Over the summer, I bid on an auction for a 2D with a (Graflex?) focal plane shutter *and* a universal iris mount. Unfortunately, the seller didn't know much about the shutter, so there was no telling if it worked.
Over the summer, I bid on an auction for a 2D with a (Graflex?) focal plane shutter *and* a universal iris mount. Unfortunately, the seller didn't know much about the shutter, so there was no telling if it worked.
Now what I wonder is if one happened to have a defunct 5x7" or two, if the mechanical parts could be cannibalized to make an 8x10"?
The box seems to be a fairly simple thing, and I'm sure there's enough power in the spring to drive a larger curtain once you get past the two or three slowest settings. It would be necessary to fabricate a larger box, longer rollers, shutter curtain, back, top groundglass, front surface mirror, and the trickiest bit, I think, would be whatever mechanism it is that determines the distance of shutter travel. I haven't taken my 5x7" Press Graflex apart to the extent of understanding how that bit works. Maybe you would just get two slit widths instead of four.
I had one yesterday in my hand.
It was a wonderful experience: I had seen this beautiful woman walking on a local street.
It was late in the afternoon and the light was beautifully soft and it had that wonderful contrast and depth that only late afternoon light broken by clouds have.
She had great deep brown eyes and a pale skin that glowed in that light.
I asked her if I could take some quick pictures with my camera.
I was lucky to have this wonderful object in my hands.
She agreed graciously, I am sure that the camera titillated her curiosity.
I didn't have to tell her anything, she was perfect how she was and where she was.
As it happens in these instances when the light is disappearing rapidly I was a little apprehensive, but I managed to meter, cock the shutter and right at the moment when I was releasing the curtain a kid got between the lens and the woman.....
Then I woke up.
And found a dismembered Gowlandflex 8x10 in bed with you!
And Annie Leibowitz towering over you shouting, "Domenico you dumbass! You had sex with my $20,000 camera!!!"
I and Annie sleep in separate beds now, luckily.
The incident of the dismembered Gowlandflex happened when Witkin was my room mate.
Always playing pranks.
One day I heard him begging our next door neighbour whose husband had just passed in the kitchen to sell him the body.
When she heard that he wanted to use it as a vase for a photoshoot she found the idea so interesting that she agreed.
The couple slept in separate beds as well.
I suspect you have all seen this. But, in case you haven't, here is the Gowland 8x10 TLR.
About 20 years ago I was just starting to collect Graflexes. I brought some stuff from J. O. Tepper, a well known dealer in photo equipment. I asked if he had seen an 8 x10 Graflex slr. He said that in 30 years in the business he had seen one. I think the Eastman House has one. I do have an 8 x 10 Graflex focal plane shutter on my Century Universal. It works.
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