Stone, dead simple 4x5 with benefits

[Jac@stafford.net]

May I introduce one camera that can be hand-held (under appropriate circumstances) which is light, uses either ground glass or rangefinder. (And due to no bellows is ideal for IR work), the aluminum-magnesium Printex 4x5? (smaller format also made).

Are any here aware of them?

[StoneNYC]

Jac, I assume this wasn't actually directed toward me?

But curious, what do the bellows (or lack thereof) have to do with being ideal for IR work?

And no, I've never heard of this camera.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Jac, I assume this wasn't actually directed toward me?

But curious, what do the bellows (or lack thereof) have to do with being ideal for IR work?

And no, I've never heard of this camera.

No, Sir, it was not directed at you. It is good for iR because it has no fabric bellows, instead it has a steel tube that telescopes to put the lens at the correct focus, and in addition it has a rangefinder to make it so, and a ground glass for those who prefer such. The disadvantage is there are no perspective controls.

Surf and ye shall find.

I will insert one utter failure because I cracked the body. My own here: http://www.digoliardi.net/printex-mod.jpg It was an attempt to mount a 3" Pacific Optical.

There are still four more in my storage, one with a good RF. I'm just too tired to deal with them now.

[RSalles]

Jac, I assume this wasn't actually directed toward me?

Thought that also,

Cheers,

Renato

[StoneNYC]

No, Sir, it was not directed at you. It is good for iR because it has no fabric bellows, instead it has a steel tube that telescopes to put the lens at the correct focus, and in addition it has a rangefinder to make it so, and a ground glass for those who prefer such. The disadvantage is there are no perspective controls.

Surf and ye shall find.

I will insert one utter failure because I cracked the body. My own here: http://www.digoliardi.net/printex-mod.jpg It was an attempt to mount a 3" Pacific Optical.

There are still four more in my storage, one with a good RF. I'm just too tired to deal with them now.

OH!! Sorry, my bellows are IR right completely, I forgot that not all are.

Thanks, looks great!

[Jac@stafford.net]

OH!! Sorry, my bellows are IR right completely, I forgot that not all are.

I became over-concerned about IR fogging when using Kodak's HIE in 4x5. Perhaps I went overboard. I used HIE to penetrate haze to reveal some landscape contours that could not been seen otherwise. (The distant horizon line is opaque to the eye.) Dunno if I succeeded, but it did put some money in the Kodak coffers.

[EdSawyer]

I am familiar with the Printex - nice to know you have 4 or more of them! I searched for them at one point but didn't find any at the time. They do look like an interesting alternative to something like a Cambo Wide or Crown/speed graphic. How much do they weigh, and do they have Graflok backs?

[Dan Fromm]

Ed, PMFJI. The Printex was made to use a more-or-less normal lens, is pretty hostile to other focal lengths. Spring back only.

Printex also made 2x3 cameras, shrunken 4x5s and equally limited.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Ed, PMFJI. The Printex was made to use a more-or-less normal lens, is pretty hostile to other focal lengths. Spring back only.

Printex also made 2x3 cameras, shrunken 4x5s and equally limited.

That is a good point. The 4x5 works very well with 127mm lens, with or without the rangefinder. To use longer lenses we have to make an extension for the lens board and muck with the rangefinder (if you want the RF). To work with shorter lenses we have to hack the body shell. In my case, I cracked one. I'm a klutz.

I'm too old or weary to mess with these things now. Most of my Printex cameras are in pieces in Tupperware storage. I have a lot of their preferred Flash Tronic units, too.

[StoneNYC]

I became over-concerned about IR fogging when using Kodak's HIE in 4x5. Perhaps I went overboard. I used HIE to penetrate haze to reveal some landscape contours that could not been seen otherwise. (The distant horizon line is opaque to the eye.) Dunno if I succeeded, but it did put some money in the Kodak coffers.

That's gorgeous Jac!

Sadly I've never used HIE sheet film, but I use a lot of 4x5 and 8x10 EFKE IR 820 which is fairly high and closer to HIE than anything else, and no fogging, I did a test and left the holder open and the bellows in direct sunlight and even turned it in differ directions and left it for 10 minutes and no fogging. Thankfully. My 4x5 (that I sold) was not IR proof, I forgot that until just now.

I still haven't taken an image quite as good as yours, but I'm working on it!

I'm trying to trade my 4x5 IR for more 8x10 IR film as I'm moving away from 4x5 for most work, so far, no bites on a trade. Maybe I should use this camera