Camera Rails show up in my pictures (wide angle lens)

[cotdt]

Hi, I'm using a 90mm moderate wide angle lens on my Speed Graphic, and the bottom rails show up in all my pictures. How can I fix this problem?

[Dan Fromm]

Drop the bed. Visit www.graflex.org to learn how.

When you do it, be very careful. The bed must be retracted completely. If you don't do this before dropping the bed, you'll damage the links that connect the inner bed rails to the outer. Same thing when returning the bed to its normal position. You have been warned.

[cotdt]

Thanks!

[David Karp]

Check this out: http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ras/pacemaker/

I have a photo and description on how to do it with a Crown.

[Mick Noordewier]

David, Dan,

Here's a question that I have been unable to answer by searching graflex.org.

When you've dropped the bed for a short lens (90mm or less), the lens remains inside the body on the part of the focusing rail above the hinge. Can you still use the focus knobs on the bed to adjust focus? Or do you just push/pull the lens on the upper track?

When the bed is dropped on my Crown there is no longer a smooth linkage between the upper and lower parts of the rail, unless I press down with my finger on the hinge while focusing. I'm trying to figure out if that is normal, or if mine is damaged in some way.

-Mick

[Gene McCluney]

David, Dan,

When you've dropped the bed for a short lens (90mm or less), the lens remains inside the body on the part of the focusing rail above the hinge. Can you still use the focus knobs on the bed to adjust focus? Or do you just push/pull the lens on the upper track?

When the bed is dropped on my Crown there is no longer a smooth linkage between the upper and lower parts of the rail, unless I press down with my finger on the hinge while focusing. I'm trying to figure out if that is normal, or if mine is damaged in some way.

-Mick

I'm not David or Dan but I can answer the question. The focusing bed-rails on a Crown Graphic are "articulated" at the fold, and yes, if your front lens standard remains on the short part of the rails inside the shell of the camera you can still use the focusing knobs to move the lens in and out a modest amount. Not all Graphic cameras have "articulated" rails...the Super Graphic does not. Some wide-angle lenses, such as a 65mm Super-Angulon I have are mounted in helical focusing mounts, which you rotate to focus just like on a medium-format camera. This must have been an option at one time. Of course this lens is super-wide on 4x5 and remains almost fully inside the camera shell when in use.

If you have a type of Graphic that does not have articulated rails, you can use a recessed lensboard to put your front standard on the main rails, and you can even drop the bed, as the standard Graphic front standard has front rise and tilt to bring the front standard back into parallel with the film plane.

[David Karp]

Nothing to add. I have not played much with a Speed. My understanding is that the Crown is a bit more wide-angle friendly as mentioned by Gene. It handles my 75mm with no problem whatsoever.

[Gene McCluney]

Nothing to add. I have not played much with a Speed. My understanding is that the Crown is a bit more wide-angle friendly as mentioned by Gene. It handles my 75mm with no problem whatsoever.

The Crown would have the film plane closer to the front than a Speed (the focal plane shutter on the Speed requiring a deeper body), therefore a given focal length lens would focus infinity further out on the rail.

[Mick Noordewier]

Gene,

You are indeed a precise provider of information. This answer had eluded me over on graflex.org.

-Mick

[Gene McCluney]

Gene,

You are indeed a precise provider of information. This answer had eluded me over on graflex.org.

-Mick

Thank you. I use a Crown Graphic and a Super Graphic all the time, so I am quite familiar with them, and I have carefully looked at a Speed Graphic.