century grand - asking for opininons

[Jan_6568]

I am considering buying a 5x7 camera and need some independent opinions and thoughts. I am currently using 4x5 Tachihara but I do almost only contact prints and 4x5 is just a bit too small. I am not willing to spend a lot of money thus I am thinking of buying an old wooden camera - Century Grand. I guess some of you would know more about this camera and may be even have one. My main worry is about film holders - does the modern holders can be used with this camera? I also wonder how does the lens changing mechanism work. Is is similar to modern cameras or there is a kind of bayonet mechnism? What, in your opinion would be a reasonable price to pay? I would also appreciate very much any opinion on this camera and may be suggestions to pick something else.
Jan

[Robert A. Zeichner]

Hi Jan,

I have a Century Grand Sr. 5x7 and have used it for several years although not much in the last two. This was designed for plates as opposed to film and so there is a problem, not with fitting the standard 5x7 holders in the back, but with the ground glass/film plane alignment. The previous owner spent quite a bit of money having a new bellows made and it is beautiful. He also turned the ground glass around in an attempt to correct the previously identified problem. It really doesn't work. Having done quite a bit of experimenting with gg alignment and measurement thereof, I embarked upon a project to remedy this. What I came up with is an aluminum frame with a window machined out of it that corresponds to the exposed area of a 5x7 piece of film. The thickness of the frame makes up for the difference in the plate vs. film holders. Its use is simple. You insert the frame like you would a film holder, do your composing and critical focusing and then replace with the film holder and expose the film. I've tested this using my standard dollar bill test target and it passed with flying colors. All negatives I've made since have been just fine with no surprises. As far as the lens board issue, it is a small square wooden board that slips under a lip, compresses a piece of spring steel and then lowers down behind another lip. Pretty simple and positive. I've made a number of boards for my camera. The thing I like best is that I can stow an f7.7 203mm Ektar on the camera and fold it up with lens in place and short cable release attached. I put a Darkroom Innovations ground glass on this camera as well. The whole thing with 6 film holders fits into a Kiplinger book bag and makes for a wonderfully light, compact and unsuspecting package. Now that I have a Deardorff, Ireally don't use this package anymore and so might be inclined to sell it. Feel free to email questions to me directly if you would like.