Missing parts?

[PhotoWrangler]

Since I've been researching and reading and from the responses that I've recieved, I've determined that my new camera is an Annivesary Model, wartime era because there is no chrome parts.

After watching youtube videos I've learned what that crank thing on the side is that I had been wondering about, and I also wondered how I attach a cable release to my lens.

This morning while cruising eBay, I came across a photo of this camera for sale, which looks exactly like my camera, just cleaner:





I also noticed that it has this silver part attached to the shutter,




And that's when I noticed that mine doesn't have that part.







Can anyone tell me what this part is called, where I might find a replacement, and exactly how necessary is it?

For the time being, can I put black electrical tape over the holes and trip the shutter with my finger just to run a few test shots through it?

[E. von Hoegh]

It's a solenoid. Optional.

[BrianShaw]

Very useful if you want to electrically trip from a flash handle... and with that shutter depicted above (no synch) totally necessary if you wan tto shoot with flash bulbs.

[Nathan Smith]

If you haven't found it already, the graflex.org site is good for all Graflex & press camera info.

[PhotoWrangler]

If you haven't found it already, the graflex.org site is good for all Graflex & press camera info.

Yes, I've been reading bits and pieces of it over the last few days. Thanks!

Very useful if you want to electrically trip from a flash handle... and with that shutter depicted above (no synch) totally necessary if you wan tto shoot with flash bulbs.

So its an electrical bit, not a mechanical part then?

I don't plan on shooting LF with a flash at this time, so I don't need it. But I do need, or at least would prefer a cable release to prevent any camera shake from manually tripping the shutter. Does that just attach to the lens directly?

[E. von Hoegh]

Yes, I've been reading bits and pieces of it over the last few days. Thanks!





So its an electrical bit, not a mechanical part then?
I don't plan on shooting LF with a flash at this time, so I don't need it. But I do need, or at least would prefer a cable release to prevent any camera shake from manually tripping the shutter. Does that just attach to the lens directly?

Electro-mechanical.

You can screw a cable release into the shutter.

[BrianShaw]

Using a cable release is fine. Even when not shooting bulbs I like the flash handle and solenoid. Gives a nice grip on the camera. Combined with a Graphmatic and one could pretend it is a very slow motor drive.

[BrianShaw]

p.s. the cable release screws into the little silver bit near the 1/10 - 1/25 sec marker in your pic above.

[PhotoWrangler]

p.s. the cable release screws into the little silver bit near the 1/10 - 1/25 sec marker in your pic above.

That's what I thought, but wasn't sure. Thanks!

[Vaughn]

I have the same camera -- without the silver doo-hicky (and a pretty Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 15cm/4,5 lens in a Compur shutter).

Have you figured out how to use the focal plane shutter yet? If yours is working, one can mount barrel lenses (no shutter) on the camera and use the focal plane shutter instead. Images below were taken using a cheap magnifying lens mounted on the lensboard, On type 55 Polaroid film -- old stuff...with the third image the film did not 'work', but I like it!

All scanned contact prints:
1) Alex, last game of the season
2) Alex gets a hit! Last game of the season
3) Calder and carved bear, last game of the season