FS - 4x5 Speed Graphic

[rrankin]

I bought this a while back to rip apart and put the focal plane shutter on a larger camera. But I'm clearly never going to get around to it, so someone might as well use this thing. The handle has been removed and a little metal box along the side. I was given these parts in a bag, shown in one of the photos. It does seem to have the 'drop down' front bed. There are silver adjustable stop things in the front, which I believe, you use to set an exact place when pulling out your lens quickly.

The shutter fires. I watched it through all the settings and curtains and they all seem to be different, but I have no way to actually test the speeds. It's all a little rough as you can see, includes one lens board as shown, but seems perfectly usable to me.

I have $120 in it after paypal fees, and that's all I need to get out of it. I think it will fit in a medium flat rate box, so $12 shipping in the USA.

[rawhead]

How's the rangefinder, in terms of clarity of the double image? I have a pacemaker that has a weak RF and might be willing to pony up if I can salvage the RF on this as well.

[rrankin]

No idea. I don't even know what part the range finder would be. I never intended to use this as a camera, just a shutter.

[rawhead]

It's the thing on the left side (when seen from the front) that says "Kalart". If you look into it from the back (there's only one window on that side), and move the focus knob on the front bed, you should see a double image in the center (will look yellowish) that, when matched up, tells you that the camera is "in focus" for the object in the RF.

When the coating on the internal elements degrade, the double image becomes very faint, and hence difficult to tell when you're actually in focus. A good RF will have a clear second image (that shifts around up & down) when you move the focus knob, and will be clear when it aligns with the actual image.

[rrankin]

Checked and the guy I bought it from says the rangefinder is missing parts, so I would assume it isn't going to work correctly.

[rawhead]

Ah, k, thanks!

[Stephanie Brim]

The ground glass looks good, though, and this can make a very fun kit to try out small barrel lenses.

Uh, not that I would know *anything* about that. Nope. Nosireebob.

[desertratt]

Aaah, the Speed Graphic. I am old enough to remember when it was THE camera for newspaper photographers. When I got into same they were just turning to the Rolleiflex. The old Graphic was big and heavy and great when you had to punch the lights out of a perp who was trying to punch the lights out of you. And that treatment never seemed to harm the cameras much.

[rrankin]

offers, offers, whose got an offer? It's Speed Graphic Black Monday (?) ! Or maybe Black Tuesday, just starting a day ahead.

[L Gebhardt]

Any holes or tears in the shutter?