Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Busch Pressman

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    384

    Busch Pressman

    I'm completely new to LF, but am considering buying a Busch Pressman off a friend of a friend to get started. It seems to be in excellent condition overall, and I'm not concerned about the quality of the camera. Price seems to be in keeping with I would expect based on ebay etc.

    My photographic area of interest is in interior architectural photography (of abandoned buildings, like the photo below). Currently, I shoot in the 20-35mm (35mm terms) angle range, and I'm a big concerned about getting similar width on the Pressman. I have access to an excellent lens rental shop here in Toronto, but they don't stock Pressman lensboards. I haven't been able to find a place online that currently sells them. Any suggestions?

    Also, does this camera take any old 4x5 film holder? Or are there different kinds I need to be aware of.

    I think that's it for now :-)

    Thanks,
    Sean


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Van Buren, Arkansas
    Posts
    1,941

    Re: Busch Pressman

    You will have to either find old Bush lensboards on the used market, or make your own. Manytimes you can make a servicable lensboard from flat stock (aluminum, masonite, etc.)

    Your Pressman should take normal standard 4x5 double dark-slide film holders that have been standard for over 50 years now (or longer). There are plenty of used holders to choose from.

    You are going to want a lens in the 75mm to 90mm focal length range to approximate the same field of view that you are now getting with your current equipment. You will also need a nice tripod and cable release for optimum quality, even though the Bush is a "press" camera and can be hand held..you really don't want to do this for fine quality.

    Also, Press Cameras (in general) came with a lens in the 135mm focal length range, a slight wide angle in 4x5, and the camera rangefinder was calibrated to this lens, so you didn't have to focus on the ground glass for "candid" shots. If you put on ANY other focal length, you will HAVE to focus on the ground glass (image will appear upside down) and treat the press camera as if it were a field camera, opening up the lens to focus, then stopping down, setting the shutter and using a cable release to trip the shutter. With all that said, I have used my Super Graphic (a similar press camera) very successfully as a field camera with many lenses and achieved super results.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    France Pyrénées
    Posts
    1

    Re: Busch Pressman

    I think a Bush Pressman is not adequate for interior architectural photography. You need a camera with wide angle bag bellows and ample movements.
    Christian

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Van Buren, Arkansas
    Posts
    1,941

    Re: Busch Pressman

    Quote Originally Posted by C Ille View Post
    I think a Bush Pressman is not adequate for interior architectural photography. You need a camera with wide angle bag bellows and ample movements.
    Christian
    The OP is now doing his photos with a 35mm camera. All press cameras have some rise, and some front tilt/shift. He is shooting abandoned buildings, not Architectural digest stuff. I have been very successful with a 90 Super Angulon on my Super Graphic with front rise to get what I need.

  5. #5
    neophyte
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    234

    Re: Busch Pressman

    Check which lensboard it uses: iirc there are two versions. DIY and other options have been discussed at photo.net http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/003ETd http://photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/00IZgw
    The busch D is a nice camera (see http://www.xs4all.nl/~lommen9/Busch/page5.html for an apprecaition) but as a press camera it will have some inherent limitations which may matter to you. Super short lenses and lots of movements are not going to happen, but shortish lenses eg 90mm without much movement will work. Look over at graflex.org for discussion about this and more. This is definitely a try before you buy if you can.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Carmel Valley, CA
    Posts
    1,048

    Re: Busch Pressman

    First thing that comes to mind about a Model D is that those lens boards are tiny, and that most modern f/5.6 or f/6.8 75mm-90mm's are too large in diameter to fit. You may be limited to using W/A lenses which are not multicoated, not sharp to the corners, the majority being 50+ years old. The relatively cheap f/8 Angulons that will, they'll be challenging to focus on the ground glass in dim interiors. Also, even if you could find a modern one that'll fit the board, will it fold up in the closed Pressman w/o having to remove it each time? If not, this negates one of the main advantages of a folder, namely rapid set-up.

    Not sure what the minimum focal length is that will rack focus on the Mod D rails, but you'll probably also want to confirm this before plunging in. Also, what movements will you lose with a W/A or that become too inconvenient to use due to the camera design.

    It's often better to work it out backwards from the lens you need or intend to use than the other way 'round.

