I am using a speed graphic for the first time and have changed the lens to a different one from the one that came with the camera. The rangefinder doesn't work so I will be using the GG. I can't find infinity stops anywhere so I wonder what is the best way to do this. Would I just mark the track and lock the camera there, or is there some thing people use that works better?
Geraldine
Which model of Speed Graphic do you have? Infinity stops for later Speed Graphics are usually available on ebay. The Anniversary model of Speed Graphic used entirely different infinity stops. Marking the bed at the right place is one way of bypassing the need for infinity stops. The marks and positioning of the front standard has to be done precisely for the rangefinder to be accurate. If the rangefinder isn't used, positioning the front standard isn't critical as long as you can focus on infinity.
Thanks for helping so much! I have the crown pacemaker speed graphic from about 1951 with side positioned kalart rangefinder. The rangefinder is not actually broken. It would need to be calibrated and I find it really difficult to look through. I wear glasses and they prevent me getting close enough to the viewer. I prefer focusing on the GG. I will keep looking for the infinity stops on ebay but will mark the bed with tape for now.
I was hoping to hand-hold the camera, but find it is too heavy anyway for me to do that. Possibly, if I had some kind of strap system round my neck I could do it.
Thanks again!
A good source of information on Speed Graphics is http://graflex.org/speed-graphic/. They have instructions on adjusting rangefinders. The Bible for Graphic owners is Graphic Graflex Photography by Lester & Morgan (or Morgan & Morgan in later editions). The 8th or later editions will cover your camera. These are available fron online booksellers. Beware, Speed Graphics are addivtive!
I have 6 infinity stops and a rangefinder cam for 80mm listed in the For Sale section. Put them in a couple of weeks ago. No Response. Came from a Super graphic. Or you can PM me, which I think will be OK since they are listed for sale on the site. I don't know if the stops on a Super are different. They look the same, but I don't have a speed to check.
Back in "the day", when these were really used as press cameras, they had a large flash gun mounted on the left side.Originally Posted by Geraldine Powell
This doubled as a very good handle, leaving the right hand free for focusing and secondary support.
- Leigh
If you believe you can, or you believe you can't... you're right.
Leigh's right. People 80 years ago did it. If it's too heavy, they're pretty great with a monopod.
You don't really need infinity "stops." You can just as well mark the "stop" spot with a pencil. Just take the camera out to a highway or some other area that gives you an open space of at least a mile and has something large enough on which you can focus at that distance (I went to a highway and used a billboard as the focusing point). Focus on that thing, that's your infinity spot for that lens. Put a pencil mark wherever convenient on the camera rail.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
Um, about the need for infinity stops. They serve two purposes.
One is to position the lens repeatably so the rangefinder can be used. This has been explained very well in this thread.
The other, less appreciated, is to prevent small unintentional swings. If you have a Graphic, pull the front standard out, not to the stops, and check. Odds are that the lens board won't be quite parallel to the film plane. For those of us who use Graphics with more than a few lenses, a device that Fred Lustig, who made one for me, calls a Chinaman is invaluable. For pictures of one, see http://www.galerie-photo.com/telecha...2011-03-29.pdf , figures 27 - 30.
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