Hi, I've avoided buying one of these for years, always wanting the 5x7 one. But this 4x5 was clean and 50 bucks, so I sprung for it.
The shutter curtain is wrinkled, but seems to travel ok. I'd say is sounds accurate within +/- 50% of the stated speeds! Film is forgiving, I'm not too worried about that. But I'm trying to figure out how to use the controls. The manuals don't help, they seem to concentrate on adjusting the shutter tension and setting speeds. I have a Speed Graphic, so that's not prob.
Just fiddling with it, it seems like I have it figured out (please confirm!).
1. Push down the single control on the left side down. That flips the mirror so you can view through the lens. Also seems to be the shutter trip, right?
2. Wind the shutter where you want it, wind the tension where you want it.
3. Focus, and press the left side lever once again. The screen goes dark, mirror flips up, and shutter slot runs by the back.
Is that it?
I was hoping for a Cook, or a Struss, but it has the lowly Tessar. Clean and iris works fine. Anything else to watch out for, or things to optimize using it? Thanks.
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