Big Bertha's new john says Hello!

[Andrew O'Neill]

WHAT are you going to do with that monster anyway??

[Dan Schwartz]

NASCAR, baby!

Put this bitch on top of a grandstand at a turn, then shoot down the front straightaway and pit lane...

WHAT are you going to do with that monster anyway??

[Henry Ambrose]

Great home page, Dan!
And what a camera.
Welcome

[SamReeves]

LOL! I love it. View camera and NASCAR!!!

Welcome.

[Greg Lockrey]

Dan, what are the advantages of the 178mm f/2.5 Aero-Ektar lens on a Speed Graphic other than the obvious f/2.5 aperture? I have a Speed that needs a new lens since I'm using them on an Ebony.

[Glenn Thoreson]

Cool! I specialize in Speed and Crown Graphics, too. Buying, fixing, using and occasionally selling. Just for my own enjoyment. I've thinned out a bit. I think I'm down to about 10 or so, now.
Time to start looking for more?

[Dan Schwartz]

Sam,

Big Bertha is not a view camera: She's specially designed for sporting events, with pre-programmed fast focus "marks" where the photographer quickly moves the gearshift lever to quickly refocus the camera.



By the way, you should see the looks I get when I pull out my Horizon 202 swing-lens panorama camera, which is what took the photo above (at Martinsville Speedway during an NCTS (NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series) race). As you can see from the photo, that vista is perfect for a Big Bertha catching wrecks as they crunch together going into Turn 1 (or the T1-T2 complex, as the Europeans would call it). It's also perfect to catch the chaos in the narrow pit lane, and also the victory burnouts near the start-finish (S/F) line.

LOL! I love it. View camera and NASCAR!!!

Welcome.

[Dan Schwartz]

Greg, with an f/2.5 lens that covers 5x5, the ground glass is so bright that Stevie Wonder could get it focused indoors.

That being said, the wide open DOF for portraits is just aboiut how much a person's chest moves when he breathes!

Dan, what are the advantages of the 178mm f/2.5 Aero-Ektar lens on a Speed Graphic other than the obvious f/2.5 aperture? I have a Speed that needs a new lens since I'm using them on an Ebony.

[Greg Lockrey]

Greg, with an f/2.5 lens that covers 5x5, the ground glass is so bright that Stevie Wonder could get it focused indoors.

That being said, the wide open DOF for portraits is just aboiut how much a person's chest moves when he breathes!

you're way too PC.

That's what I was thinking. I was also wondering if that lens had any other "special look" beside that. I keep seeing it mentioned by camera cobblers from time to time.

[Dan Schwartz]

Greg, I have six of these puppies: Would you like one? If so, please contact me off-list.

I also have several ways you can mount it -- Some better than others. My fave is the S.K. Grimes method... At $200 per. That's what I use; and I have two more in production up there. Also, see my David Burnett Combo page.