j._mose

The Grafmatic film holder has been out of production for over 25

years. The manufacturer, Graflex Corp. went out of business in 1973

(at this point, Graflex was a division under Singer). The product

remains quite popular in today's market. A Grafmatic provides an easy

method for advancing 6 sheets of film in one holder. Plus, each sheet

of film is held flat if the holder and its 6 septums are in good

shape. Often times the septums would get bent due to improper

handling. The unit may also jam if the tracks are not maintained

(periodic cleaning and light lubrication of tracks is required).

 

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This has always been considered a quality product. Just make sure the

unit is in good shape before purchasing it. Also, make sure it is

compatible with a Graflok back, as models were also offered for a

"Graflex" back. Good luck.

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

Hello,

 

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Does anyone know of a camera store in Basel, Switzerland that supplies new, used and collectors large format equipment? Thanks.

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

Greetings,

 

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Does anyone have experience with the Technika-Flex attachment for Linhof 4 X 5 Technikas? In case you aren't aware of this interesting device, here is a rough description. In the 60's Linhof offered an accessory which converted a 4 X 5 Technica into a twin-lens reflex. Two sets of lenses were available: 150mm Symmar and 240mm Tele-Arton. Having an interest in Linhof and Graflex history, I am most curious of the unusual accessories...and I think this one may take the prize for Linhofs (I also like the 4 X 5 focal plane shutter accessory which I don't know much about either).

 

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I would love to find out if there are many units out there, the time frame in which the Technika-Flex was produced and most of all what they are/were like to use.

 

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Thank you for your time and knowledge!

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

Lens and Repro in NYC could probably provide you with some good advice

on additional lenses other than Graflex lens. Like the other post

stated, the only lenses listed for the 4 X 5 are the 190mm, 10" and

15". Look at Lens and Repro's website - www.lensrepro.com/index.html

or give them a call for suggestions. Also, the Graflex website has a

help site for questions and answers www.graflex.org. Good luck.

 

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J. P. Mose

Mark,

 

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What a shame! I've had nothing but good luck with Ebay. If I had to

recommend a new lens and it is slightly wide: Rodenstock 135mm

Sironar-S f/5.6. I think it it is in the low to mid $600 range. The

lens is OUTSTANDING!!!! Very sharp, contrasty and great coverage.

There really aren't any inexpensive lenses for large format that are

new. If you check B & H Photo's website (has extensive large format

lenses for sale), you will see what I mean. The Rodenstock Sironar-S

is a bargain for a lens that is considered to be best normal lens by

many! The 127mm Ektar was quite popular but it really doesn't cover 4

X 5 adequately (esp. at infinity and wide open!). All Ektar lenses

are quite reputable, even by today's standards. However, I really

think the lens should perform well at all settings...period!

Especially with the high cost of large format film and processing.

Best of luck!

 

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J. P. Mose

The Rodenstock APO Rodagon 150mm or Schneider APO Componon-HM 150mm

are considered the top performers for 4X5 format. Look at questions

from yesterday ("Need Comments on Schneider 150mm APO

Componon...")..Bob Solomon gave a technical response which justifies

APO lenses for black and white work. Good luck!

 

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J. P. Mose

Geoffrey,

 

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I purchased a Schneider APO-Componon HM 150/4 within the last year and

I love it. This lens or the APO Rodagon are the best on the market

(in my opinion). Since I mainly use it for black and white (B+W), I

wondered if I'd gain any benefit over the Componon-S or non-APO

Rodagon, so I did my research and discovered that B+W benefits from an

APO lens more than I expected. At the high cost of everything else in

large format, I figured the extra expense was worth it since EVERY 4X5

photo I enlarge will only be as good as the enlarging lens. But

that's my philosophy...I've also seen photos enlarged from 60 yr. old

Wollensak lenses that "made my eyes bug out"! Best of luck!

 

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Regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

David,

 

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I just happened to see your question...better late than never!

 

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I own a Pacemaker Speed Graphic with the top mount rangefinder (has

night focusing), a Super Speed Graphic and a Linhof Super Technica V.

I think it would be nearly impossible to adapt this to a Super

Graphic. First and foremost, the rangefinder is housed inside of the

body, with electric shutter release button to the right side of the

range finder. You'd have to drill a hole to pass the light through

(assuming the rangefinder design would even project the light in a

similar fashion to ones that accommodate this device), which is

basically how the FocusSpot works on the Super Technika IV or any

camera with a side mounted rangefinder such as a Kalart or Hugo Meyer.

The Technica range finder is external to the body of the camera on

the left side. On the top of the rangefinder housing, there's a small

cover that swings out of the way so the FocusSpot can be attached.

