OP: there is a photographer in Portland who regularly shoots posed street with a Crown Graphic and a Graphic SLR, both 4x5. Worth a look if this is your interest. He is on both Flikr and Instagram. Flckr here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimhair/ Hope this helps. Bill Poole
Bill Poole
"Speak softly, but carry a big camera."
Carrying around a Speed Graphic or Linhof would not make my fun-to-do list.
Years ago i built several Polaroid 110b type conversions. I still have one. That would be my advice if you want a portable carry 4x5 camera. You can focus and shoot just like a Leica. The size is just right too so in low light you can rest it on your shoulder and get surprisingly good results at really slow shutter speeds. And they don't weigh much if they are done right. Don't get one unless the end is lopped off. The end adds a lot of weight needlessly. The only downside is you are stuck with either a 127mm or 135mm lens depending on how you do it. The Polaroid 900 can be converted too, but frankly I'd stick with the 110b. I plan on making one more in my life if I can find the lens that I want to put on one. They are fiddly to make, but they are fantastic cameras. Stick a Grafmatic on it and it can't be beat for what you are looking for. This is what one looks like.
I would go with one of the press cameras like a speed graphic. That’s what they were designed for
And learn how to hold it handheld, which is not obvious.
Look for a Military training manual.
Tin Can
Don't forget to get a big bag of big flash bulbs to use it in the original manner.Originally Posted by Roger Smith
Magnesium flash powder. Bulbs came later.
Must have been a bitch to handhold a LF camera while using flash powder or paper.
Frequently they had an assistant who got to hold and set it off.
@ OP, I looked into doing this a few years back, and found lots of good advice on this forum. I tried 2 (almost 3) of the suggestions you've already been provided with above. My experiences were as follows (although keep in mind that I shoot documentary-*style* portraits on the street, not genuine street photography).
- I started with a Crown Graphic (lighter than the Speed Graphic, and as I wasn't interested in movements I missed nothing by going this route). The Crown is light enough to use handheld, as long as you take regular breaks. This worked well for me for quite a while. I found the Crown *much* easier to use when attached to a flash handle (of the kind that Star Wars fans have unfortunately made a little scarce in recent years). I didn't use it as a flash at all, but just found that it made for an excellent grip, making the camera handle much better. The reason I eventually sold the Graflex was because I needed different focal length lenses that I could change "in the field" and discovered that it was almost impossible to find rangefinder cams for them.
- I moved to a Linhof Supertechnika V, purchased 3 or 4 great lenses for it, and sent the whole package off to Linhof to have them cut new cams, so that all the lenses are calibrated to the rangefinder. It's an amazing setup, and the results are incredible, but it's significantly heavier than the Graflex. It could probably be used for street shooting, but you'd definitely want alter your approach so as to spend more time sitting around waiting for shots to come together, rather than walking the streets with it in your hand(s). Even this would be more hard work than some may be willing to do. I'm something of a masochist though, and will do whatever is necessary to get the shot. You may or may not be as willing to suffer for your art.
- I also backed the Wanderlust Travelwide kickstarter campaign and received one of these cameras. But by the time it arrived my interest in shooting such a high-fi format in such a lo-fi way had waned. I was also incredibly busy shooting "real" work at the time, so I'm ashamed to say I've never even opened the box it came in. Will probably sell it shortly in order to buy film. Personally I think I'd opt for 6x7 roll film over a travelwide now, but that's just me.
In short, if you can live with a single focal length (or are willing to purchase 2 bodies, each with a different lens mounted on it), then the Crown Graphic is likely your best bet.
I did also look into the Razzles and various other polaroid conversions, but forget why I ultimately excluded them from my shortlist. I just remember that although they initially looked like the most appealing option, there was a single deal-breaker that meant that they just didn't work for me. Probably also the interchangeable lens issue.
*sigh* does nobody remember the fly-weight magnesium alloy Printex 4X5? I have a couple with good rangefinders.
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