    I too looked at Pressmans because they seem so well engineered and machined. But after 50+ years everyone mentioned how the leather pieces are subject to decay and light leaks. Too, they didn't seem nearly as wide-angle friendly as the Meridian 45B I ended up buying.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis, Ind.
    Posts
    589

    Re: Busch Pressman

    I own a 4x5 Busch Pressman and it is my only folding 4x5 camera. I have 90mm Angulon, 135mm Symmar & 203mm Ektar lenses for it. I have always been able to find a lens board when I needed one. The Busch is quite handy and well built and so it gets a fair amount of use compared to my monorails. The down sides are that the movements are quite limited, offering no front swing and no rear anything. I also find the front tilt very difficult to use since the lock is not quite reliable.

    The lens board and the opening behind it are quite small. Also since the back is not removable you do not have the option of attaching the lens' rear cell through the camera's back after mounting the board. This means that any lens would have to have a rear cell diameter less than about 58mm. That may exclude a lot of modern wide angles. Modern wide angles will not be able to stay mounted with the camera closed. My 135mm Symmar just fits with the camera closed.

    I would suggest that if you are a wide angle architecture specialist you would probably be better off starting with an inexpensive monorail. I have a 4x5 (square rail) Calumet on a 12 inch rail with a bag bellows that although bulky is extremely versatile. There is also the older round rail Calumet CC-402 "Wide Field Camera."

    By the way, I see a lot of Busch cameras, with an ordinary press type lens, posted on eBay for somewhere north of $400. I can not believe that too many sell at those prices though.


    Good luck.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    384

    Re: Busch Pressman

    Pardon my newbie talking... but why do I need a large degree of movement? I haven't needed it before to get parallel lines (when I've wanted them). Most of what I shoot isn't more than, say 5 or 10 degrees off the horizontal. Macros or small objects aren't my thing usually.

    The points regarding the front opening and wide angle lenses are well taken and appreciated. I'm also looking at a Toyo field camera, but will also have a look at monorail systems. Weight and size is definitely a concern, as sometimes I've been known to have to run fast if spotted somewhere I'm not supposed to be. :-)

    My budget is around $900CDN or so (forgot to mention).

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Indianapolis, Ind.
    Posts
    589

    Re: Busch Pressman

    Not an unreasonable question.

    Consider the photo you posted. At a similar scene you might decide that the ceiling is uninteresting and you wanted more floor in the foreground, with movements you could shift the lens down or raise the back to give you more floor and less ceiling. (If you tilt the camera down, the vertical lines will converge.) With the Busch Pressman you would have to drop the bed and then tilt the front back into vertical. You might then need to add some rise to the front to undo some of the fall. The maximum amount of fall available depends on the length of lens.

    Another time you might turn the camera so that only the right hand set of windows were in the photo. Because of the longer focal length of the large format lenses, you have much less depth of field. By swinging the lens to the right you could align the plane of focus to coincide with the wall of windows to keep the whole line of windows in focus. The Busch does not offer any capability to swing the lens.

    The problem is aggravated by the older wide angle lenses which fit the Busch camera such as the very common 90mm/6.8 Schneider Angulon. The problem is that they have very little extra coverage beyond the minimum required to cover the 4x5 format. Shifting, swinging, tilting, raising or dropping with these lenses can make the corners of your image unacceptably dark or soft.

    You should be able to get a monorail camera with a lens or even two for the budget you named, but don't forget that you may also need film holders, lupe, meter, tripod, focusing cloth and maybe some darkroom equipment.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    4,589

    Re: Busch Pressman

    Are you sure that you want to go Large Format? For a lot less you can get Perspective Control lenses for your 35mm camera.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

Similar Threads

  1. My first 4x5 press camera: Busch Pressman
    By Photomax in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 27-Feb-2007, 12:43
  2. Info on Busch Pressman Model D 4x5
    By james pineda in forum Gear
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 17-Oct-2005, 06:08
  3. Busch Pressman vs Tower
    By Patrick Thrush in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 8-May-2005, 21:45
  4. Busch Pressman
    By Edward Haigh in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 22-Nov-2001, 14:54
  5. Anyone know of any source of info re: Busch Pressman LF cameras?
    By Tim Jacobs in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 13-Sep-2000, 21:31

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •