graphic view II

[Robert Choi]

I have seen some ad on a graphic view II camera and have done some search on the net,but can't find much info on this camera.Does anyone know how heavy is this camera,and what kind of movement does it has.

I have also seen a super graphic in a shop and is quite impressed by the construction quality vs price factor of this camera.However ,there is no back movement at all.Is there any way I can move the front and drop bed feature to have the same effect as a back tilt ?

thanks

[Erik Ryberg]

Robert,

I have a Graphic View II and I like it a lot. It is slightly wobbly, but not too bad, fairly heavy, and has all movements. I got it because it was cheap. You probably wouldn't take it backpacking, but I take it out for landscape shots all the time. I just figure I will have to take several trips to haul the camera, tripod, and everything else. Mine has a spring back which is slightly more flimsy than I would like but works fine. It has a nice compendium bellows, which is important to me since I'm too cheap/poor to buy new lenses and need all the help I can get against glare. My one frustration is that the lensboard is too small to get a packard shutter in there. But I think it is an excellent option for those of us who want to get into 4x5 cheap and have movements. I also have a Speed Graphic which I find pretty limiting movement wise but I use it quite a bit as most landscapes/streetscenes really don't require much in the way of movements anyway. I do wish front tilt was easier on the SG.

Erik

[Ron Shaw]

I use a late 40's vintage SG all the time, and I like the build quality also. Lots of bang for the buck. Front tilt is a bit of a pain, but I can deal with that. Yes, you can mimic back movements using front movements, but this is a pain, also. If you really need back movements, its probably better to find a camera that offers them.