I've been told that Crown Graphic would be great for 4x5 location. But I'm not sure of it's ability to take wide angle lenses. Anyone know? thanks. Same question for Gowland, if anyone is familar with that camera as well. thanks.
I've been told that Crown Graphic would be great for 4x5 location. But I'm not sure of it's ability to take wide angle lenses. Anyone know? thanks. Same question for Gowland, if anyone is familar with that camera as well. thanks.
The 4x5 Crown's minimum flange-to-film distance is 52.4 mm. I think that the shortest lens that will cover 4x5 and that has a minimum flange-to-film distance greater than that is 45/4.5 Apo-Grandagon. Next is the 47/5.6 Super Angulon XL.
Understand, with that short a lens the only movement available with a Crown will be a little front rise.
crown--man....65 is about as wide as I'd go
gowlandFLEX is no way a wide camera unless you can find 4x5 retrofocus lenses
gowland pocket it teeny tiny and maybe able to do wides, but not like a regular wide camera---you're better off with a slight heavier monorail and bag bellows that's plentiful
I've used a 65 Super Angulon on a Crown, drop the bed and use the inner lens rail.
The Gowland Pockets, and I've had three, have very stiff bellows. I wouldn't plan on much movement below a 90mm lens. The bellows are sharply tapered and the taper limits movements at the shorter lengths. I don't know if there is bag bellows for the Pocket, but I've never seen reference to one.
However, the Graphic has to use the drop bed function to not have the door show up in lenses shorter than 90, or 60. This is a question you may want to get answered. The Gowland Pocket is a monorail and is not hampered on short lenses by a door as a press or folding field camera has.
The Gowland Pocket is fiddly on lockdowns. Everything is friction and the lock downs are either handled by a short grip on the lockdowns, or an allen wrench which does not apply much leverage on lockdown. Easy for the camera to slip on focus while inserting film and pulling dark slides.
Dang, I did not know there were a lot of Gowlands. actually the one I'm looking at is:
Gowland Architectual Scenic View Camera.
Sorry, I'm brand new to 4x5, so I don't understand the techno terms here. Can one put it in laymans terms what max wide angle lens can work for these two cameras, and if not easily, then in laymans terms what the adjustment is and how complex it is to do that, and who does that, and if the adjustment parts are easily available. thanks!
PS, to be clear. I'm just shooting environmental portraits, so I don't need much, (tilt,shift, rises etc--need to learn all that...) that's why I'm looking at these units.
In my opinion a crown is good for environmental portraits as you can handhold it and use the rangefinder + wire frame and get away from need for a tripod.
As others have mentioned, the configuration of the camera makes it more difficult to use wide lenses than a monorail style camera. But I think you probably don't need as wide a lens for environmental portraits as you might imagine if you have not used LF before.
The beauty of old LF equipment like this is you can just buy one and use it, then sell it later for about the same price if you don't like it.
If I were you I'd find one with a mildly wide lens, make sure the range finder is calibrated and then go out shooting. This will tell you if LF is what you really want to do as you will find out about:
loading, carrying, developing and printing LF film
carrying and operating a 5 pound camera
manual focus
the 12 or so steps involved in taking a single exposure
If you try it and like it, and find limitations in your equipment you can address them then.
thanks Jack, cool info.
Handheld is ok? I'm using strobes so maybe the strobes would freeze the image? I do have a tripod, but actually am a handheld 35 guy.
Is it rangefinder like 35 or top down? Obviously, 35 style is more comfortable for me.
Have you heard of focusing beams for Crown? Someone mentioned it.
How do you know the rangefinder is calibrated? do not know what that means.
What is the widest lens one can put on it safely, and why don't I "need" wide angle as much with LF. thanks!
Gowland has passed away and I suspect if one attempts to buy a Gowland camera, one might find it difficult, even if the web site is still up and running. (I last visited his site when he died and can't look at it on the computer where I am now, so I don't know if he has a successor who is delivering from remaining stock.) He was not the only person to make cameras of that style, and there are cameras of similar type on ebay made in China for not much money. DaYi is one brand of such, available here.Originally Posted by kevs-2323668
A 65 will work on a Crown, but any shorter may find the bed of the camera as part of the photo, even if the lens can be mounted to fit. I can't imagine making photographs of people with a 65mm lens on the 4x5 format--that is a very short lens for 4x5 and will be the equivalent of a fairly extreme wide-angle lens on small format. Crowns have a bed that folds down to act as a base for the focus track on which the lens standard is clamped. That tracked is hinged where the bed folds, and a lens that short has to clamp on the film side of that hinge. Then, you drop the bed to fold down even more to get it out of the way of the image. With the lens on the inner track like that, you can't use the wire frame finder, because the box of the camera prevents erecting it. Composing on ground glass will be a challenge--the Graphic focus screens were not really designed for lenses that short.
Assuming you really want a lens that has a focal length less than half the diagonal of the film, then one of those DaYi cameras might be the way to go. It's modeled on the Cambo Wide, which is better made but much more expensive when you can find one.
With the DaYi, you'll still need the lens. Any 65mm Schneider Super Angulon will work, either f/5.6 or f/8 versions. The f/5.6 will work better with 4x5. It will need to be mounted in a Number 0 shutter, which excludes some of the older 65/8 Super Angulons, unless you get an adapter for mounting a #00 shutter in a #0 hole. They will also sell you the camera configured for shorter lenses like the 47mm or 58mm Super Angulon XL, but either of those lenses will cost you a lot more.
You'll also need a film back of a brand compatible with the DaYi you buy. The Toyo is probably the easiest to find at a reasonable price.
So, you find a 65mm f/5.6 Super Angulon and the ground-glass back for a Toyo, Horseman, or Sinar view camera, and then buy the DaYi that mates up with the back. Remove the rear lens cell, remove the retaining ring from the rear of the shutter, insert the shutter into the front of the focus mount, screw on the retaining ring and tighten, screw on the rear lens cell, and you have a camera.
If you don't want something as wide as the 65 on the 4x5 format, then a 90 is much easier on a Crown. But if you buy a Crown with an already-installed 127mm or 135mm lens with a rangefinder already calibrated for that lens, your life will be far less complicated. 127mm and 135mm are both still wider than normal on the 4x5 format (normal is 150), and those lenses really are fun for environmental portraits. Those were the standard wide-angle press lenses back when the Crown was the standard press camera.
If all that is too technical for you, then I suggest avoiding large format. It is by nature technical and requires some meticulousness. The rewards are there, but so is punishment for those unwilling to embrace the required attention to detail.
Rick "wondering what lenses you prefer for smaller formats" Denney
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