Focusing Problem

[Dave Brown]

I got my new camera today (a Speed Graphic), and I'm having trouble focusing the darn thing. I set the camera up on a tripod, figured out how to open the front (took half an hour on graflex.org to figure that one out), figured out how to open the shutter for viewing (another half an hour on graflex.org), and the image is upside down! I thought perhaps this model had a rotating back, but after an exhaustive search (yet another hour wasted) I find that this isn't the case. I called a friend who explained that I could just look at my pictures upside down when they come back from the lab, but I don't want to resort to that; I'll always know they're upside down, even if others won't. I'm at wit's end. This is the last time I buy anything off of ebay!

[Dominique Cesari]

I had the same thing with a Linhof baught for $$$ just the last year. But fortunately that premium brand designed the camera with a screw on the top to reverse it. As a serious photographer, i use it only that way and it cured the problem.

[Gem Singer]

The Speed Graphics were used by press photographers. They are designed that way because those guys needed to stand on their heads to get a good shot.

Merely mount the lens upside down, and the problem will be solved.

April Fool to you too!

[Brian Ellis]

Suggest that you find a calendar, turn it to April Fool's Day, photograph the calendar upside down, view the image while standing on your head, then sell the calendar on ebay.

[Vaughn]

Obviously you just need to loosen the lens on the lensboard and spin it 180 degrees, so stop your whining. You'll need to learn to do this anyway (should not take too long on Graflex.com to figure it out) since you will need to know how to take the lens off and reverse it on the lensboard for doing self-portraits.