First time to buy

[Professional]

Thank you very much!
In fact i will delay 8x10 for a while, and now i am just planning to get 4x5 first, and i just confused as i found some used one but i also found 3 or 4 new kits, and i am not sure if i should go with the kits or with used or anything else, i put the budget to be around $1000-2000 no more so i can save for 8x10, i can't afford 8x10 now directly and i can't wait for several months to get any large format, so i decided to get 4x5 to learn and experiment with it and then later get 8x10

Those are the 3 kits i found:

https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/...t_detail&p=121

https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/..._detail&p=2619

https://www.badgergraphic.com/store/...t_detail&p=137

What do you think? also if i should go with a used one, i want it to be in Excellent great condition/ment.

[Graflex Shooter]

I know there is a lot of GREAT info on this page, here is my vote which has already been said,
Buy a Speed or Crown Graphic made by Graflex. Its my user name, but I don't get too prejudice over one brand or the other.

I have used them for several years and they hold up in all sorts of conditions. The back can accommodate roll film or sheet. Just make sure you get a Graflok not a Graphic spring back if you want to use roll film. They are simple to use and the rangfinders are great. The Optar lenses are great and the shutters are too. You will enjoy them. The cameras suffer from limited movements, but, they were press cameras.

I would get a Crown Graphic simply because the extra focal plane shutter isn't really necessary anymore. The curtain shutter was used mostly for sports photos when lenses only went to a 400th.

In the end, picture quality is every photographers main desire, not the name of his camera.

[Professional]

I know there is a lot of GREAT info on this page, here is my vote which has already been said,
Buy a Speed or Crown Graphic made by Graflex. Its my user name, but I don't get too prejudice over one brand or the other.

I have used them for several years and they hold up in all sorts of conditions. The back can accommodate roll film or sheet. Just make sure you get a Graflok not a Graphic spring back if you want to use roll film. They are simple to use and the rangfinders are great. The Optar lenses are great and the shutters are too. You will enjoy them. The cameras suffer from limited movements, but, they were press cameras.

I would get a Crown Graphic simply because the extra focal plane shutter isn't really necessary anymore. The curtain shutter was used mostly for sports photos when lenses only went to a 400th.

In the end, picture quality is every photographers main desire, not the name of his camera.

Where i can get a Speed Graphic or Crown Graphic? I tried KEH.com and i found them in BGN condition so i ignored them, maybe there is one in Excellent condition but it is just a body i think then i have to buy a lens and lens board and Graflock and holder and and, but i was thinking to buy this camera as some people on another forums recommended me this camera, can you help me to find a good place to buy this Speed/Crown Graphic, don't say ebay.

[Professional]

Anyway, i think i can't try to search too much and i will try to go with one of the the options i am leaning to, the three links above [2 Shen Hao and 1 Tachihara], and Chamonix 4x5, so i hope someone can give me a brief main differences between those 4-5 cameras and i will go with one i hope.

[Professional]

Hey, i just ordered Speed Graphic Pacemaker [body only], so i would like to know where i can find the rest accessories to start using this camera, i found a dark cloth, film holder, i hope i will choose the right cable release, so the rest will and the lens and lens board, not sure where to get them and which one, want to go wider a bit.

[Wade D]

Most modern/new lenses will fit. Older lens/shutters can be sticky and in need of servicing. A 150mm lens is considered normal. There are many brands to choose from. The camera takes a standard 4x4 inch lens board but buy the lens first so you will know what size mounting hole is needed when ordering the lens board.

[Professional]

Most modern/new lenses will fit. Older lens/shutters can be sticky and in need of servicing. A 150mm lens is considered normal. There are many brands to choose from. The camera takes a standard 4x4 inch lens board but buy the lens first so you will know what size mounting hole is needed when ordering the lens board.

someone told me that to buy the lens first, ok, i will get the lens first, but the question is: Which lens?

[Wade D]

Nikon, Schneider, Rodenstock, Fuji are good brand names. There are others as well. If you want a slightly wide angle lens then a 127mm or a 135mm would work. I have a 127mm on my Speed Graphic and like it. Its an old lens that came with the camera and needed cleaning though. A 90mm would be considered very wide. Look at B&H or Adorama for a nice selection of new lenses. KEH and Shutterblade sell used lenses.

[ki6mf]

If your are looking at 4X5 then the question to consider is do you need to correct for perspective using camera movements, swings tilt shift etc, If you think this will never be used then a press camera would work. I suspect that its better to get one of the wooden field cameras that allow movements. Shen Hao and Chamonix are the two Chinese made cameras that are the low cost and best value for the money. Next comes lens a used 90 MM for 4X5 and a 135 or 150mm Lens for normal use are the minimum for landscapes. If portraits are of interest then a 210 or 240 mm lens would be appropriate. A good place to judge used prices is the US site www.keh.com. In North America this reputable camera store sets the prices on used equipment.

[rdenney]

Hey, i just ordered Speed Graphic Pacemaker [body only], so i would like to know where i can find the rest accessories to start using this camera, i found a dark cloth, film holder, i hope i will choose the right cable release, so the rest will and the lens and lens board, not sure where to get them and which one, want to go wider a bit.

The Graflex lens boards are nominally 4x4, but they are specially made stamped sheet metal for that camera. Just search on ebay for Graflex lens boards, or shop at KEH. Pacific Rim Camera also has a lot of Graflex parts (at a price). The Graflex lens boards are drilled for lenses that use the Kodak Supermatic or Wollengsak-made Graphex shutters, which are a different size from the Copal #1 shutters used with 150mm plasmats like the Symmar or Sironar. You can enlarge a smaller hole with a hole saw, but get the lens first so you know what size. Many Graflex boards are available already modified for Copal shutters.

I have had no trouble finding boards for my Speed Graphic, so it just takes a little determination.

The original lenses for the Pacemaker series were made by Wollensak (with one exception made by Rodenstock), under the Optar brand. They came in 90mm (Optar WA, a dagor design, I think), 127, 135, 160, and maybe 210. The 127 and 135mm lenses were the most common by a large margin. Both of these are tessar designs, with marginal coverage for 4x5. Press photographers liked them because they were moderately wide angle, given them a good close-up field of view and greater depth of field for guess-focused grab shots. These were copies of Kodak Ektars made for pre-Pacemaker Graphics, which also work fine on the Pacemaker. These are all quite inexpensive, and you might just get one of those already mounted in a Graflex board. that will get you going with the camera while you consider your more expensive options.

Rick "also assembling a Speed Graphic kit" Denney