Kevin Crisp
5-May-2020, 08:38
I recently acquired one of these and I like it. But I am disappointed or just puzzled by the claimed Graflok back.
Unlike a Graflex camera with the original graflok back, the sliders that hold the accessory are more like small round arc-shaped clips that rotate and engage either the slot (as on a grafmatic) or ride on top of a raised tab (as in the case of a Wista roll film back). Unlike the an original Graflex graflok back, however, these seem to rotate out parallel to the accessory. In other words, while the sliders on a Graflex graflok back are angled and pull the accessory tighter and tighter as you move them, the Charmonix ones just rotate out.
A grafmatic, if not pushed against the camera body by the spring back, is loose and would obviously leak light. A Wista roll film back, with the ground glass removed for clearance, is even worse and would fall off the camera when moved even with the locking tabs engaged.
Is this just the way it works? The clips provide a little extra support but the spring on the back (which is a bit on the light side compared to many other cameras) is what holds a grafmatic in place? And other "graflok" accessories such as roll film backs are not usable?
Thanks.
Unlike a Graflex camera with the original graflok back, the sliders that hold the accessory are more like small round arc-shaped clips that rotate and engage either the slot (as on a grafmatic) or ride on top of a raised tab (as in the case of a Wista roll film back). Unlike the an original Graflex graflok back, however, these seem to rotate out parallel to the accessory. In other words, while the sliders on a Graflex graflok back are angled and pull the accessory tighter and tighter as you move them, the Charmonix ones just rotate out.
A grafmatic, if not pushed against the camera body by the spring back, is loose and would obviously leak light. A Wista roll film back, with the ground glass removed for clearance, is even worse and would fall off the camera when moved even with the locking tabs engaged.
Is this just the way it works? The clips provide a little extra support but the spring on the back (which is a bit on the light side compared to many other cameras) is what holds a grafmatic in place? And other "graflok" accessories such as roll film backs are not usable?
Thanks.