My first Crown Graphic... Questions.

[vassiliy_zolotukhin]

<p>Hello,<br>

Recently I have purchased a Crown Graphic on Ebay which I believe to be in excellent condition. But there are a few things that are not quite clear to me. Please help me.<br>

1) My camera has several focusing scales/infinity stops. How do I find out which one do I need to use with my lens (Graflex Optar 135mm 4.7)? And what lenses other focusing scales/stops are for?<br>

Please see the picture attached. I'm sorry for uploading large picture - I don't know how to make it small.<br>

<img src="http://s14.postimg.org/84l84pvgx/7_57.jpg" alt="" /><br>

2) The top rangefinder glass (the one you look into) has some kind of a thread. Does it mean it has some important piece missing? Or is this thread used for attaching diopter correction lens/hood and there is nothing to worry about?<br>

3) The old batteries in the Rangelite battery compartment leaked. How do I clear the contacts and the compartment itself?<br>

Thank you very much!</p>

[BrianS1664879711]

<p>1. With the focusing mechanism racked all the way back (infinity position) measure from the film plane to each of the infinity stops. That will tell you what lens they are set up for. The on that is 135mm between film plane and infinity stop is the one you want to use for your 135mm lens.</p>

<p>2. Probably for the telescoping eyepiece. If you don't have it, no big deal.</p>

<p>3. Ugggh.</p>

[leicaglow]

I only use the stops for one thing: I focus each lens at infinity, and set the stop for each. Then I can

mount any lens, flip up the stop, and pull the bellows out until it stops. I set one for 65, 90, 150 and

210mm.

[michael_darnton2]

<p>In a normal installation, the front scale is for the normal lens, because that's where the factory set it. Then other scales, going on after, go wherever they fit--also the one in the back will be the wide angle one, so that it isn't covered by a lens standard that's out farther.</p>

<p>There's no guarantee of that, but that would be the usual. On that camera it looks like you have two scales and three sets of infinity stops. The back scale, with the tighter array of numbers, is for a wide, then the front scale for the normal lens, or maybe a longer one.(I would guess it's for the normal, and that the previous owner focused the longer lens via the ground glass. You can measure with the scales at infinity to the lensboard sitting at the respective stops, ground glass to board, to get an approximate idea of what lenses the stops are set for. Whichever scale reads right when a lens is focused at infinity and at a close distance, both, is the right scale for that lens. Both scales should read infinity at the same time, if everything is set up according to normal, but that might not necessarily be the case.</p>

<p>The rangefinder would be set for only one lens--probably the normal one. Focus using the RF, then the distance is read read off the scale for that lens and transferred to the right scale for the lens that's on the camera.</p>

[thirteenthumbs]

<p>1. Factory spec for setting infinity is to run the rails all the way back then forward .040 ± .010 inch. Run the rails in until the bed indicator infinity pointer aligns with the focus scale infinity indicator then check the stop distances as Brian suggest. I'll speculate the rear set is for a 90mm to 100mm lens; the center set a 127mm or 135mm; the front set a 250mm.<br>

2. I agree with Brian.<br>

3. A search of this site for AA battery corrosion cleaning results consensus is use Vinegar to wash all affected areas. Metal parts should be treated with a light coat of oil to prevent them from rusting.<br>

Visit http://www.graflex.org/ .<br>

Visit http://www.southbristolviews.com/ then click on Graflex Manuals link. There is a list of focus scales focal lengths. The focus scales were made in matched sets, a long bed scale whose number you use for the list and a short rail indicator. There is no known list for the short scales.</p>

<p>Lens actual focal length is rarely the marked focal length but is with a few percentage of the marked depending on the production tolerances in use at the time of manufacture. There were 5 rangefinder cams made for the 135 Optar by the factory. Once you have established lens and rangefinder infinity match then check a close distance of 6 to 10 feet. Mismatched lens/cam will result in one or the other being out of agreement depending on which you focus with. A correct set will have the rangefinder and ground glass image in focus at the same point and the focus scale indication matching the subject distance from the film plane.<br>

An instruction manual for your late 1957 / early 1958 camera: http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/graflex_4.html</p>

[vassiliy_zolotukhin]

<p>Thank you so much for your answers!</p>

[vassiliy_zolotukhin]

<p>I measured the distance from the film plane to each pair of infinity stops. The distance to the middle one is exactly 135mm. So it indeed is used for 135mm lens. The distance to the one closest to the camera is exactly 100mm and the distance to the one farthest from the camera is 170mm. And it puzzles me. As far as I know there was no lens of that focal length made for 4x5. Why would anyone place an infinity stop there?<br>

<br /> Am I right in thinking that each focusing scale has to have corresponding pair of infinity stops?</p>

[thirteenthumbs]

<p>Focus scales are optional and have nothing to do with infinity stops. The focus scale can be mounted anywhere on the bed that there is room.</p>

<p>A Optar lens is a Wollensak Raptar lens rebadged. 170mm is the back focus of a Optar/Raptar 10 inch telephoto.<br>

http://www.cameraeccentric.com/html/info/wollensak_5.html</p>

[vassiliy_zolotukhin]

<p>But each focusing scale corresponds to a particular lens, right? I'm asking this because I have another focusing scale right near the front of the camera bed, but it doesn't have infinity stops, and I can't measure the distance to the film plane as you advised above. Is there still a way to find out what lens this scale is used for?<br>

What do you mean by "170mm back focus"? As far as I understand 10" is equivalent to 240mm.</p>

[thirteenthumbs]

<p>Correct, each focus scale is for a specific focal length lens. That focus scale can be anywhere on the bed there is room for it. The focus scales have slots for the attaching screws so the long scale can be shifted a millimeter or two. The short scale has a nut plate that fits into the rails so it can be positioned as needed to align with the long/bed scale. All focus settings are with reference to infinity as viewed on the ground glass using a target at least 5000 feet away.</p>

<p>1 inch=25.4 millimeters=2.54 centimeters=.0254 meters; 10 inch=254 millimeters.</p>

<p>The <em><strong>Back</strong> <strong>Focus</strong></em>of any lens is the distance from the center of its rear element to the film plane. Back focus is sometimes used to refer to the focused distance at infinity which is the distance from the aperture blades to the film plane which is not always equal to the lens focal length.</p>

<p>I have not used focus scales enough to remember the close focus distance on these cameras but I think the front scale is for the 90mm-100mm lens as they will focus to 3 feet from infinity in the travel of the rails, a 135mm will focus to approximately 6 feet from infinity in the rail travel, the 254 Telephoto will focus to roughly 15 feet from infinity and a 250 standard lens will focus to 25 feet from infinity.</p>