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Thread: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

  1. #1

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    Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    As most of you know, those who are new to the large format field are often confused by the differences between the three types of camera back we often encounter.

    I have just posted to my informational site, The Pumpkin, a new tutorial article, "Large Format Camera Backs", available here:

    http://doug.kerr.home.att.net/pumpki...rgeFormatBacks

    It describes and distinguishes the three back types (with photographs) and gives insight into the historical evolution that led to them.

    As always, I certainly welcome comments, corrections, or suggested additions to this article.

  2. #2

    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Highly geeky site you have there!
    I rate it "8.7 Pocket Protectors" on the international scale.

    Seriously,lots of interesting stuff.

  3. #3

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Hi, Henry,

    Highly geeky site you have there!

    I rate it "8.7 Pocket Protectors" on the international scale.
    Is that the "9-point international scale" or the "open-ended international scale"?

    In any case, I'll take it.

    I need to tell you a story about my pocket protector. When I had my first date with my bride, Carla, (we had both been widowed, and had met at church), I decided I had better not wear my famous pocket protector (which held ball-point pens of three different colors - two blacks, in case somebody asked to borrow one - an 0.5 mm drafting pencil, a small felt-tipped pen, and a small flashlight), as it might look "too geeky"', so I just put one pen in my shirt pocket.

    Partway through dinner, Carla said, "Where is your pack of pens?" I told her why it wasn't there. She said, "Well, without it, it's just not you!"

    A week later, we were engaged!

    Seriously,lots of interesting stuff.
    Thanks a lot. Hope you find some of it useful.

    Best regards,

    Doug

  4. #4
    Jack Flesher's Avatar
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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Hi Doug:

    Nice write-up on backs! My only comment would be to include a mention of bail backs -- they get mentioned enough in forums as they're really popular with the larger format cameras and it might be nice to have a reference to them for future posts

    Cheers,
    Jack Flesher

    www.getdpi.com

  5. #5
    Moderator Ralph Barker's Avatar
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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Nice article, Doug.

    One suggestion: you might add clarification of how the terms "universal" and "international" are often used to describe "spring backs" and "Graflok backs".

  6. #6

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Hi, Jack,

    Quote Originally Posted by Jack Flesher View Post
    Hi Doug:

    Nice write-up on backs! My only comment would be to include a mention of bail backs -- they get mentioned enough in forums as they're really popular with the larger format cameras and it might be nice to have a reference to them for future posts
    An excellent point. My firsthand experience was limited to the non-bail ones (we're an "all Graflex" shop in the LF department), but clearly they deserve to be mentioned. I'll try to include coverage in the next issue.

    Incidentally, I would appreciate any links to good illustrations or discussions of bail backs. (My colleague Will Thompson has cameras with bail backs, and I'm sure he can help me out, too.)

    Thanks again for writing.

    Best regards,

    Doug

  7. #7

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Hi, Ralph,

    One suggestion: you might add clarification of how the terms "universal" and "international" are often used to describe "spring backs" and "Graflok backs".
    Yes, I had wanted to do that, but realized that I hadn't yet done the research to be able to discuss it authentically, and decided to go to press with the first issue with only that glancing blow at the subject.

    Can you help me out with some specifics, or point me to some good references? (Of course, I'll poke around anyway!)

    (As you may have seen in many of my other papers, I am quite interested in formal standardization. In fact, in an earlier life, I did the final wordsmithing of the first complete standard for ASCII.)

    Thanks for writing.

    Best regards,

    Doug

  8. #8

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Kerr View Post
    I need to tell you a story about my pocket protector...
    Nice article, Doug... thanks! I've learned a lot from you site.

    p.s. My wife seems to be the polar opposite of yours... when we dated she told me that I had to stop wearing short sleeve dress shirts with a neck tie before she'd even admit to being my girlfriend. I gave up on pocket protectors quite early in life becasue they became too dificult to find.

  9. #9

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    Very interesting and informative, thanks for posting it. I have one minor suggestion though it may be due to my ignorance. FWIW one source of confusion to me about the diffferent backs has always been the variations on the prefix "Graf" - there's "Graphics" and "Grafloks" and "Graflex" and probably other Grafs that don't come to mind. I think you might simplify things a little if you just called spring backs "spring backs" and forgot about use of the term "Graphics" for them since spring back is the term in use today (at least I think it is though perhaps that's where my ignorance comes in). Anyhow, thanks again for an interesting and informative article.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  10. #10

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    Re: Large Format Backs - New tutorial article

    When I was a physics graduate student we used to pretend to be engineers when we were in a bar. The buzz among the physicists was that it was much cooler to be an engineer than a scientist and it was easy to fake because we knew at least as much calculus as they did. Boy, were we pathetic nerds. We were so uncool that the coolest thing we could think of to imitate was an engineer. Its amazing that any of us ever managed to get our DNA into the gene pool of the human race....
    Cheers,
    Dave B.

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