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View Full Version : Some questions about the Busch Pressman 4x5 (D)



macandal
22-Apr-2014, 16:29
Could you guys please tell me:


What type of board do these use? Is it the same as a Wista board (the smaller kind). I have one of these and I was wondering if it would fit the camera.
What type of rangefinder would I need for this camera? I mean, what exactly do I need to be looking out for if I'm in the market for a rangefinder.


Thanks.

Dan Fromm
22-Apr-2014, 17:15
Go here http://www.butkus.org/chinon/busch/busch.htm and download the Busch Pressman manual.

Short answers: the lensboard is proprietary and nothing else uses it. The rangefinder usually fitted to a 4x5 Pressman is a Kalart, Thing is, there are many models of the Kalart. You can focus your camera on the ground glass.

macandal
22-Apr-2014, 19:45
Go here http://www.butkus.org/chinon/busch/busch.htm and download the Busch Pressman manual.

Short answers: the lensboard is proprietary and nothing else uses it. The rangefinder usually fitted to a 4x5 Pressman is a Kalart, Thing is, there are many models of the Kalart. You can focus your camera on the ground glass.Dan thanks. I guess it doesn't matter that the link is to a "C" camera (2.25x3.25) and not the "D" (4x5).

The manual says that it uses a Kalart or Hugo Meyer range finder, but it doesn't tell you which model. I don't know much (read: anything) about range finders, so, I'm assuming that they come in different sizes for a specific camera? How should I look for a range finder for this particular camera ("D")?

Oh, and yes, I know I can focus using the ground glass, but part of the reason I bought this camera was to be able to also use it as a "press" camera, taking pictures "on the fly".

macandal
22-Apr-2014, 19:47
I guess I also should've added one more thing:


I need a lens for this camera. I'm thinking a normal lens to start. What's a good one to have that's not going to break the bank?

Thanks.

BradS
22-Apr-2014, 19:57
It sounds like you bought a Busch Pressman without a ranefinder...is that correct?

Adding a Kalart after the fact is not impossible but, at this point in history its not eaasy either. If you really want a press camera with a rangefinder, it might actually be easier/faster to buy another camera with a rangefinder already attached (make sure it is well adjusted because adjusting them to be accurate is not trivial). I'd strongly recommend a Crown Graphic.

EDIT: the stock 135mm Wollensak Raptar or Schneider Xenar or Kodak Ektar are all excellent.

macandal
22-Apr-2014, 21:10
It sounds like you bought a Busch Pressman without a ranefinder...is that correct?

Adding a Kalart after the fact is not impossible but, at this point in history its not eaasy either. If you really want a press camera with a rangefinder, it might actually be easier/faster to buy another camera with a rangefinder already attached (make sure it is well adjusted because adjusting them to be accurate is not trivial). I'd strongly recommend a Crown Graphic.

EDIT: the stock 135mm Wollensak Raptar or Schneider Xenar or Kodak Ektar are all excellent.Right. No rangefinder. Do you know exactly what I should be looking for?

Thanks.

Tin Can
22-Apr-2014, 22:51
I have a B&J 4X5 Press which I think is the same as Busch Pressman. It has a Hugo Meyer rangefinder. You need all the rangefinder parts when setting this up. I suggest finding an old camera repair guy. There must be one left in SF. Chicago has a few.

Go study this website. There are many similarities to all Press cameras.

http://graflex.org/speed-graphic/

Often it is cheaper to buy an entire working camera rather than fix what is actually a hulk. Unless your camera is special in some way, start over.

Jim Jones
23-Apr-2014, 06:19
[QUOTE=Randy Moe;1132610]I have a B&J 4X5 Press which I think is the same as Busch Pressman. . . . /QUOTE]

There are significant differences between the 4x5 Busch and B&J, lens boards among them. My B&J cameras, except for a 5x7 flatbed, use the near standard 4 inch square boards that Anniversary model Speed Graphic, MPP, Graphic View, and many other cameras used over several decades. As Dan noted in post #2, the Busch board is different (and not as easy to fabricate) as the more popular 4" board. It may be too small for some otherwise useful lenses. The Busch has bottom tilt instead of the simple optical center tilt of the B&J. It's been years since I've examined a Busch, but recall the construction quality as being better than the B&J. Both use infinity stops that function like those in the Anniversary Speed Graphic, not as convenient for multiple lens users or macro-photography as the later Graphics.

macandal
23-Apr-2014, 09:03
So, in looking for a rangefinder, what are all the parts? Is it just the little unit that goes to the side (appears to be the size of a USB stick) or is there something else? Is a rangefinder the same for a 2.25x3.25 camera as it is for a 4x5? Are there any connecting cables or anything?

When I find one I don't want to end up buying the wrong thing.

Thanks.

BradS
23-Apr-2014, 10:05
So, in looking for a rangefinder, what are all the parts? Is it just the little unit that goes to the side (appears to be the size of a USB stick) or is there something else? Is a rangefinder the same for a 2.25x3.25 camera as it is for a 4x5? Are there any connecting cables or anything?

When I find one I don't want to end up buying the wrong thing.

Thanks.

