I found, that with a lightweight camera/tripod, the effort required to advance the film would move the camera. Better suited for handheld use. Maybe with a heavy monorail on a big tripod that wouldn't be a problem, but I sold my Grafmatics and won't go back to them. Too bad film pack has been gone for so long!
I was given a Grafmatic free a few months ago that was NIB, never used. I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought. It is certainly awesome for when I'm shooting my Linhof handheld. I ended up buying 3 more for much less than you see them offered, all in pretty good condition. They work for me for landscape work so I can pack less.
I hold the back of my Chamonix tight when I advance the sheet. I haven't had any light-leak issues. On the Linhof it's rock-solid and I can rocket through exposures.
Kinematics huh? 10 sheets?
perfect..I can process 10 sheets at once in a 3006 if I tape two sheets together on the backside
so those might make more sense to me
Or just use a 3010Originally Posted by DrTang
Anyone have advice on how to clean and lube Grafmatic holders?
Don't...
Really, I'm sure some would but besides cleaning from dust/grime, I wouldn't lube them. That's asking for trouble. My opinion anyway.
I had two of those, they took a good bit more force to advance than properly working grafmatics, so I sold them. And for that reason, I don't use the Grafmatics hardly at all, it just moves the camera around too much for my liking and stirs up more dust than a cleaning lady.
I keep them around thinking of portrait shoots, but in all honestly I never use 4x5 for that either, much prefer my Hasselblads.
If someone came out with some incredible composite super easy to operate solution, man...I would love that for the high country, but Grafmatics as they are, I just never really took to them.
A small amount of bicycle chain lubricant (not oil) on the sides of the tray where it slides along the exterior shell. I had "Ice Wax" recommended to me and it does the job. Spray a small amount on (it comes out of the can as a foam) then wipe it off so that it leaves just a small film. Nothing at all inside. Nothing on the septum or anywhere where it might come in contact with film.
i had several of them in different times of my life and i never liked them. two main reasons:
1) shooting with faster lenses i find them not perfectly i focus. i tried to shim my Ground Glass to one hlder but then another holder is off. no tow are alike. when you flip septum's, then everything changes again. normally at aperutre 16 you want see the difference but shooting 2.5 and 4 its really problematic. then the main question is.
2) if i dont use them for Hand haled work, why do i need them in a first place. only reason to shoot them in a feald is to bring a lot of film in a small packing space. but for there i need 4 of them. and they get heavy! si what i gain in bulk i pay in weight. using just one or two Grafmatics never made scene to me (aside from SLR and Handheld)
finally i find them messy, dirty and hard to keep clean. somehow they are dust traps. perhaps i am too anal abut my regular workflow! usually my holders are Toyo that i keep in ziplocks, i clean them with antistatic brush, use 3010 tank and gravty works washer... normally i don't see a scratch on my negs. with a Grafmatic there is always some thing, scratch, light leak, dust... so i got rid of thrm all and i stooped picking them up any more
Thank You all. This thread is a solid resource of experiential information on Grafmatics and will help me.
The Grafmatic design is rooted in the manufacturing tradition of the Depression and WW-II era. I would hope that someone with modern CAD/CAM and 3-D printing expertise will one day bring us a light weight Grafmatic inspired film magazine for this 21st Century.
Drew Bedo
www.quietlightphoto.com
http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo
There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!
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