Handheld 4x5 - what an experience!

[Patrik Roseen]

(I posted this as a respons to the question about the Linhof grip, but I think it might be worth its own item. Hand held 4x5 seems to stir up some emotions I have noticed from other threads but here is my own thoughts based on experience...)

Wow, what an experience!

I did my first attempt at doing handheld with my Linhof Technika III (without grip) equipped with an Angulon 90mm and universal finder using normal sheet film holders and a 'simple' lightmeter (not the normal spot I usually use). I did 6 sheets (or so I thought) over a 1.5 hour period (no bracketing) while strolling around the old-town of Stockholm.

As the temperature dropped during the evening the rangefinder lost some of its flexibility, but I found that it was instead quite easy to adjust focus on the groundglass and just slide in the holder to take the picture while aiming through the universal finder. (I will probably bring a blackcloth the next time to improve visibility when necessary)

Not using the tripod meant that I could not use any movements but instead the equipment was much lighter to carry and I really got closer to people (and at the same time felt that it was easier to avoid the most disturbing 'talkers'...). I managed to shoot at speeds down to 1/2 second handheld with excellent result. I wore a jacket with many large pockets so that I did not have to reach into the backpack all the time.

So, did I learn anything new?

Well, you really have to tell yourself to slow down. I found myself doing all the classical mistakes that I had not ever done before since I started LF 12 months ago. For instance, as I had taken one picture I forgot to put back the darkslide, which was now in one of my pockets when it usually is in my left hand shading the lens, before attempting to remove the filmholder. The worst mistake was the double exposure I made. After shooting a big cruiser ship I happened to run into a group of people dressed up in 17th century costumes and wigs on their way to a party...I got the opportunity to 'frame' them and I blew it!!! In the rush I messed up the meaning of the white and black side of the darkslide and did the most disastrous double exposure ever. @%¤#!!?"## (Man, can you imagine ...people in 17th century costumes in the old town of Stockholm and I ...)

Anyway, thanks for all your advice and good luck doing handheld. I for one will do it again...tomorrow. Thanks, Patrik

[Wayne Crider]

Your enthusiasm gets my blood stirring. It's been awhile since I've shot my Graphic handheld . Usually when on the street I was always very much aware of being watched by people intrigued with what I was carrying, and that was a little off putting in itself as I prefer to go unnoticed, an obvious benefit of a smaller camera. Now my shortest lens is a 135mm not the 90 I use to shoot, and dof as well as steady camera holding is a different thing. Maybe once my Auto Graflex is up and running I'll join the large camera street shooters again. Best of luck, and post an image when possible.

[Donald Qualls]

I'm in process of purchasing a nice, fully functioning Anniversary Speed. I've got 135/4.5 Tessar and Skopar lenses I can mount immediately as well as my 150/5.6 Componon, which can act as a 265/12.5 with the front group removed. My whole intention in getting this camera is to use it the way it was made to be used: hand held, on the go, and the 135 mm will probably serve most for that. It's tempting, however, to get a #0 sized lens board and mount my 105 mm Apotar. There's no way it'll cover 4x5 -- 3x4 is probably close to its limit, and usable sharpness for enlarging won't really go far beyond the 6x9 of it's original camera -- but the mostly circular image with the very soft edges could have some interesting appeal, too. Longer term, I do hope to get a 90 mm Angulon for this camera. Remember to drop the bed, tilt back the standard, and go to maximum front rise... :)

Meantime, maybe I should go practice with my Ideal(s). These were press cameras before the Speed was invented -- I only need to clean the shutter and check the bellows on the one with 150/4.5 Tessar, and the one with 135/4.5 Tessar is ready to run at a moment's notice, with 14 loaded plate holders in the bag. These were made to be used hand held, like the Speed, though mine don't have rangefinders...

[Brian Ellis]

You made successful 1/2 second exposures hand-holding a 4x5 camera that that didn't even have a hand grip? That's incredible.

[Patrik Roseen]

Brian, please note that I'm using the Angulon 90mm...which I think corresponds to something like 24mm on a 35mm camera. I did not really want to use this slow speed but as the light was low and I also needed to stop down I had no other choice. I'm a little bit surprised myself but I could really feel that it was steady during the exposure. The Technika resting on my two hands, my elbows on my chest and the camera resting on my face as I'm looking through the universal finder. The weight of the camera makes it just sit there.

[Patrik Roseen]

I have carefully studied the negative with the 1/2 second exposure time now that it has dried during the night and it is actually very sharp. The scenery is a building with lots of windows (13 in 5 rows with various heights) shot straight on from about 30-40m distance. Between me and the building there is water and there is a dock 'on the other side like a pavement for people to walk (although there are no people in the picture), there is a starway to the far left leading down to the dock. My position is similar to the third floor so there is no need to restore falling lines. The evening light is coming in from the right side visualizing the structure of the wall with straght horisontal lines and a mish-mash of diagonal lines. Have you seen it before ;-). The reason to stop down was to make the image sharp as the angulon is said to be soft in the corners. I'm using efke PL100 at EI50 so I ended up using f/11 and 1/2s and as expected it is a bit soft in the outer edges but f/22 would have meant 2s.

Logic tells me the picture should not be this sharp - Maybe I made a 'hole in one on a par 5' likely not to happen again ... or else... I've found myself a new driver! Kind regards, Patrik.

[Joseph O'Neil]

In theory, most of my urban back[acking with my 4x5 is done sans tripod, so technically that may count as "hand held". Tripods can draw a lot of attention, sometimes good, sometimes not so good. But a graphic camera sitting on top of a picnic table, park bench, retaining wall, etc, draws little attention, and allow syou very slow speeds with nice sharp images. The hand held part is my one hnad on top of the camera, pressing down, holdign it in place while I trip the shutter release. I've used lenses up to my 380mm this way, but as a genernal rule, regardless of focal length of lens, the physically smaller the lens, the easier it is to use. I've only used my 380mm once without tripod. Just becasue you can do it doesn't mean you always want to. :)

Another hand held technique is to lean against a wall/fence/telephone pole, etc, then shoot. This is an area where I seldom go above my 135mm. Using a monopod may not count as hand holding, but is pretty darned close, IMO, and worth looking into if you have never tried it before. No problem using a 210mm with a monopod.

The "secrect" to hand held shooting is to meter your situation well ahead of time, and memorize one setting. For example, B&W film, using my spot meter, under sunny skies outside, lets say I assign my "normal" exposure as 30th sec at F16 before I even pull my camera out (depending on your film , etc, your rmilage may vary). Once you have that one setting burned into your head, if a big cloud moves overhead, you automatically add a stop or two, of if you want deeper depth of feild, or expose for shawows, etc. It's not as difficult as it sounds - if you have trouble remembering, then get a piece of masking tape, and write your value on the side of your camera or backpack case if you have too.

Another thing to do, to help with quicker focusing, is mark on your rails using something that isn't going to leave a permenant scar, the places where your front lensboard stops when using some of your favourite lenses when focused at infinity. For example, I pretty much know exactly where to pull out my lens board for my 90mm, 135mm and my 180mm lenses. You might already be walking around with your camera open, lens mounted, ready to shoot, but if not, or even if you want change a lens for a situation, it can be done quickly then. As for focusing close up, but not too close up, why I chose infinity is that for most lenses of say 135mm and smaller, if you are focused at infinity already, and something good comes close up, well you can always stop down to F22 or more real quick and fire away. Unless your target is closer than say 10 feet, your chances of getting everything into view are very good. If you want to shoot something say - on average - closer than ten feet hand held, take time to focus correctly.

One last thought - when hand holding any camera, not just 4x5, but 35mm and 120 (maybe even those 8x10 hobos too - but I've never tried that myself), it is the natural tendency to point a camera slighty forwards and down a wee bit when you shoot. This is because of several reasons, some of them physiological - bend your head down to your chest, then bend it back and look at the celing - which feels more comfortable right now? :) Anyhow, as a gernal rule, excpetions not withstanding, your tendency is pointing down - so wqhat I do, when hand held shooting, is pre-set my front standard to have a little bit of rise - say 3/8ths or half and inch. Agian, your milage may vary, but doing this tends not so much to correct the angle you are shooting, but allows you to get what you want to see onto your film. Couple of times I chopped the tops of heads off of people (not litterally mind you :) when I first started shooting hand held, and using a bit of front rise compensates for that very nicely.

good luck

joe

[CXC]

Patrik's story about failing to shoot the costumed folks passing by captures in a nutshell why I think LF is not the right tool for street shooting. There was an opportunity of short duration that he missed, because he was using the wrong tool.

I'm assuming here that the goal is to get a usable image of a fleeting event. In that case, just about any 120 or 35mm or even digital camera would have had a good chance at success.

Of course if the goal requires a large negative, like for contact printing, then my logic is irrelevant and/or wrong. Similarly if the goal is to have fun shooting with a big old camera.

Now that I think about it, there are occasions when shooting landscapes from a tripod, where I've missed the shot due to the light changing faster than I could shoot it. Maybe I'll start carrying my little digicam as backup, for when any shot is better than no shot.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Just seems like a matter of practice to me. In this case it was lack of practice handling filmholders. That's easy enough to work out. Somehow the old press guys managed to capture a lot of fleeting moments when press cameras were the considered the best tool for the job. It's not as if they've become worse tools in the meantime. We've just become less practiced at using them.

[Terence Spross]

While its true that the mass of the camera causes it to be more steady allowing longer exposures that is countered by the potential of enlarging more with LF negatives. If you are only contact printing, then yes, a steady hand will allow a 1/2 sec exposure with the 90mm lens. But you can tie a 15 pound weight to your 35mm camera with a 24 or 28mm lens and do the same thing ( 1/2 sec) enlarging to 4x5. This is especially true if the weight is spread out over a distance like a barbell to say the size of your 4x5. Try it and see.

The advantage to a 4x5 negative should be the ability to make sharp large enlargments and that requires a tripod or a lot shorter exposure.

I do appreciate your enthusiasm and understand that people react to camera the size of a LF and if that is what it takes to capture people then that is the end to a means. However, the inability to forget putting in a dark slide and the speed with composing is one of the main reasons news photographers quit using Graflex cameras a long time ago. Since I would make the same mistake I have reserved LF shooting for landscapes where I can take my time, or studio work.

[Patrik Roseen]

I think the responses made are all very true, interesting and triggers a lot of thoughts atleast in my mind.

As for the quality of the pictures, I think I will not like to go below 1/25th of a second in the future and I will load EI400 to allow a small aperture for 'true' handheld. Joe certainly added very good advice from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE which allows slower films and slower speeds using a monopod or simply placing the camera on something steady. The quality is important as I too aim to enlarge the picture to 8x10" - 20x25".

I would like to distinguish between handheld and streetshooting. As Terence and 'CXC' both pointed out streetshooting is a game in itself. The camera obviously brings alot of attention and it's easy to get people to participate in a shot and ofcourse they also ask if they can have a copy...and I answer 'Yes, if the picture turns out well' ...and this is the difficult part...one really wants to live up to expectations (is this going to start another discussion about streetphoto??). (And what's the most common question - Is that a Hasselblad?) I did not go out to do streetshooting but I was overwhelmed with the possibilities as stated above.

With handheld it's like with many things - you simply don't know it before you have tried and you can not possibly imagine all things that might happen. ..but with trying comes experience. I did handheld for the second time yesterday and I did not make the same mistakes again because the procedure was now worked out. I will probably use my ShenHao 6x12 back with TMAX400 if setting up speed is important but then I need to depend fully on rangefinder focusing (as I do not want to switch between groundglass & rollfilmholder all the time).

So why did I try handheld in the first place?

I really enjoy (=love) LF because of the quality it brings in all aspects, the intellectual challenge, the manual work, the equipment, the reason to spend alot of money ;-). And I too use a steady tripod, focusing darkcloth, spotmeter etc and I spend minutes to adjust plane of focus, restoring perspectives, choosing filters etc with good result though I'm still learning.

Handheld to me is the opportunity to bring the camera in situations where the normal equipment might be too large and heavy to carry with me...or as a means to capture the changing light when the tripod would be too slow as 'CXC' pointed out. I happen to have a Linhof Technika which is capable of handheld - so why not learn how to? And it's great fun!

[Brian Ellis]

"Somehow the old press guys managed to capture a lot of fleeting moments when press cameras were the considered the best tool for the job. It's not as if they've become worse tools in the meantime. We've just become less practiced at using them."

I don't think that's entirely accurate. We certainly have become less practiced at hand-holding 4x5 cameras. But the "old press guys" were photographing for newspapers, where the photographs would usually be printed in a small size and the image quality was going to be severely limited no matter what they did. So they could pop a 127mm lens on the camera for depth of field and angle of view, fire away, then let the editors crop to their heart's delight without being concerned about the kinds of quality issues with which we're concerned.

[Frank Petronio]

I've printed old press photos from the old negs. Many, if not most, had a combination of poor lighting, motion blur, lousy exposure, and/or missed focus. The repro requirements were very forgiving. The average press photographer was a slob - the average newspaper darkroom technician was a talented and skilled craftsperson who rescued decent images from all the dreck.

Put it this way - I've bought and sold several old Graphics. They are great cameras, but several of the ones I had stunk from cigar smoke. The stereotype of a slobby cigar smoking wannbe-WeeGee type probably isn't too far off...

[David A. Goldfarb]

Weegee did say "editors demand and expect to get needlesharp photographs," and used flash even in daylight so he could always shoot at f:16 or smaller, 1/200 sec., mainly scale focusing at 6 or 10 feet. We've got faster film and better lenses than he did.

[Frank Petronio]

Well, I wasn't printing WeeGee's negs ;-) I was printing stuff from small town Upstate NY togs and they were far less skilled.

[Donald Qualls]

The stereotype of a slobby cigar smoking wannbe-WeeGee type probably isn't too far off...



I'll have you know I haven't smoked a cigar in close to twenty years! ;)

[Brian Ellis]

"Weegee did say "editors demand and expect to get needlesharp photographs," and used flash even in daylight so he could always shoot at f:16 or smaller, 1/200 sec. . . . "

That's interesting. I'm far from being a flash expert, espcially with press cameras using flash bulbs, but I thought the usual practice of press photographers in Weegee's time was to use a shutter speed of 1/30 or slower since faster speeds tended to lose part of the light and hence the picture (the old bulbs extended the light output over a longer period of time than modern electronic flash).

[Walt Calahan]

Brian,

If you drag the shutter too long with strobe and particularly flash bulb ( but I thought the usual practice of press photographers in Weegee's time was to use a shutter speed of 1/30 or slower since faster speeds tended to lose part of the light and hence the picture ) you introduce motion and edge blur to the image. Something Weegee was trying to avoid to please his editors. Remember the dot screen of a newspaper at that time was large, so blur did not reproduce well.

At 1/200 sec the photographer uses the most intense part of the flash bulbs power without much ambient light, which then reduces the chance of edge blur from camera shake, or motion blur from the subject moving while the bulb burns.

That's why Weegee recommended the technique, for newspaper/magazine reproduction, not fine art gallery prints.

You are correct that the image would benefit from the fill of ambient light. As with everything in life, there are trade offs.

Now Frank, about your blanket statement "The average press photographer was a slob . . .."

What do you mean by "average"? What's your polling data for this observation? What are your resources? Most of the old timers I've met when I was a young pup where gentlemen and ladies. They kept their home neat, dressed well, and only one I knew smoked a cigar. Yes the stereotype in the popular press showed photographers in a particular light, but to say the "average" is this or that can't be substantiated.

What is the real number "several" (several of the ones I had stunk from cigar smoke.)? 5? 20? 100?. Did you buy from a small pool of photographers, or from all across American?

I met a wonderful photographer a few years ago. She was a Coast Guard photographer during World War II who taught Navy Combat photographers. She was an expert at using handheld 4x5 cameras. Did did not smoke a cigar. She dressed very nicely. Had a cheery personality. Nothing about this former military press photographer (in World War II the Coast Guard was part of the military) would say she's a slob. May be she left bread crumbs on the cutting board in her kitchen and she rarely vacuumed behind the sofa, but I don't know.

Thinking about the thousands of press photographers of the 1940s and 50s spread across America, all from different backgrounds, how can anyone sweepingly say the "average" was a slob? They are just folks like you and I trying to make a living, not a life style statement.

[GPS]

Patrick, a few more nights and you can get a nice 4x5 P&S Fotoman and enjoy the handheld 4x5 as never before - regardless of all the opposite philosophy.

[Frank Petronio]

Walter, I use a Super-D Graflex and dress appropriately, in tie and tails when I use it. It is the "classy" camera for sophisticated photographers. Maybe some upper-crust photographers do indeed have a Graphic lurking in their corner, but I understand that they only use them for rough work and dress down in dungarees and flannels when they do.

Heavens, the lack of decorum on this forum is atrocious! Where would polite society be without generalizations and proper boundaries?

[Patrik Roseen]

gps - I do not fully get it, but I sense I should know... could you give me some more hints either here or drop me an email.

[GPS]

Sorry for being kryptic - what I ment was wait (like I do) for the new Fotoman 4x5 P&S camera that is due in May and then you will have a tool that is light, has changable lenses and you can just enjoy this kind of photography. I think (LI even know it) that you are on the right path - there is a lot of photography that you can do with handheld 4x5 much better than with anything else. Cheers.

[Patrik Roseen]

Hi, This is one of the photographs shot during my first attempt doing handheld LF4x5. I did not stop down very much to be able to shoot at 1/100th of a second, thus the unsharp corners.
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=4467376&size=lg

Kind regards, Patrik

[Ralph Barker]

Looks pretty good, Patrik.

[Donald Qualls]

Well, I got my Speed, got the broken Compur shutter on my Skopar converted to a barrel (just dismounted all the shutter parts, leaving the aperture in the Compur case), and have shot my Speed some with the focal plane shutter, hand held. I *like* it. :)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/dqualls/Speed%20Graphic/89983c0e.jpg

[Phong]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/dqualls/Speed%20Graphic/89983c0e.jpg

Donald,

The lower left quarter looks "unnaturally" soft to my eyes. What gives ? Thanks,

- Phong

[Henry Ambrose]

Frank Petronio -- "Walter, I use a Super-D Graflex and dress"

Wow I bet that is some experience!
What color dress, bad boy?

[cyrus]

Using my handheld Polaroid 4x5 conversion has led to some interesting points
Example:
The absence of movements means that converging lines issue can become quite noticable on a 4x5 neg which seems to show it more than a 6x6. So, photos of NY skycrapers are not the best subject.

[Paul Coppin]

Having just spent part of the morning browsing through B&W's Special Issue (#44), I'm not sure issues of convergence, focus or motion blur have any particular relevence, especially if you are wanting to get published...:). Like shooting with a pinhole, handholding a big slow camera is going to give you a grab bag of results, some of which will suit your fancy, some likely not (and is this different from conventional shooting?). I think some the comments about "appropriateness" of handholding 4x5 are, well, inappropriate. The proof of the pudding is always in the image. As long as you can afford the film, knock yourself out!

