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Thread: advice on 4x5 camera

  1. #1

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Hi, I apologise now for not knowing what I am talking about!. My sister has written a PhD about a 1970's photographer who used a 4x5 inch wide format press camera and I wanted to buy her such a camera for her 30th birthday. I am not sure what 'press' means but if it means a professional standard then I don't think it needs to be a press one. I am not sure exactly how much she will use it - I certainly dont want to pay the prices of the new professional ones I have seen. I have found some vintage (1940s and later) examples on the american ebay website which are about £150 for ones that they say work, if a little stiff etc. I am not clear whether these working cameras are purely working collectables or you could get the negatives (or plates or whatever you need) to be able to actually use them. What I would like is a nice looking camera (e.g http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2978064405&category=15247) that she could use, although probably not very often. I would be willing to pay up to £200ish. Do you think I could find such a thing? Sophie

  2. #2
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Go to www.graflex.org and look at information on caneras like the Speed Graphic, Crown Graphic, and Super Speed Graphic, and that should get you started.

  3. #3

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Sophie,

    Sure. Entirely reasonable. A press camera is one that was principally used by newspaper photographers, hence the name. 4x5" press cameras like the one you linked are still quite usable. There are no new press cameras anymore. The closest thing is a technical camera like a Linhof Technika which is a press-style camera with more movements, particularly back movements.

    200 pounds seems a little bit high for one with an Optar lens and a sticky shutter sold as-is. Cleaning the sticky shutter will take about $80 US, but anyone buying a camera that's 50 years old or more should budget for a shutter cleaning if they intend to use it. The Optar was Graflex's "house brand" lens - a Schneider Xenar or Kodak Ektar would be better.

    If you're in the UK, you might want to give Robert White in London a call. Great person and I'm sure he'd be glad to help.

    Thanks!

    Steve

  4. #4

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    It would help if we knew who the photographer she wrote about was.

  5. #5

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Thanks,

    I am going to try and get a Crown or Speed Graphic camera and then take it to someone to get it in working order if necessary!

    The artist was Franchesca Woodman, who used square format negatives of two and a quarter inches squared, and were enlarged to a finished print size of roughly six inches square. Later on, in 1978, Woodman began to use an larger-format old press camera, whose four by five inch negatives.

    Any other suggestions on places to look other than ebay and those already given would be appreciated!

  6. #6
    Ted Harris's Avatar
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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Soph,



    There were several manufacturers of press cameras. Singer Graflex was the largest in the US and perhaps the largest in the world but there were others. In the UK the pargest was MPP and you might also look for one of those. You should not have to pay more than 200 - 250 pounds for an example of any of these in good working order with a lens that is contemporary to the camera. Check with Robert White as suggested (however, he is not in London but in Poole). Another large and reputable dealer who will likely have what you need is Mr. Cad jsut outside of London in Croydon.

  7. #7

    advice on 4x5 camera

    Consider too the Busch Model D press camera. It has a magnesium body, light and strong also Linhoff cameras are not always too expensive especially the model III. As to sources of information and contacts for sale there is the option of finding a camera club in your region, the German eBay, and the numerous shows and flea markets that are around if you can get on the mailing list or find a camera shop that tracks such things. In fact, if you are just learning your way around finding a merchant you can trust is a great way to learn and grow in a safer environment. I have had good experiences along those lines.

  8. #8

    advice on 4x5 camera

    Sophie, The ebay spot you picked is a type of press camera. It is know as a "press camera" because, in the olden days, the newspaper men used them to photograph for the papers. It was typical to have a Grafmatic film holder or about 25 film holders in a bag and a flash gun on the camera. Another ebay site is:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2979566125&category=15247 although Linhof's were and still are pricey but are a GREAT camera for use these days. I have one and I love it for field work when I go out shooting my "pretty pictures". These cameras, also know as field camera, fold up to a small box, usually with a lens mounted on the camera so all you have to do is open the camera, look through the range finder (most don't work well these days but you can get them fixed if you want) or the ground glass, focus, put in the film holder and shoot. Every once in awhile, you'll be able to find a whole kit on Ebay if your interested... including a case. A few hundered USD's is a good starting point.

  9. #9

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    You can also try MXV (www.mxv.co.uk) - a quick look on the site shows no sign of a press camera in stock at the moment but you can ask them - they have quite a rapid turnover and not everything is listed on the site (or in stock if it is listed) . MXV, Robert White (www.robertwhite.co.uk) and Mr Cad (www.mrcad.co.uk) are all very helpful and reputable dealers - I have bought equipment from all of them in the past.

    One thing to watch is that any camera you like the look of is in fact 4x5 - there are many "1/2 plate" press cameras which are a similar size, but for which obtaining film and film holders can be very tricky as that size has been effectively obsolete for decades. There are also roll-film versions using 120 size roll film for which it is obviously easy to obtain the film, but not what you want.... Sorry if this is all obvious to you, but I don't know how much general photography knowledge you have, so I assuming none ;-)...

    Good hunting!

  10. #10

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    advice on 4x5 camera

    Is a LINHOF Technika Modell III Camera a 4x5 format camera?

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