Gowlandflex 4X5

[Tin Can]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50552102922_5f1e534146_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2k27JZq)GOW 2 (1) (https://flic.kr/p/2k27JZq) by TIN CAN COLLEGE (https://www.flickr.com/photos/tincancollege/), on Flickr

[Daniel Unkefer]

Tim Kelly LOVES his Gowlandflex. His favorite portrait camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtbWO_E6kFU

[Daniel Unkefer]

https://petapixel.com/2020/09/30/a-look-at-the-ginormous-gowlandflex-twin-lens-reflex-camera/

This one has twin 360 Tele-Xenars. NICE

Another here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkRkq4rksR0

And here too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFkVJRoWbYk

[Daniel Unkefer]

Another way to Twin Lens Reflex 4x5 & 5x7.

This one also has twin 360mm Tele-Xenars. Lenses interchangeable, taking lens on top.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51934419089_682dc37c41_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2n8gtqM)Testing Shanghai 220 Wedding Flash Mamiya C22 105DS (https://flic.kr/p/2n8gtqM) by Nokton48 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/), on Flickr

[Tin Can]

Gowlandflex are made for handheld fast action

Sponatity

speel check is out to lunch with robots

[Peter De Smidt]

You've got one, Randy? Neat! I used to have a Keith Camera twin lens.....I wish I had kept it.

[Daniel Unkefer]

Gowlandflex are made for handheld fast action

Sponatity

speel check is out to lunch with robots

Agreed! Mr. Gowland must have been an athlete to handhold it :)

BTW I just got a copy of "Gowland's Guide to Glamour Photography" for my library. Always wanted a copy for myself.

[Tin Can]

I have his "330 poses Vol 13"

On the cover of the poses is nearly exactly the same pose on this months "ELLE" fashion mag

I was about to post the cover of both for educational content

But it seems most prefer tree roots

and Gowland was a Cali swimmer, very fit


Agreed! Mr. Gowland must have been an athlete to handhold it :)

BTW I just got a copy of "Gowland's Guide to Glamour Photography" for my library. Always wanted a copy for myself.

[Daniel Unkefer]

I just found a copy of Posing Guide No VI, I ordered a copy back in the day. This time from Abe Books.

You should post those photos. Not everybody here photographs roots

[Oren Grad]

Re hand-held use, scroll down to the very bottom of this page, the section labeled "Photographic Beast": :)

https://web.archive.org/web/20030621121557/http://www.petergowland.com/camera/

[Tin Can]

I will when I get done battling a new computer and the cheapest Adobe

Spell check seems gone or way slow

I did try using the Gowlandflex

Had to make lensboards, my desigh

Then fiddle the matching lenses and the focus mirror

Then I tried a SINAR bino reflex

Then it needed new GG frame as it was bent

Then I took it apart


I just found a copy of Posing Guide No VI, I ordered a copy back in the day. This time from Abe Books.

You should post those photos. Not everybody here photographs roots

[Daniel Unkefer]

What lens did you decide to use? I think Tim Kelly uses the 210mm chrome Symmar pair, a not too expensive one. Or it could be a 180mm pair, both will work

His Gowlandflex portraits are amazing

[Tin Can]

I havent toucheh it for 8 years

I had 180's, have 210's



What lens did you decide to use? I think Tim Kelly uses the 210mm chrome Symmar pair, a not too expensive one. Or it could be a 180mm pair, both will work

His Gowlandflex portraits are amazing

[Paul Ewins]

Agreed! Mr. Gowland must have been an athlete to handhold it :)



I have a couple of Gowland TLRs, both different designs (probably earlier) to the one in Tin Can's photo. The bigger one with twin 360 Tele-Xenars weighs in at 4.6kg (10lb 2oz) while the other with 180 Xenars is 4kg (8lb 13oz). They actually feel a lot lighter than that because you are holding them close to your body so there isn't nearly as much strain on your arms.

[Tin Can]

I am not a big fan of any TLR

Tried a lot of them

I vastly prefer my 2 Yashica A as they are dead simple, both work, very cheap and I even got one back after years of 'loan'

[Tin Can]

Yep, it will rise again by somebody else

or I fit 2 360's

but I have the short bellows with cam


You've got one, Randy? Neat! I used to have a Keith Camera twin lens.....I wish I had kept it.