Two posts have now advised that will be easier / cheaper to find a camera that already has a working range finder....really it will be much easier! It will be very difficult at this time to get all the little bits...the thingy that attaches to the rail for example....you will almost need to find another camer to be sure that you get everything you need.

Fifty years ago, you could have walked into a camera store or repair shop and it would have been a very easy upgrade....not so today.

Tin Can
23-Apr-2014, 10:18
I might add, have you looked up how to adjust these things on the website I referred you to?


Two posts have now advised that will be easier / cheaper to find a camera that already has a working range finder....really it will be much easier! It will be very difficult at this time to get all the little bits...the thingy that attaches to the rail for example....you will almost need to find another camer to be sure that you get everything you need.

Fifty years ago, you could have walked into a camera store or repair shop and it would have been a very easy upgrade....not so today.

macandal
23-Apr-2014, 12:05
I might add, have you looked up how to adjust these things on the website I referred you to?Yes. One of the rangefinders I'm looking at it comes with instructions.

FEDE4X5
25-Apr-2014, 09:06
Hi there, i own a BUSCH Pressman mod d. and have on it a rangefinder kalart that never worked...I was in touch with Jo Lommen, a real master of these cameras...we together decided that was going to be hard to make my rf work again, so I use the camera via the screen, and kept the kalart rf on it, just as decoration...Anyway, ask Jo, visit that AMAZING web page, the only BUSCH pressman dedicated website. There's a portrait by me at the bottom...Jo can probably help you : http://lommen9.home.xs4all.nl/Busch/page4.html

Kuzano
25-Apr-2014, 16:28
I had a Busch Pressman D and used it for a while. The hugo meyer rangefinder never worked. The camera is overbuilt. I had to spend quite a bit of time on the weight bench at the gym to keep my arms in shape to actually use it. The front of the bellows is too narrow for the full range of shifts, particularly if you try to use any modern lenses with long cells in the back. Movements are limited by the bellows small dimension. Only lenses usable for full range motions are lenses of the era. Proprietary lens board.

The camera was so heavy I drilled metal off the body, the standards and everywhere I could shave metal. It was still too heavy. They didn't nickname it the Panzer Tank innapropriately.

And the B&J press camera was NOTHING at all like the Busch D, to counter another post here. Completely different camera in every respect.

Bill_1856
25-Apr-2014, 18:57
I had a Busch Pressman D and used it for a while. The hugo meyer rangefinder never worked. The camera is overbuilt. I had to spend quite a bit of time on the weight bench at the gym to keep my arms in shape to actually use it. The front of the bellows is too narrow for the full range of shifts, particularly if you try to use any modern lenses with long cells in the back. Movements are limited by the bellows small dimension. Only lenses usable for full range motions are lenses of the era. Proprietary lens board.

The camera was so heavy I drilled metal off the body, the standards and everywhere I could shave metal. It was still too heavy. They didn't nickname it the Panzer Tank innapropriately.

And the B&J press camera was NOTHING at all like the Busch D, to counter another post here. Completely different camera in every respect.
Actually it is the very same weight as a Crown Graphic, (one pound less than a Speed Graphic or Technika).

Gregg Obst
3-May-2014, 05:48
Welcome to the world of the Busch Pressman D. I got mine about a month ago for use as a more portable alternative to my 4x5 monorails. For lensboards the best source of pre-made ones is Midwest Photo Exchange. They have boards for both Copal 0 and 1. http://mpex.com/salesperson/result/?q=Busch

For lenses I'll echo BradS's recommendation on the stock 135 Raptar (or Optar). They can be had for a resonable amount on *bay or on KEH. They fit in a standard Copal 0 lens board (see above). If you end up getting one, know that they do not have standard threaded filter rings on the front. You will need to get a slip on Kodak Series VI filter adapter/filter holder in 1 1/2" size for those lenses. Once you have that adapter you can get the series of Kodak or Tiffen Series VI filters on *bay. The b&w filters that are typically available include yellow, red, green and filters labeled as "Portra" which are really close-up filters in a strength equal to the number that is tacked on afterward +1, +2, etc. There is a thread on the outside of the slip on adapter that can handle a 40mm step up ring that will then allow you to go to something like 49mm, 52mm, 58mm, etc standard filter sizes for accommodating filters and lens hoods you may already have or have access to.

I have tried 90mm Schneider F6.8 Angulon, Schneider F8 (not F 5.6 ! because it is way too wide for lens board opening) 90mm Super Angulon, 150mm Rodenstock Geronar, 150mm Caltar-II S and 210mm Fujinon-W lenses on my Pressman and they all fit. The 210 requires you pull the front standard all the way out of the body and mount it in front of the focus stops on the bed frame so you can get maximum extension. The 90mm lenses required the front standard be almost all the way in the body which offers little movements but I don't generally use that may movements with that focal length anyway. 90mm is about as wide as you can get with full coverage. On some 90mm lenses you may need/want to drop the bed to the next lower setting rather than just the standard horizontal placement. You can also drop the bed, adjust the tripod back a bit so the body leans back and use front tilt which, combined, simulate a bit of rear standard tilt (some, not much) if you need it.

Hope that helps.