Burke & James 8x10 restored with Baby Graflex Shutter and 300mm Industar

[Edward Leskin]

Thanks everyone for their great comments! This setup should work very well. I will post some pics of the shutter itself unmounted so all of you can see what it looks like. What is great is how cheap this was. The Baby Graflex was in bad shape to begin with and that is why it was $25 on Ebay. The seller said the shutter was fine, but everything else was falling apart and ugly. Perfect for me. I did feel a little sad breaking apart the Baby Graflex but it is better to use it for something greater like an 8'x10" camera. I got this idea from a thread I was reading somewhere online that this was done. There were no photos though so I had to do it from scratch. I did mount wood inside what was left of the Baby Graflex to give it more strength and for something to screw into when mounting a custom cut thin plywood front. I did use J&B weld as well in addition to wood screws. I wanted everything to be very solid for that big Industar lens. I hope some on this forum will look at this and try it too. These barrel lenses are great buys, and finding a very affordable way to use them without spending tons of money on a front mount shutter with speeds is great news for people who think large format is too expensive for them. Everyone can enjoy it , poor, rich, etc,,, everyone!

[Edward Leskin]

I, being a cost cutter, also wanted a good tripod for this rig. I only had a Tiltall that was good for my Linhof Color 4x5 but not good for the large B&J. I then began reading about survey tripods being used by large format photographers as a cheap alternative to an expensive large format tripod. Some used stuff is not that expensive, but I wanted new fresh out of the box. I went to a local supplier of survey equipment and for $80 I found a very sturdy metal survey tripod. I had to spend an extra $3 for a bolt and wing nut to mount the camera, but it really works. The only thing is there is no movable tripod head yet. I would love to see some home made heads and cheaper alternatives by forum members. Tripod heads for big cameras can get expensive!

[Kevin J. Kolosky]

I might have put a bit of walnut stain on it!

[Amedeus]

Great job Edward.

I'm doing something similar with a Speed Graphic parts camera and a Kodak 2D with a broken front standard. I like your shutter release ... clever !

Thanks everyone for their great comments! This setup should work very well. I will post some pics of the shutter itself unmounted so all of you can see what it looks like. What is great is how cheap this was. The Baby Graflex was in bad shape to begin with and that is why it was $25 on Ebay. The seller said the shutter was fine, but everything else was falling apart and ugly. Perfect for me. I did feel a little sad breaking apart the Baby Graflex but it is better to use it for something greater like an 8'x10" camera. I got this idea from a thread I was reading somewhere online that this was done. There were no photos though so I had to do it from scratch. I did mount wood inside what was left of the Baby Graflex to give it more strength and for something to screw into when mounting a custom cut thin plywood front. I did use J&B weld as well in addition to wood screws. I wanted everything to be very solid for that big Industar lens. I hope some on this forum will look at this and try it too. These barrel lenses are great buys, and finding a very affordable way to use them without spending tons of money on a front mount shutter with speeds is great news for people who think large format is too expensive for them. Everyone can enjoy it , poor, rich, etc,,, everyone!

[Mark Sawyer]

Great idea and execution! I'd be concerned about vibration during the exposure though. Experience will tell...

[ScottPhotoCo]

Nicely done! I just picked up the rail B&J Grover and might strip the ugly gray paint as well.

[jp]

Great idea and execution! I'd be concerned about vibration during the exposure though. Experience will tell...

I do the same thing on a bigger scale; 8x10 rembrandt B&J, 4x5 speed graphic shutter, big old 100+ mm rear element lens.The vibration seems to be after the shutter closes and is decelerating.I would expect more vibration than the OP, but it hasnt affected photos.

[Stephanie Brim]

I would be interested in seeing pictures of exactly how you did this. I may be refurbing a 5x7 really soon and it would be nice to have a shutter that I could use with barrel lenses that had more versatility than a Packard and cost less than the old focal plane shutters are going for on Ebay. Because...yikes.

[ImSoNegative]

beautiful! if burke and james had made this look like this out of the factory they could have probably gotten more money for them, nice job

[ImSoNegative]

I, being a cost cutter, also wanted a good tripod for this rig. I only had a Tiltall that was good for my Linhof Color 4x5 but not good for the large B&J. I then began reading about survey tripods being used by large format photographers as a cheap alternative to an expensive large format tripod. Some used stuff is not that expensive, but I wanted new fresh out of the box. I went to a local supplier of survey equipment and for $80 I found a very sturdy metal survey tripod. I had to spend an extra $3 for a bolt and wing nut to mount the camera, but it really works. The only thing is there is no movable tripod head yet. I would love to see some home made heads and cheaper alternatives by forum members. Tripod heads for big cameras can get expensive!

Hi edward, i use a surveyors tripod for my calumet c1 (black monster) weighs 18 pounds, that tripod holds it solid. if you google concerning the tripod head, there was a fellow that made one for his, i was thinking about it but havnt done it yet, good luck