The FocusSpot was powered by the batteries in the flash (flash bulbs

were commonly used at the time and typically powered by "D"

batteries). Earlier Speed/Crown Graphics or any camera with a side

mounted Kalart or Hugo Meyer rangefinder had this same cover that

swung out to accommodate the focusSpot).

 

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In 1955, Graflex redesigned the 4 X 5 Pacemaker Speed Graphic and

Pacemaker Crown Graphic with a new top mounted rangefinder which

featured removable cams to match lenses from approximately 90mm to

360mm; automatic parallex adjustment as the camera is focused; and a

BUILT IN LIGHT SYSTEM FOR NIGHT FOCUSING. The rangefinder housing

holds two AA batteries to power the light. With its own power, one

can night focus without depending on the flash for a power source

(maybe because photographers were starting to use electronic flash by

the mid 1950's commonly referred to as "Speedlite" at the time).

When the Super Graphic was introduced in 1958, it didn't have this

feature, probably because the rangefinder housed two batteries for

tripping the electronic shutter release. Hence, there wasn't enough

room for everything.

 

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In summary, it would be more practical to go out and buy a second

camera that accommodates this device. 30 years ago, I do recall using

this feature on Chrismas Eve to focus on carolers on the dark snowy

evening in New York. It's one of those interesting devices that

contribute to my love for collecting classic cameras!

 

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Please feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions.

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

The following website provides a lot of interesting information about

radioactivity and lenses:

 

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http://people.smu.edu/rmonagha/mf/radioactive.html

 

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Enjoy!

 

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J. P. Mose

Hello:

 

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Does anyone know if Linhof still manufactures a recessed lensboard that a 135mm Planar f/3.5 with Compur #1 shutter will fit? The only models #'s I see available are 001015, 001016 and 001094 which are for #0 shutters. If not made than I would appreciate the old model number and/or the correct hole size so I could search for it on Ebay. Thanks for your help.

 

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Best regards,

 

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J. P. Mose

Greetings,

 

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The subject lens is a rare one! I purchased one a few years ago but it is in poor shape and inoperatable. The price was right and I knew it was hard to find. Some popular camera stores...in business for years...claim to have never seen one. The Rodenstock 135mm Optar with 1000 shutter is fairly common but the 270mm is somewhat of a mystery, even to Graflex collectors such as myself. I posted a question or two on the Graflex website a couple of years ago but didn't get a response. So I thought I'd try again with a larger forum:

 

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Does anyone out there have any experience with this particular lens? If so, how does it compare to similar large format telephoto lenses?

 

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What years and how many were actually produced?

 

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Unfortunately, a lot of Graflex records were not kept after they shut their doors in 1973...perhaps HP Marketing can obtain this information since the lens was manufactured by Rodenstock?

 

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Any information would be most interesting to me. Thank you for your help!

 

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J. P. Mose

Richard,

 

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This is good to know, considering I have to send my Super Technica V

in for 2 additional lenses to be fitted (board, cam, infinity stop

and distance scale). Thanks for the positive news (something we can

all use this week!)!

 

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J. P. Mose

Greetings:

 

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When was the latest edition of "Large Format Photography" (Grossbild Technik Munich 70) published? Do later editions merely update the equipment and accessories available or did they revise all the pictures and text as well?

 

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Was "Linhof Practice" the predecessor to "Large Format Photography"?

 

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Thanks for your help.

 

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JP

Currently on the ebay, the book Linhof Practice is being offered for a

starting bid of $80 (yet, no one has bidded yet!). Should make you

feel good about yours.

Please excuse my poor spelling in the previous note! "buy" instead of

"by" and "Grandagon-N?" instead of "Grandagon-N." That's what happens

when you don't edit your e-mails!

Hello,

 

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I have an opportunity to by a Linhof Grandagon multi-coated 75mm f/4.5 (pre -N). What are the differences between a Grandagon and a Grandagon-N. From a practical standpoint, I'm an advanced amateur who's a sharpness nut. But....90% of my enlargements are 8X10 and once in a blue moon I will enlarge to 20X24. Would I see any differences w/o getting the latest "N"? Thanks.

Why is a 135mm Planar 3.5 typically fitted on a recessed board? Wouldn't a flat board be as suitable for this focal length and much less expensive (Linhof boards)? Thanks

I am interested in purchasing the subject lenses. I realize these lenses do not have great coverage. I am interested in your opinions on how these lenses rate on sharpness, resolution and contrast compared to current lenses such as APO Symmars, etc. Chris Perez's website does not have a test on the Zeiss lenses. Has anyone performed a resolution test on these lenses? One final question: Are "Linhof select" lenses any better or are you just reducing the probability of getting the occasional "dud"? Thanks for your help!