Why Aren't There More 4x5 Reflex Cameras?

[jnantz]

i do most of my shooting with a rb d these days, or a magazine box camera ..
size and weight are not an issue for me but i gotta get some elevator shoes or
a ladder for shooting portraits, unless you are "tall" ...

[Sevo]

you're proberly right, but look at this link.

If you look carefully at the image, it looks like there is an adapter with the set on sale..

Buy the lot, and sell the other stuff......

http://cgi.ebay.com/Makiflex-1098590...item25594b0d98

I've seen it. But that is way too expensive for such a visibly wasted camera. In the worst case, it may have been maintained by the same person that used an axe to mount that Tele-Arton...

Sevo

[Bob Salomon]

I heard about that one too!
can't find it anywhere-no mention of it.
RRRGH!!!
have you heard of the vacuum 4x5 back?
it was rumored to be a linhof product.

No rumour, it was, as was the 45 Linhof vacuum roll back for the Aero Technika and the Technika IV and later models. But while the vacuum roll back worked very well the Sheet film vacuum holders did not. The most popular of the vacuum sheet film backs were probably the Hoffman ones which were made on Long Island.

[fkp-1]

I just purchased a Graflex RB Super D 4x5 in great condition, and I'm wondering if someone could tell me what my options are for film backs. The model I purchased has an old Graflex Pack Film holder. I've been told that there is a way to adapt standard Graflok-style backs to these cameras so Lisco or Riteway 4x5 sheet film holders (and Polaroid-type holders) can be used.

I'd be interested in getting any info on someone who does this type of modification, as well as general repair service, for the Super D. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Fran

[Joanna Carter]

I was just about to dismiss this thread, because I have never found things like reflex viewers to be of any use, as they take my eye further away from the screen.

But, then I realised that a reflex LF camera will suffer from the same problem that I have with my Mamiya RZ67 - mirror slap! If, like spacegoose, people are worried about not being able to focus continually, then how are they going to cope with the vibrations that are going to follow the movement of the mirror? There would also be sufficient time between the mirror starting to move and the shutter firing for the subject to twitch and throw the shot out of focus.

Surely, the better strategy would be to create a wider depth of field, and to observe how your subject tends to move before inserting the film back.

I took this shot of a boat, that was drifting from right to left and back again, against its mooring. I had to determine where the drift finished, frame to accommodate that position, wait until the boat was starting to "make its final approach", close the shutter, insert the darkslide, and simply wait until the drift ended before releasing the shutter. A reflex would only have contributed camera shake to the already quite slow exposure.

[davemiller]

Mirror slap can easily be avoided on a Mamiya RB/RZ simply by using the Mirror-Up facility, I assume that a 5x4 reflex would incorporate the same facility.

[Joanna Carter]

Mirror slap can easily be avoided on a Mamiya RB/RZ simply by using the Mirror-Up facility, I assume that a 5x4 reflex would incorporate the same facility.

I am well aware of that, and use the mirror lock on the RZ. My point is, that if you have to lock the mirror on a reflex, if one of your aims is to check focus until the moment you press the shutter, you might as well not have the reflex mechanism at all.

[Sevo]

But, then I realised that a reflex LF camera will suffer from the same problem that I have with my Mamiya RZ67 - mirror slap! If, like spacegoose, people are worried about not being able to focus continually, then how are they going to cope with the vibrations that are going to follow the movement of the mirror? There would also be sufficient time between the mirror starting to move and the shutter firing for the subject to twitch and throw the shot out of focus.

Well, it is pretty much one or the other - slow running mirrors (or slow dampers) do away with the slap. The RB actually had less slap than the RZ, since the latter was "improved" for more rapid action, as subject movement was considered more critical than mirror slap in the studio flash environments most RB/RZ cameras were purchased for.

The high weight and big air volume (effectively creating a pneumatic damper) in LF reflexes will often deal with slap pretty well - but delays on mine are in the order of 1/5 to 1/2 second, which does not qualify them for subjects that start blinking the moment they see a shutter pressed...

Sevo

[Steven Tribe]

Just discovered this thread. Mirror slap is a problem. I have the big pre-DDR 5x7 Mentor from the 20's. Like probably 99% of surviving SLR Mentors, the double curtained focal plane shutter has given up and the light tight mirror mounting is difficult to maintain as such. So the procedure is view the image, lift the mirror (bang!), and then activate a lens shutter. Looking at a non inverted image is a joy.

[evan clarke]

I have a nice Wista RF which has a really nice rangefinder/viewer and is silent!!!...Evan Clarke