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Thread: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

  1. #1

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    Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    So I've come into possession of a 4x6 Gowland SLR. This is the first Large Format camera I've ever had the joy (and confusion) of working with. I've got years of experience with 35mm and medium format photography but nothing as complex as a Peter Gowland creation.

    I've been told the fine folks in the LargeFormatPhotography forums could help guide me in how this thing works and what i need to do to restore it.

    Here are some pictures. I don't really know where to begin. Thanks in advance.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 20200427_210333.jpg   20200427_214111.jpg   Screenshot_20200428-004522_Gallery.jpg   20200427_214221.jpg  

  2. #2
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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    Is there anything wrong with it? Why do you want to restore it?

  3. #3

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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    What an unusual introduction to large format photography. Good luck and welcome.

  4. #4
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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    I've owned Gowland TLRs and monorails but never one of his SLRs. That's a rare beast - enjoy!

    I've never had one in hand so I'm afraid I don't know how Peter engineered this. From the pictures, I'm going to *speculate* that the camera does not have a focal-plane shutter like a Graflex, but rather something like a Packard shutter behind the lens, and that the mirror is controlled manually, independently of the shutter action. But I emphasize that I'm guessing, based only on the few pictures you've posted so far.

  5. #5
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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    OK, there's an old post about it on photo.net. Here's the key point about its function:

    I have one and it is a rather strange beast. It doesn't have a hinged, full sized mirror like a Graflex. It has a small mirror right behind the lens that moves to the side when the shutter release is tripped. The shutter is part of this sliding mechanism and is a single speed - I think 1/60 or 1/125. I spoke with Mr. Gowland several years ago and he said the camera was built mainly for use with electronic flash. The single speed wouldn't be such a drawback for flash use. He also said the camera was never very popular (due to the single shutter speed in my opinion). I would love to know how many were actually made. I bought mine without a lens. I think it was sold with a barrel mount 240mm Xenar (not Tele-Xenar), and I've never found a deal on one of these, so I've never used the camera, although I think I'll mount another barrel lens and try it.

    Scroll down to Leonard Robertson's post:

    https://www.photo.net/discuss/thread...mat-slr.58097/

  6. #6
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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    More, from an archived copy of Peter's old website. Quite different from a Graflex, indeed!

    Peter's Notes about the Gowland SLR

    I have designed around 30 cameras, but never one with a reflex shutter. My 4x5 Graflex had a large mirror, that had to move up, before the large focal shutter could expose the film. Even at fast shutter speeds, there was time delay, that made it impossible to record action, like a horse jumping over a fence. By the time the the shutter worked, the horse was on the ground.

    If one wanted to use strobe or flash, one had to use a 5th sec. to give the mirror time to "move out of the way" allowing the shutter to drop down. The large mirror had to move up, and the large rear shutter had to move down. Slow and heavy parts. I asked myself, why not use a thin 2" mirror, set at 45 degrees next to the lens, and move from left to right, with a faster shutter speed, around 1/50 second?

    In using the Gowland SLR, the image passes through the lens to a small mirror shutter, is reflected up to larger mirror and back to ground glass, when the shutter is released, the small mirror moves right, allowing image to pass through the three shutter parts back to film. During this 1/50th part of a second, flash contact is made, center shutter part moves to the right, closing the opening. When both top shutter parts are moved to left for re-cocking, light cannot pass through lower opening.

    With this unique design, it is necessary to keep the lens and small mirror close together. Rather than moving the lens for focusing, the ground glass and film are moved as one.

    The camera is built around a 240-250mm lens. Film movement of 4 inches permits close focus of three feet to infinity. For special close work a shorter lens might be used. For example, 210mm can be used from two feet to eight-and-a-half feet. Longer lenses, providing they are telephoto, can also be used. 360mm Tele-Xenar gives large head portraits with focus range of five and-a-half feet to twenty-four feet. When top shutter parts are moved back, with knob on left side, shutter is ready for the next shot.


    The web page also has a diagram that helps to clarify:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20120303...amera/history/

  7. #7

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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    The first thing I would advise is if the mirror is dirty, DO NOT use any cleaning method that allows ANY contact with its surface!!! Even a feather brushing against possible grit dust will abrade the front surface mirror...

    If just a little dirty, just leave it alone... If cleaning is needed, the mirror can be slightly cleaned with a shop vac with a tool that comes close but never touches it... Worst cases involve removing mirror and bathing in baths of isopropyl alcohol being careful to avoid drying spots...

    If the mirror hazes over, it needs to be sent somewhere that re-silvers telescope mirrors (not expensive)...

    Careful with that thing...

    Steve K

  8. #8

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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    So after some fiddling around. it appears the mirror and shutter are all working normally.
    Learning the shutter speed is 1/50 is a big help. Thank you. I'm curious what the weird mechanism on the lens is supposed to do. I imagine it is supposed to let you view through lens with it stopped wide open and then snap to whatever aperture you want to shoot at just before the shutter opens. How to load the spring so accurately is the tough part but i suppose it's just a matter of tinkering and amateur engineering.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Click image for larger version. 

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  9. #9

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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    It looks clean enough. I don't think i'll be touching it. Thank you for the warning though.

  10. #10
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    Re: Restoring a Gowland 4x5 SLR

    Quote Originally Posted by mickhugh View Post
    I'm curious what the weird mechanism on the lens is supposed to do. I imagine it is supposed to let you view through lens with it stopped wide open and then snap to whatever aperture you want to shoot at just before the shutter opens. How to load the spring so accurately is the tough part but i suppose it's just a matter of tinkering and amateur engineering.
    It does remind me a bit of the "automatic" diaphragm that was provided with the standard lenses for the 3.25x4.25 and 4x5 Graflex Super D.

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