[Tin Can]

Peter,

There was a differnt 5X7 TLR that looked very interesting

but I missed

[warpath]

Re hand-held use, scroll down to the very bottom of this page, the section labeled "Photographic Beast": :)

https://web.archive.org/web/20030621121557/http://www.petergowland.com/camera/

Imagining an 11x14 now haha

[Havoc]

Re hand-held use, scroll down to the very bottom of this page, the section labeled "Photographic Beast": :)

https://web.archive.org/web/20030621121557/http://www.petergowland.com/camera/

That second illustration in the link looks more than a bit like a Mamiya Cxxx.

[Dustyman]

239002

Coupla Gowlandflexes and a Cambo TWR54

[Dustyman]

With an adapted Linhof grip and a better focus hood made with a Hasselblad bellows shade and some close-up filters.
239003

[Paul Ewins]

My two TLRs: on the left is (I think) the earliest type without parallax correction while on the right it has manual correction via a scale and a set screw.

239004

[joelio]

My two TLRs: on the left is (I think) the earliest type without parallax correction while on the right it has manual correction via a scale and a set screw.

239004

Does your TLR on the left have the sliding finder on the viewing ground glass? I have one that looks very similar though has that approach to the viewing GG.

[Paul Ewins]

Yes, although I'm not sure whether it is working correctly. The camera came without lenses but had Copal 2 size mounts installed. I've cobbled together a pair of 180 Xenars for display, but the viewing lens has the mounting threads at a different position to the taking lens. A pair of 240 Symmars is another option but finding one in barrel is proving difficult. Annoyingly the 240 Componon has a smaller mount, so using that (or even swapping Symmar cells into the barrel) is out.

[Peter De Smidt]

Can you put a ground glass at the film plane to check focus?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Paul,
Here's a Symmar-S in barrel

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204345204995?hash=item2f93ec6103:g:ZZcAAOSwo3Nka4bq&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4Cm3kvLMYVKZVor0R9T0%2FLMIx8DQycbor%2BGdvZ6wA06dYfDYpExdHFbDEaJDZkCcZuWnXa3IuF7CvyEClP0ty5X1UBRV5g5Em4VsAsMouNX9hkLvmv7EiOgHVbaX0%2B4d2pHn1nuit7JXAvAH5KU%2F%2FxPHh0IK9q8l%2BoJhSxRqGUkcBSt7O7U%2FZ%2FIld65aq7fSxJjX8hA%2FEXitBOiOq3dBEnilOh86UEeae8lGKPTdTX%2F%2Bx8LS%2FzaOFBCoYsXDsawZCtnP%2BxMTOxw%2FGzb%2BMw%2F1PKCp3vV%2BVlIFfrD10P0P4SiH%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-Dm996IYg

I see they ship worldwide.

[Tin Can]

Mine uses standard Graflex 4X5 GG assembly and has an adjustable front surface mirror

That assembly is visble in the pic I posted to start this thread


Can you put a ground glass at the film plane to check focus?

[Paul Ewins]

By the time the Symmar-S was released the Copal 2 was already defunct, so the 240 moved up to a number 3 shutter. I really only know the Schneider lenses, but I assume maybe the 180 Tessar was in a Copal 2 at some stage? Failing all that I guess I can just buy something in a broken shutter and swap cells as required.

[Christo.Stankulov]

I want to buy one!

[Havoc]

I want to buy one!

Me to. But I have already too much photo projects (2 tricolor cameras to restore) and too much cameras that never get used.

But I keep love looking at that wonderful fancy stuff...

[Tin Can]

if serious move to PM



I want to buy one!

[bobmerlin]

I've had my Gowlandflex for 20 years or so. I've rarely used it as it's bulky and my being 5'6" doesn't help. It's got a Symar 210mm/6.3 taking and a 210mm/4.5 Schneider viewing lens.
It sits in a closet with my other cameras as film is just not easy when you live in the middle of nowhere!