The 5x7 Pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic arrived. I'd like to put a shuttered lens on her, since I'm not too sure of the accuracy of the 75 years young focal plane shutter. The subject will be the winter landscape and I'll be shooting handheld, useing ski poles or maybe even skis as an aid to steady-ness.(well, its an option, anyway) I have both a 203 f7.7 Ektar and a 14" f9 APO Artar in shutters, waiting for a home. My concern with the Artar is 1) its wieght as it is a brass one and 2) it's speed, since I'll be shooting handheld I want to avoid long exposure times. The 203 Ektar, I expect, will be a real champ but I'd like a longer focal length too. Jim Galli's recommendation for a 14" Claron sounds good, but they seem scarcer than straight-tailed pigs in a football factory. 12" Dagors seem to appear more often. Can anyone tell me what size shutters I can expect to find a dagor in? This is important since it would have to fit in a folded up Speeder. Also, for those of you with more experienced with 5x7, how significant is the difference in the field of view between a 8"(my 203mm) and a 11-3/4 or 12" Dagor? Is it worth carting around an extra lens? I ask because in 8x10 format(which I'm more familiar with) the difference between a 12" and a 14" lens isn't IMHO worth having another lens in the stable, but the diference between a 14" and a 10" is considerable. Another option would be to take the 300 Nikkor off the aerial camera and mount it on a graflex "C" board, but when it comes time to put the lens back on the aerial camera, refocusing to infinity would be a hassle of the greatest magnitude. Also could anyone recommend a tripod heavy enough to hold a light 5x7(the Speeder) yet light and small enough to carry in a daypack? Does such a critter exist? Any tips to keep the tripod legs from submarining in the snow besides snowshoes? Thanks for any and all advise, speculation, and war stories!
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