Showmanship can be good though - it demonstrates to your subjects that you are serious and making a big effort on their behalf. I think their response is different than when I would shoot with a small camera, even when I have all the other gear (big lightbanks and stuff).
Either are valid approaches of course.
No, you're quite right, but on the other hand, if having a compact, quick-handling camera were the only way to make good spontaneous images, I wouldn't keep feeling the need to carry something larger than my more compact 35 mm gear. To my eye, a 4x5 negative through a 135 mm lens in a hand held camera is still better than a 35 mm negative through a 45 mm or so lens -- and though I can't bang away (and "waste film") the way I might with, say, my Spotmatic, or even my Signet 35, I think the one careful shot with the Speed Graphic will outweigh the half dozen "shotgun method" negatives from the 35 mm.Originally Posted by Frank Petronio
Just need to get the rangefinder adjusted for that lens so I can really use the camera that way, instead of having to focus on the ground glass...
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
This scene lasted a few minutes as the sun/clouds provided the 'Kodak Moment'. No time or place to setup tripod. Stopped the truck and picked the camera/meter off the floor, stepped out and took a meter reading, opened the camera and racked out the lens to the infinity stop and locked it, wound the shutter to 1/250 and set the aperture, pulled the Grafmatic slide and took the pix, as the sun/clouds dimmed the lights. The big 4x5 negative provided for some cropping. Regards
Last edited by Iskra 2; 24-Feb-2007 at 07:37.
Hey, thanks for the pointers to manuals and the Graflex.org forums -- I now have the front standard clamps adjusted so the standard doesn't move when I do stuff to the lens or front shutter on my Speed. Should help a lot for quick setup (especially once I can find some Pacemaker style folding infinity stops so I can set up for different lenses quickly -- four focal lengths requires careful setting to marks for three with the original style stops).
And Tuesday, I made some more shots with the 105 mm Agnar, hand held, composed by guess (can't raise the wire frame with that lens on, and it's a good bit wider than the tubular viewfinder) -- they're waiting to be scanned now...
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
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