Help with Speed Graphic

[lxdesign]

Just got a speed graphic 4x5 camera today. I have the Crown Graphic. Anyhow..... I am bewildered on how to get the leaf shutter open so I can focus, and use the front shutter instead. Seems like I can only get it to set to 1/500 or 1/1000 only. I am turning the dial to the '0' setting, but when I turn the dial again, sems to do nothing except go to the next setting.

Help!

[rdenney]

Just got a speed graphic 4x5 camera today. I have the Crown Graphic. Anyhow..... I am bewildered on how to get the leaf shutter open so I can focus, and use the front shutter instead. Seems like I can only get it to set to 1/500 or 1/1000 only. I am turning the dial to the '0' setting, but when I turn the dial again, sems to do nothing except go to the next setting.

Help!

Not sure I'm understanding what you are asking--the leaf shutter IS the front shutter. But here is how to open the focal-plane (rear) shutter:

Move the switch to "Back" (for later Pacemaker models with a body release button that can also operate the front shutter).

When you wind the shutter all the way, it will read 1000 on the high speed setting and 500 on the slow speed setting. When you press the shutter release, it will fire, and then either read 250 or 125. When you fire the shutter again, it will then read 60 or 30. Another firing will make it read T in both speed positions. Fire it a fourth time and it will read O, which is open. Firing it a fifth time will simply close the shutter (that's the close part of the T setting). You can wind it back to O, or leave it there when releasing the shutter, to leave the rear shutter open. That's where you leave it when using the front shutter. Turning the winding knob winds the shutter up, until it gets to the highest speed, and pressing the shutter release unwinds it one setting at a time until it gets back to O.

Think of it as a long curtain with four windows in it, a narrow one for the highest speed, a wider one for the next slower speed, a wider one still for a slower speed, and then a window that is the size of teh 4x5 frame for time exposure and for leaving the shutter open. The fast setting moves these windows quickly past the film, and the slow setting moves them slowly past the film.

If you remove the ground glass and watch the shutter curtain operate through these cycles, it will make more sense.

Rick "assuming it's working, of course" Denney

[lxdesign]

Thanks..... I actually figured out what was up before reading your post. I took the rear plate off, which immediately resolved the curtain's inability to move to the proper position. Now I have it in theopen position. Which is exactly where I wanted it. I am going out tomorrow to do some shooting with a 120 roll back, and a grafmatic 4x5 holder.

[lxdesign]

By the way -- does anyone know if there was a special ground glass made for using a 120 roll back on the speedgraphic? It would be nice to have some grid lines to help me figure out the crop.

[Jon Shiu]

You can draw the rectangle on the ground glass with pencil, ie frosted side.

Jon

[lxdesign]

You can draw the rectangle on the ground glass with pencil, ie frosted side.

Jon

ahh... ya, that would work... thanks for the tip