5x4 SLR experiences?

[andrewlamb]

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with using a 5x4

SLR. I know that Graflex and Mentor made large format SLRs but what are

they like to use?

 

I have the chance to buy a Mentor but haven't seen it yet. Do these cameras

have really dark screens? Are they slow to use? I would like to try these

cameras out for portraits.

 

Thanks

 

Andrew

[karl_knize]

I have a pair of Auto RB, 3x4 Graflex 's with 4x5 Graflok backs on them. For

lenses, I have a Zeiss Jena 210 4.5 and a Dallmeyer Pentac Aerial 2.9 that I

had a mount machined for. I usually work from a tripod or monopod

depending upon the light but focusing isn't too dark at all as I tend to work

pretty wide open. The whole rig takes some getting used to but isn't too

tough to work with. I chose the 3x4's and had the backs modified because the

true 4x5's are a lot bigger and heavier. And the king daddy of the Graflex

SLR's, the 4x5 Super D, is a real whopper. Think of a buick skylark with a

lens on the hood.

[neal_shields]

The 4x5 super D graflex has an automatic diaphragm, many don't. If you don't have an automatic diaphragm focusing while taking pictures at smaller F-stops will be a problem

 

If you have to reach around and stop down before you take the picture it somewhat defeats the purpose of the SLR.

 

My Super D has a frenel screen and is noticeably brighter than a friend's that doesn't. My impression is that the screen is very bright.

 

I carried mine around on a college campus one day and never made that mistake again. They are big and heavy.

 

As for slow; compared to what? It probably takes about the same amount of time to expose a given surface area of film with a Graflex Super D as it does with an older Nikon F without a motor drive. So yes it is slow.

 

For 4x5 studio portrait work on tripods people swear by them.

 

To take a picture with a Super D, you must:

 

Open the front of the camera to expose the lens.

 

Open the top of the camera and unfold the hood.

 

Cock the automatic stop down leaver on the lens.

 

Set the shutter to the slit that you want to use.

 

Set the shutter tension to the tension you want to use. (You have to consult a matrix to get the shutter speed. I.E., slit A with tension 3 is 1/125 sec.)

 

(If you haven?t changed shutter speeds from the last shot, it is simply a matter of winding the shutter curtain back to the start which would be one slot. However that shutter curtain is about 3 feet long so if you have to go from the smallest slit to the largest, you are going to be there a while.)

 

Re-cock the mirror which will be in the up position.

 

Insert the film holder and pull the dark slide

 

Focus the camera,

 

Trip the shutter.

 

Start over.

[neal_shields]

"the king daddy of the Graflex SLR's, the 4x5 Super D, is a real whopper"

 

Maybe so, but the big momma was the "Big Bertha" which was a 5x7 "home portrat" SLR with an 800mm lens mounted on it for sports action photography.

[Troll]

There's a thread on another Forum about LF and Hernias. Enough said?

[mark_sampson]

Enough said? not til you mention the flash sync speed- which is I think 1/5 second, maybe slower.

[arne_croell]

Be aware that the Mentor does not use regular holders - you have to use their dedicated type, so make sure they come with the camera.

[dan_fromm2]

Um, there was also an Arca Swiss 4x5 SLR, built on a monorail.

[louis_shu]

You should look for the Graflex to use, and the Mentor for collecting. The Graflex camera is more pratical and readily available. If you could find one, look for a late version of this camera. The later version of the 4x5 Graflex Super D cameras came with the Graflok back, or better known as the International back, this version will accept all current 4x5 holders, including the Fuji Quickload, the Kodak Readyload, and roll back from 6x12 down to 6x6. Earlier camera with the Graflex backs can be converted. These cameras can also be upgraded to a Beattie focusing screen, this is a very worthwhile addition, it makes this camera usable even in low light situations. Check with Photo Gizzmo, They can tell you more about upgrade services of this kind. Good luck hunting.

[andrewlamb]

Thanks for all your answers. The Graflex Super D appeals to me becasue it

has the useful feature of auto diagraphm (sp?). Also, I know that Norman

Parkinson (a personal fave) used one. However, as I'm based in the UK they

tend to be thinnner on the ground than in the States. I tried buying one on

ebay but the deal went went sour.

 

I have the oppurtunity to buy a couple of Mentors, at a very reasonable price,

off a dealer than I know I can trust. The dealer assures that a technican he

knows can put the two Mentors together to make one vey good Mentor.

 

Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about these cameras. I understand that

they were manufactured until 1960 which means that it's possible to pick up

something up one made more recently than the Super Graflex.

 

I have also been told that the Mentor front panel is very closely sized to the

Sinar panel and that the Mentor can be easily adapted to take Sinar panels.

Given that I use a Sinar F and have many barrel lenses in this mount ( I use a

Sinar copal shutter) the Mentor is rather appealing.

 

Part of me of thinks that I should give up on such old cameras and persevere

with the Sinar F and its reflex viewer. But then again, I have ideas of taking

spontaneous shots with a 5x4 SLR that I know full well I couldn't get with a

view camera. Decisions, decisions :)

[andrewlamb]

Dan,

 

I've seen the Arca SLR. It looks a bit like a metal version of the Wisner

Freedom .