Edited to add: any technique that increases film usage is good thing... ;) we need to keep manufacturers interested in making it...:)

[Ted Harris]

I got a sample Fotoman 4x5 PS from Paul Droluk the other day and the fit and finish look great. I am waiting for the arrival of a 75mm and 110mm cone early next week so I can put it through its paces using lenses that many of us might own. I'll post soe comments nd images here in as soon as I can and a full article in VC in September. The camera should be trickling into the distribution channels now.

[Bill_1856]

You can eliminate most of the "mistakes" from using cut film holders by using a Grafmatic. Six shots, and they weigh one pound.

[Wayne Crider]

I got a sample Fotoman 4x5 PS from Paul Droluk the other day and the fit and finish look great. I am waiting for the arrival of a 75mm and 110mm cone early next week so I can put it through its paces using lenses that many of us might own. I'll post soe comments nd images here in as soon as I can and a full article in VC in September. The camera should be trickling into the distribution channels now.

I am looking forward to your report. The info I'm most interested in is GG usuage.

[Donald Qualls]

The lower left quarter looks "unnaturally" soft to my eyes. What gives?

Phong, most likely that's due to the loose front standard lock on my Speed Graphic, combined with using my 135 mm Skopar in a board made for my Aletta -- it only sort of fits the Speed, and can shift left or right a few mm. With the extremely tight coverage of the Skopar on 4x5 film, either a small swing, from the loose standard lock, or a little shift from the lens board sliding, could make that corner soft.

I plan to make up some lens boards soon that correctly fit the Speed, so I can mount my Skopar and the 105 mm Agnar and keep them centered, and I'm looking for information on how I can improve the lock down of the front standard on the focus rail -- I'm guessing a shim under the actuating cam will do the job, but that means figuring out how to get the front standard off the bellows so I can work on it.

[Dan Fromm]

Donald, if your Speed's front standard is wobbly on the rail, odds are that the rail needs some help. If it isn't a bit loose -- tighten all of the screws including the one under the distance slider if the slider's there -- and if that doesn't do the job, go to (a) www.graflex.org for advice and (b) www.southbristolviews.com for Graphic service manuals in .pdf format.

[Jay DeFehr]

I've used various LF cameras handheld, from a classic Crown Graphic, to a more compact Polaroid packfilm rangefinder, and finally a Graflex RB SLR. I shoot portraits in available light, which is not the same as street photography, but I appreciate the freedom of working quickly, and intuitively, that working handhled provides. The SLR allows me to shoot wide open, with fast glass, and focus critically up to the release of the shutter, which suits my style of working very well. I use 12 sheet magazines with my RB, and have become fairly proficient in their use, making it possible for me to get into a rythm with my subjects without having to fiddle with my camera too often. For classical street photography, I would prefer my Olympus XA.

Jay

The attached image was made with my Crown Graphic, handheld.

[John Flavell]

That reminds me. I have several Maker's Mark cigars, a bottle of Maker's Mark, and a New York Times article on WeeGee from a couple of weeks ago to read. My evening just got more relaxing.

[Donald Qualls]

Donald, if your Speed's front standard is wobbly on the rail, odds are that the rail needs some help. If it isn't a bit loose -- tighten all of the screws including the one under the distance slider if the slider's there -- and if that doesn't do the job, go to (a) www.graflex.org for advice and (b) www.southbristolviews.com for Graphic service manuals in .pdf format.

I just checked -- the rail is absolutely solid on the bed, and both sides appear perfectly straight to my eye. The standard tightens down just fine inside the body, but it looks as if the rail on the bed is a smidgen thinner than that in the body, and the clamps just don't take up all the way -- the ring on the actuator hits the standard frame and the clamps are still a little loose, though I can see the actuating balls ought to be completely out of their recesses in the moving plate. This happens whether I'm setting up for the 105 mm Agnar, the 13.5 cm Skopar, or either focal length of my Compon.

I'll go look at the service manuals; I have a hunch I need to take the standard off and account for some wear in the clamp plates or standard base, possibly as simple as applying shims under the contact points of the acuating balls, or at the outer end. The camera is 67 years old, after all...

