Completely clueless about my camera. Please help.

[missbegotten]

Hello

I recently purchased an old Speed Graphic 4x5 camera on eBay. I am quite familiar with Medium Format photography, but have no experience with LF photography, so please go easy on me if my questions seem "stupid"

Anyway, i just now got a chance to check out this camera and i am kind of clueless as to how to use it. Is there an online VISUAL tutorial to help with this?

I also have some questions about the camera's working aspects. I am confused how to focus an image. When i open the hood in the back of the camera and expose the ground glass, aren't i supposed to see an image of what i want to take a picture of? All i see is my own reflection.

And how do you actually take a photograph with this camera? I see that there is a shutter release, but there are also other levers on the lens itself which seem like they need to be used in conjunction with the shutter release in order to open and close the shutter. Am i wrong on this?

I guess i am looking for examples on how to use this particular camera. I got a book from the library but it demonstrates only on Monorail cameras and not the older press cameras. I found a manual online but i am not having much luck following that.

Thank you for any help you can offer!
K

[Jim Galli]

Hi K. Although it may seem mysterious now you'll find the old speed very easy to use once you get a couple of things figured out. Some speed graphics have a focal plane shutter right back next to the ground glass. If the shutter is cocked all you'll see is black canvas. If you trip the rear lever a few times until it settles at "O" you'll have an open area in the shutter for focusing. Also the lens must be held open at wide aperture to get an image on the glass. Different lenses had different ways to do this and I'm not sure which one you have. If it has a 'T' setting, choose that, cock it and open it 'T' and it should stay open. Now pull the front standard out to the 'stops' on the rail. Typically these are set at very near infinity for the normal lens on the camera. At this point you should be able to see an image on the Ground Glass. Then you'll have to find a focus point, focus by driving the bed in and out with the small wheel on the right side toward the front. Stop down until for and aft are all sharp, find a shutter speed for that aperture and film you're using, set the shutter, cock it, install film holder, pull darkslide, and trip the shutter.

Also there is a lot of fine info at www.graflex.org

[Andrew]

I've been where you are now...

you can find pdf files of the original manuals here:
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/large_format.htm

if you send me a private message with your email address I can make you an "idiots guide to speed graphics" and point out the things it took me a while to work out

important point: does your camera have the graflok back? if you're not sure which back you have post a picture of it

[Andrew]

and if you're really new to it you might like the video tutorial on how to load the film holders
http://photondetector.com/blog/2007/...ideo-tutorial/

[RickV]

There's a world of video tutorials out there:

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ew+camera&aq=f

[missbegotten]

Hi K. Although it may seem mysterious now you'll find the old speed very easy to use once you get a couple of things figured out. Some speed graphics have a focal plane shutter right back next to the ground glass. If the shutter is cocked all you'll see is black canvas. If you trip the rear lever a few times until it settles at "O" you'll have an open area in the shutter for focusing. Also the lens must be held open at wide aperture to get an image on the glass. Different lenses had different ways to do this and I'm not sure which one you have. If it has a 'T' setting, choose that, cock it and open it 'T' and it should stay open. Now pull the front standard out to the 'stops' on the rail. Typically these are set at very near infinity for the normal lens on the camera. At this point you should be able to see an image on the Ground Glass. Then you'll have to find a focus point, focus by driving the bed in and out with the small wheel on the right side toward the front. Stop down until for and aft are all sharp, find a shutter speed for that aperture and film you're using, set the shutter, cock it, install film holder, pull darkslide, and trip the shutter.

Also there is a lot of fine info at www.graflex.org

Thank you Jim! I am going to try what you said sometime this week. I am sure i will have more questions and get back to you at some point!

[missbegotten]

Yes, i have the manual from there but it honestly doesn't answer a lot of the questions that i have. So i am going for the "idiots guide" you are offering. How do i PM you?

I think it does have a Graflok back but i will take a picture so you can see it to be sure

Thank you!

I've been where you are now...

you can find pdf files of the original manuals here:
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/large_format.htm

if you send me a private message with your email address I can make you an "idiots guide to speed graphics" and point out the things it took me a while to work out

important point: does your camera have the graflok back? if you're not sure which back you have post a picture of it

[missbegotten]

and if you're really new to it you might like the video tutorial on how to load the film holders
http://photondetector.com/blog/2007/...ideo-tutorial/

I am so new to it that i need a tutorial to tell me how to trip the shutter to take a picture and how to focus and how the polaroid back fits on the camera. I am so new to this that i am an embryo!

[missbegotten]

There's a world of video tutorials out there:

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ew+camera&aq=f

Thank you. I will check that out!

[Filmnut]

I second the great info at graflex.org!