Mr. Grimes site is about as good as you will find for a quick, detailed, and easy to understand lesson on the Packards. Mounting the Packard in front of the lens is sometimes the only way to use...
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Mr. Grimes site is about as good as you will find for a quick, detailed, and easy to understand lesson on the Packards. Mounting the Packard in front of the lens is sometimes the only way to use...
It's a shame that the most fragile (and usually broken or missing) piece on the Elwood contributes so much to it's successful operation. Opalized glass may work fine for others but I dislike the...
Silver based photography is a durable creature but it has had a turbulent history. Tintypes were still widely used 40 or 50 years after good paper products were available. Pyro came and went and...
Wearing powder free latex exam gloves during the film cutting surgery protects the film from finger prints and smudges. I try to keep the work area clean and do the cutting on a humid day for dust...
Lighting and posing for portraits are elaborate, distinct, and complicated skills within the craft of photography. I have attended long workshops on lighting and posing where the photographic...
Richard brings up a good point about softening the zits and other imperfections. A lot of the promotional literature for the old (and new) soft focus lenses emphasizes the reduction of...
For family portraits, shallow depth of field will give you more headaches than an especially sharp lens. I've used the 203 Ektar for family groups but only outdoors where there is plenty of room...
The speed with which one achieves proficiency in digital imaging (some call it the "learning curve") will vary widely among individuals. Photoshop and the associated hardware are loaded with...
On a recent international flight, film was fogged that went through the carry-on scanning machine despite written and verbal assurances that it was safe. It was not important film but it won't...
I came kicking and screaming into digital photography as an old pro who looked upon it as another "computer game" but tonight I'm eating crow while I am making MIS Quadtone inkjet prints to be sold...
I have several old Burke & James catalogs in which they stated their date of origin as 1897 and described themselves as manufacturers and representatives to the trade. They closed in the early...
The Verito image gets sharper as it is stopped down and after F-11 it's pretty sharp. I believe that the wide open image at f-4 may be too soft for many photographers' tastes (it's pretty mushy). ...
Temporary quickie lens boards can be made from almost any rigid flat material like cardboard, matt board, foam board, etc. Glue multiple sheets together to get the right thickness. Cut the...
Wayne, there's a pretty good chance someone has worked on the lens and secured the ring so it won't move--probably a commercial photographer who didn't want it accidently slipping into the diffused...
I agree with Chad, this lens has a most pleasing image even at the zero setting and I use it often in my professional portrait business. I use the 12" with 4x5 and 5x7 and mostly don't use the...
Wollensak manufactured Studio Shutters into the 1920's. Following is summarized from a 1919 Wollensak consumer catalog:
Practically noiseless in operation, the Studio Shutter is an efficient ...
Many decades ago the conventional wisdom on purchasing a lens for portraits was to buy the longest lens (whatever the format) that your bellows and floor space would accomodate. Floor space or...
Bellows extension on older 5x7 cameras is usually between 15" and 25", I don't believe there is a norm, but you will never regret having a lot of bellows extension. Old 5x7's come in many...
With regard to questions of safe handling of Pyro. Gordon Hutchins covers the hazards and precautions in great detail in his "Book of Pyro". It mostly comes down to::Don't inhale the powder dust...
Here is what little I can tell you and it is from fragmented information so take it for what it's worth. After Schneider acquired Goerz (exact year unknown but sometime in the 1970's), they may...
Doug, if we can presume that the students will have access to some kind of lab, then my vote is for emphasizing making the print. Recently many thousands of photographers have, sadly, never made a...
Photographers who believe the ground glass image is both upside down AND backwards need to study those images very carefully.
There is very little relationship between the film format and the ability to make money (a living) with it -- the magic does not come with the gear. Purchasers of photography are attracted by the...
I made a lot of money in college with photography but that was in an ancient time (1960's) -- I suspect that what worked then is no longer valid but here goes: Sports teams, game action shots...
To answer David Willis. The sunny 16 rule would render the moon a Zone V value if the moon was, in fact, an actual Zone V value, but as another poster has mentioned; the moon is a lower value than...
I have used 1/ISO between f8 - f11 with good results. THis is based on relatively clear sky. It is difficult to depend on meters for correct settings.
The rising full moon appears huge as it...
My 190 WF Ektar covers 8x10 at infinity with no movements, the 4 corners just barely begin to darken which is not an objectionable effect. Closer focus gives some more room for movements. For my...
I have used 1/ISO @f8 - f11 with good results.
The moon travels about 15 degrees per hour, actually we are moving with it as well so it's not just the moon that's moving. Anyway, the moon...
Photography is a very difficult craft--big egos are abundant, the big egos with little talent or contributions are the most pitiful. Ansel Adams shared his trade secrets not just to a few but to...
RB-67 holders fit perfectly, hold the film flat, and seem to last forever. The RH Graflex holders did not have a long service life under heavy use. As a wedding photographer, I wore them out in...
To respond to Chris: Convertibility goes back 100 years or so in lens design and very generally, the best results come with symmetrical lenses where the single element is used behind the iris...
I believe you should be using the rear element alone instead of the front element alone.
Here's some more on T nuts. Actually, many older wood fields have T nuts--or a similar fastener--as the mounting receptacle. Part of the wear and tear on a well-used camera weakens the fitting...
The 1/4" thread was standard for many decades. You are correct, it's pretty flimsy when you consider the potential weight it has to hold. Consider a 3/8" fitting called a "T" nut which can be...
A good Korona is especially nice for entry into the 5x7 format. Try to get one with double extension--this is a separate track that extends the bellows up to about 24". You will never regret...
Another unfortunate aspect is the closing of roads in some National parks during the Fall deer mating season to prevent poaching which has become widespread despite heavy federal penalties. It...
Goerz American Optical Co. made a lot of lenses under government / military contracts and in some of these contract jobs there were no trade names engraved on the lenses. Sounds like you have a...
For your application, it is best to research both the tripod (legs) and the tripod head (camera support method). Most of the wooden tripods sold for photography in the U.S. are made like...
Having done both off and on for many years, I would say that I don't believe one method has any overwhelming advantage over the other, but here are some thoughts. For years one of the...
The Crown/Speed Graphic was my first wedding camera and like Doug, I am still suffering from the memory of the weight--also suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome which I am sure is linked to...