlarging Pro Raptar as a macro lens from 1:8 to 2:1, but at infinity it is a dog.

 

One of the dark secrets of Pacemaker Speed Graphics (all sizes) is that their slowest timed shutter speed is 1/30. This is why I've spent a small pot of money having SKGrimes make adapters for mounting the process lenses I use in front of a Copal #1 shutter. I have a heap of lenses in barrel, some of the process lenses. Nearly all are front mounted, and unless I need to use 1/1000 I use the front, not the focal plane, shutter. The exceptions came from aerial cameras, can't be put in shutter because of size and can't be front mounted because of short back focus.

 

By the way, I bought my Speed Graphic because of the "uses barrel lenses" story. And then I learned better.

 

Micah, congratulations on having your work published. Good job. Sorry I can't say anything about how good it is, but the digitized crap that I see on my screen shows me only that you put up some pictures, nothing more. Not your fault, and I'm sure the originals look pretty good.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

y'all familiar with David Burnett?

Micah,<br> The photos look great. I have been working on rebuilding my Pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic. I hope my cameras' result is as good as your. I'm glad that when my girlfriend gives me crap about buying such an old camera I can point out that people are still using them in the Press. Keep the photos coming!

<br><Br>

~C

Damn, now I'm going to have to take my 1927 250/7 Ideal out and do a photo story about the High Point and Greensboro textile mills and see if the Enterprise will buy it.

 

Yes, the old German plate cameras were originally marketed as press cameras, too, and were a lot cheaper than a Speed back in the day. I've got the original Tessar on this one, though I don't have a rangefinder, so if I don't have time to focus on the ground glass I have to use the scale, stop down, and try to hold steady. With TXP loaded, though, and Diafine waiting at home, sunshine will force me down to f/32 or even f/45 (fastest shutter is 1/200 and who knows how slow that is after almost 80 years); I can shoot f/8 to f/11 even indoors with a 1/50 shutter and a careful brace (and of course if there's room and time to set up my tripod I can shoot long exposures with small openings anywhere).

Micah

 

Great shots! If it weren't for the dress style, you'd be hard pressed (sorry!) to pick when these photos were taken.

 

How many fps does it do ? :-)

 

Paul

Dan-

 

I can't agree with you about the suitability of the Gerogon for general use on a Speed Graphic. My personal experience is that the 250mm Gerogon is quite suitable for landscape photographs, Rodenstock preferences notwithstanding.

 

The Schneider Componon enlarging lenses are often used as general purpose view camera optics, so much so that one ocassionally runs into a Componon mounted in a leaf shutter.

Ed, each has his own taste. Sharpness is in the eye of the beholder.

 

Schneider has sold Componons in shutter for use closeup. For use at longer distances, Symmars.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

PC,

 

Uh, well, best guess is about 0.1 fps, and that's blazin' speed for me! :-)

 

Donald, to be truthful, the Times didn't buy my story, per se, I work for them already. I just wanted to use my S.G. on an assignment so it won't feel over the hill!

 

--Micah in NC