Crown Graphic advice

[Jim Andrada]

The sort of good news is that IF the rangefinder is set up for for the 127mm lens that's on the camera and IF the infinity stops are there and in the right place on the tracks the camera would be perfectly usable as is with a Grafmatic magazine (holds six 4 x 5 sheets) or a roll film holder. It would be a huge hand held rangefinder camera, but quite usable and a lot of fun - I have to admit to sometimes taking the back that's missing in your photo off of mine to save weight when using it as a walking around RF cam on a monopod.

I thought that the Crown came standard with a 135mm lens and the Super came with the 127mm but I'm not much of an expert so I'll defer to others on this.

[jblaschke]

Jim, from what I've read online the 127mm was very popular with reporters and gradually became standard by default. Not that I'm an expert, either.

Not to get into too much detail, but this camera may have belonged to the local high school ages ago or a doctor who owned the house where it was found prior (I grew up in this house, FYI). Either way, it sat in that attic, untouched, for 40-45 years. It ended up there because of a 99.99% probability nobody thought it was worth anything, which is why I seriously doubt the focusing screen got sold off. That screen either got separated out of ignorance or is still up there, buried under insulation. Next week I'm going back there and dig around in the attic to see if I might get lucky and find it. Either way, I don't believe it was cannibalized or altered in significant ways prior to its abandonment.

[Jim Andrada]

I'm guessing that if it has the 127 it was probably set up to use it, whether from the factory or after the fact. I actually use mine with the pull up spring wire frame and it works pretty well - not the most precise framing tool around but workable. I think reporters would like it because it would give them more "margin" by virtue of it's wider angle, after all, tight composition wasn't a prime requirement for them compared to just being sure the subjects were in the picture.

[Ivan J. Eberle]

For the ground glass focusing to be accurate on the Top RF Crown Special, the back half of the Graflok you want should come with an original Ektalite fresnel screen and ground glass sandwich.

(Hoping not to go too far down a rabbit hole here, as most Graflok backs you'll find should have it and be okay, but note these are assembled in a different order than many other cameras that have a fresnel screen-- e.g. fresnel installed between the taking lens and the ground glass, which makes the fresnel a critical part of the image-focusing chain. If you or someone else simply installed a ground glass alone, it will need to be shimmed to focus correctly.)