graflex lenses

[Mark Kononczuk]

Things that I have observed that cause a lens to not make a sharp image at any focal point even when stopped down are the presence of the wrong rear element or severe abnormal front-rear element spacing or stopping down too much.

you mean the ground glass screen/fresnel?

[BrianShaw]

No, he is referring to the two parts of the lens -- the part in front of the shutter (front element), and the part behind the shutter (rear element).

[Dan Fromm]

No, he is referring to the two parts of the lens -- the part in front of the shutter (front element), and the part behind the shutter (rear element).

Right. And it is unlikely that the lens is at fault. Operator error is the most likely reason for the OP's woes.

I've been there myself, have learned the hard way to check that my gear is working properly before blaming it. So far it very consistently worked as it should. I, however, haven't always been up to standard.

[Mark Kononczuk]

Right. And it is unlikely that the lens is at fault. Operator error is the most likely reason for the OP's woes.

I've been there myself, have learned the hard way to check that my gear is working properly before blaming it. So far it very consistently worked as it should. I, however, haven't always been up to standard.

Ok, thanks. it seems as if I have to delve deeper into the camera.

[BrianShaw]

Mark, Check the fresnel/GG. If they are correctly installed and you focused corectly then you can assume it is not the camera at fault for hte focus issues. The exposure issue is likely a result of you trying to use a broken shutter. With a good shutter and lens you shouldn't be having problems.

From our perspective, though, you need to be more descriptive about your problems and your methods. There are a number of "operator errors" that Dan is implying, like:

failure to load film in the holder correctly
failure to focus accrately
changing focus when inserting film holder
not using a steady tripod and cable release
etc.

As Dan correctly said earlier... don't be too quick to blame the equipment. You may need to delve deeper into knowledge of how to photograph using LF equipment instead.

[E. von Hoegh]

There's always the homepage - http://www.largeformatphotography.info/