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unixrevolution
17-Oct-2011, 05:55
Does such a beastie even exist? I'm curious, because I have a 75mm Rodenstock lens for my Super Graphic. The lens, when at infinity, is straddling the camera bed and the rails on the inside of the body that hold the lens when folded up.

This is a problem, because in Portrait orientation at least, the lens sees the end of the focusing bed. Dropping the bed would help, but I can't drop the bed unless the 75 is either entirely in the camera or entirely on the focusing rails.

The only way I think I can get around this is to get a recessed lens board for my Graphic, but as I said, I don't think i've ever seen one.

Anyone else shooting a 75 on a Graphic have any advice?

Ivan J. Eberle
17-Oct-2011, 11:19
I had a Super Graphic last year that I frankly didn't like nearly as much as my Meridians, mostly for its not having a focusing rack on the inner rail (being friction focus), and not having back moves beyond V-H orientation. With a wide angle, I find I'm always using the back post moves on my Meridians. So other than confirming that the SG would work with a wide angle I don't recall ever using it like that with other cameras available.

Now, I might get proven wrong, but I don't think you'll easily find a recessed Crown/Speed/Super Graphic board. Yet I'm thinking that a "top hat" (or extension tube sort of arrangement) would probably work better, and as it would get the front standard on the inner rails of the Super to allow dropping the bed. (Might be easier to use and to fabricate, as well. Suggested starting point would be a muffin tin and tin snips.)

unixrevolution
19-Oct-2011, 05:38
I had a Super Graphic last year that I frankly didn't like nearly as much as my Meridians, mostly for its not having a focusing rack on the inner rail (being friction focus), and not having back moves beyond V-H orientation. With a wide angle, I find I'm always using the back post moves on my Meridians. So other than confirming that the SG would work with a wide angle I don't recall ever using it like that with other cameras available.

Now, I might get proven wrong, but I don't think you'll easily find a recessed Crown/Speed/Super Graphic board. Yet I'm thinking that a "top hat" (or extension tube sort of arrangement) would probably work better, and as it would get the front standard on the inner rails of the Super to allow dropping the bed. (Might be easier to use and to fabricate, as well. Suggested starting point would be a muffin tin and tin snips.)

The Super Graphic works wonders for me, so I guess different strokes. Also, I may just plain not know any better, and with my current cash flow, I'm better off believing my Super Graphic is as good as it gets, so I'm not tempted to buy something else!

As for an extension tube arrangement, it's not a bad idea. However, I also have a Toyo monorail camera, and I have a recessed Speed lensboard adapter to use the wide-angle lenses I own. The problem here is that I think making an extension-tube board rather than a recessed one, to put in a recessed Toyo adapter board, is counterproductive. Also, I want to be able to focus my 75 using the focus knob on my Super, and I wouldn't be able to do that with the lensboard sitting inside the camera body.

You are correct that the Pacemaker/Super Graphics did not have factory recessed boards, but I think that just means I need to try to make one, just deep enough for infinity on the 75 without the front standard toeing the line.

BrianShaw
19-Oct-2011, 08:34
Erick,

I use both an Anniversary Graphic and a Super Graphic and don't like using anything except "normal" lenses on them. Too much hassle and not enough benefit. I find both cameras to be fantastically successful for "normal" pictures using "normal" lenses and not requiring movements. My latest and last effort to use a wide lens was to mount a 80 for use with a 6x7 back. Had problems very similar to what you describe.

I find a monorail to be much more useful for short and long lenses. My advise would be to find a more appropriate camera for the purpose... but I realize that may not be either your desire.

Ivan J. Eberle
19-Oct-2011, 21:56
With the 75 situated on the front bed rails, you're going to have to drop the bed, use front rise, and tilt the board back just to keep from catching the bed in the image, particularly with verticals.

Bear in mind that a recessed board (or top-hat for that matter) changes the tilt and swing axes so that focus and composition will change (rather wildly) with every iteration of adjustment. Which is partly why I'm thinking it easier to put the front standard on the inner rails with a top hat to drop the bed out of the way entirely, to avoid having all that tilt and rise in the mix in order to straighten everything out with the lens on the front rails.

Try the 75 on the SG, see if you like working that way. But I think you'll find in short order that a camera with back moves is frankly much easier than one without for very short lenses. I'm suggesting that press cameras are pretty much going to require shooting wide angles straight on, with any movement being pretty fiddly to accomplish, what with bellows rather compressed and inflexible even if you did have the patience. Anyway, since you've got the monorail already, you may already be set, especially if you've got a bag bellows for it. Far, far more pleasant experience for using camera moves with ultrawide lenses. For occasional use on the SG, a Graflex adapter to a Toyo recessed board might be the best answer for you.