Edit: Ack. Service manuals for Pacemakers only, with a different front standard. Left a help request on the Graflex.org forum...

[Frank Petronio]

In the end, I've tried several hand held 4x5 cameras, including a Sinar Handy, several Crowns and Speeds, a Graflex SLR, and two converted Polaroid 110s. It has always been the sort of "dream" to find the right combination that allows spontaneous portrature and field photography. And it is possible.

But you will waste a lot of film...

And in the end, I am not so sure the same photos wouldn't be as good coming from a 35mm or Rollei or DSLR. I mean having smooth, detailed 4x5 is nice, but it is not the be all, end all. Capturing the right moment is so much more important for loose, handheld work. And so I've decided that people like Oscar Barnack were indeed correct in developing these cute little toy hand cameras for handheld work ;-)

And frankly, leaving the big cameras to slower, more formal exploration and a bit of showmanship with the set-up and prep.

But that is just my thinking today... YMMV.

[BrianShaw]

(snip) And frankly, leaving the big cameras to slower, more formal exploration and a bit of showmanship with the set-up and prep.

But that is just my thinking today... YMMV.

There's a certain amount of truth in what you say, Frank, htat I can't help but agree with. But I've found that shooting hand-held with a SuperGraphic, whether 4x5 or with roll film back, sometimes has so much in the way of "showmanship" that it becomes distracting to the subject... and to me, since it often draws 'gawkers'.

[Iskra 2]

New to the LF world but my 4x5 Speed Graphic with a 210 xenar w/o a shutter works ok handheld after I adjusted the rangefinder to match the lens. Everything 'closes up' and with a couple of Grafmatics it's ready to travel light.:D Regards.

[Frank Petronio]

Showmanship can be good though - it demonstrates to your subjects that you are serious and making a big effort on their behalf. I think their response is different than when I would shoot with a small camera, even when I have all the other gear (big lightbanks and stuff).

Either are valid approaches of course.

[Donald Qualls]

I mean having smooth, detailed 4x5 is nice, but it is not the be all, end all.

No, you're quite right, but on the other hand, if having a compact, quick-handling camera were the only way to make good spontaneous images, I wouldn't keep feeling the need to carry something larger than my more compact 35 mm gear. To my eye, a 4x5 negative through a 135 mm lens in a hand held camera is still better than a 35 mm negative through a 45 mm or so lens -- and though I can't bang away (and "waste film") the way I might with, say, my Spotmatic, or even my Signet 35, I think the one careful shot with the Speed Graphic will outweigh the half dozen "shotgun method" negatives from the 35 mm.

Just need to get the rangefinder adjusted for that lens so I can really use the camera that way, instead of having to focus on the ground glass...

[Iskra 2]

Everything 'closes up' and with a couple of Grafmatics it's ready to travel light.

This scene lasted a few minutes as the sun/clouds provided the 'Kodak Moment'. No time or place to setup tripod. Stopped the truck and picked the camera/meter off the floor, stepped out and took a meter reading, opened the camera and racked out the lens to the infinity stop and locked it, wound the shutter to 1/250 and set the aperture, pulled the Grafmatic slide and took the pix, as the sun/clouds dimmed the lights. The big 4x5 negative provided for some cropping. Regards

[Donald Qualls]

Hey, thanks for the pointers to manuals and the Graflex.org forums -- I now have the front standard clamps adjusted so the standard doesn't move when I do stuff to the lens or front shutter on my Speed. Should help a lot for quick setup (especially once I can find some Pacemaker style folding infinity stops so I can set up for different lenses quickly -- four focal lengths requires careful setting to marks for three with the original style stops).

And Tuesday, I made some more shots with the 105 mm Agnar, hand held, composed by guess (can't raise the wire frame with that lens on, and it's a good bit wider than the tubular viewfinder) -- they're waiting to be scanned now... :)