Welcome to Graflex Land.

Im 18 and im shooting a crown. I love it! Hopefully more of us young bucks will carry on the tradition of these press and other 4x5 cameras.

You are most welcome to "the Graflex Land" ! Please upload some of your pictures, it was a long time since some new pictures showed up in this group.
/Bertil

I'm a very new Speed Graphic user. I'm reading and re-reading the manual on it but I'm bound to have questions. This group seems like the ideal place to ask those. I'm very impressed with images taken with these cameras. I've spent most of my time with 35mm and TLRs so this is a bit of a leap.

My primary concern is learning how to focus the thing, although I think I finally got that down. Glad to see this group.

Really glad that I came upon this Graflex group on APUG! After 10 years of pro digital shooting, returning to film and spending money on my beautiful '45 Mini Speed Graphic 6x9 kit was a little daunting... but I'm doing this to jump start my own creative processes. Back to basics... no 'auto' anything! Thanks to all of you for easing that transition and, most of all, for helping to preserve the history of these brilliant cameras. I'm going to try to upload an image from the very 1st 120 test roll (XP2) that I recently snapped just to check the MSG for light leaks and approx. focus. Just tromped out in the snow and guessed at an exposure (100 @ f16), aimed it handheld without ground-glass focusing & 'click'... so, not bad for a start, I suppose. You just have to take that first step and keep challenging yourself. Rock on!

2 Speed Graphic family here. I've a 5X7 Top Handle that gets used a lot, and a Post war 4X5 Speedy. I've had a couple of the chimney models but my eyes don't get along well this those, so have to stick with the Speeds.

1912 Baker Electric done with the Top Handle and a Plasticca lens

I'll behave next time and post the pics where I'm sposed to.

Hi folks,
I just discovered this site,A real gem. I am a retired engineer from Eastman kodak (back when it was a "real" company). Shot with my first crown graphic back in 1949 and still have it. I am still avtive with B&W in the darkroom but have to admit that all of my color work is now digital. Enjoy reading about people who understand what it was like when you had to be sure you had it right in the camera, and could not check it before you left. hope to chat with you all soon.
Bill Cain

Good morning, Bill Cain;

Ron Mowrey is also here; he uses the pen name of PE or Photo Engineer here on APUG. Nice to see someone else from EKCo. here also.

And, for Bertil, it seemed like a good idea to join this group also. (How many groups is that now?) I have been extolling the virtues of the Speed Graphic for a number of years, and I am actually starting to look for one I would like to buy. Back in the laboratory, the man I worked under used a Crown Graphic for making a quick negative of the artwork he did for Printed Circuit Boards that we made. Ray always liked the lighter weight of the Crown Graphic. I did get to play with it at odd intervals. And, like Bertil, I also play with SINAR view cameras, which is where he and I first encountered each other.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

Greetings. I've just started with a Crown Graphic this summer as part of my journey of exploration of different photographic media. So far, I've only put two rolls through the 6x9 back but yesterday I loaded six film holders with Fomapan 100. Now I just need to choose some subjects.

Paul
Doha

Welcome all newcomers to the group! Nice to hear how you all enjoy using your Graphics, and also to see some activity in the group (!). Unfortunately I haven't myself been very active at APUG for some time, but hope things will change. Interesting to hear from you, Ralph and Bill, that have experiences from times when these cameras were used on a regular basis, myself being a newcomer to the Graflex family. Being located in Sweden I don't meet a single person with any acquaintance with the Graflex line of cameras. But having used Hasselblad cameras for a long time I read some time ago a biography about Victor Hasselblad and understood that he in his youth played with Graflex cameras; but thought they were too heavy and not very good for bird photography (his great interest), which, according to the biographer, was something of a background for his developing of the Hasselblad camera (which after all is quite close to a Graflex serie B, D !). So after all, perhaps there is some connection with Sweden and the Graflex line of cameras (not to forget, Bill, Hasselblad and George Eastman Co who made the lenses to the first models, 1600F and 1000F).
Bertil

Good morning, all;

It is official! I am a full fledged member of the Graphics et al Group. Today the USPS people delivered a Folmer Graphlex Corporation Speed Graphic with the Kodak Ektar 4.7/127mm lens, a side mount Kalart rangefinder, and a couple of Fidelity Deluxe 4 by 5 sheet film holders. While it is in fairly nice condition for a 66 year old camera, it does need some TLC and a CLA for at least the focal plane shutter, and the Wollensak Graphex shutter will get in there also.

Let's see now; is it the black side of the end of the dark slide out means unexposed and ready, and the white side of the end of the dark slide out means that the film has been exposed and needs to be developed?

Now I have my very own copy of a Joe Rosenthal camera.

Enjoy; Ralph, Latte Land, Washington

I got my first Graphic a few years ago and I fell in love with it. Well, I think that I have enough of these nifty cameras to join the group. My most used Graflex is a 2x3 Crown Graphic with the 101mm Kodak Ektar lens and the next most used is a 2x3 Crown Graphic with the 105mm Kodak Ektar. I also have a couple of 2x3 Pacemaker Speed Graphics, a 3x4 Pacemaker Speed Graphic and a beautiful 3x4 Anniversary Speed Graphic. Oh, and there is also a 3x4 Graflex Super D. I have used all of these and I have added quite a few accessories--roll film backs, sheet film holders, Graflites, Graflex Flash Synchronizers, side lighting units, a few lenses, etc. Recently I got an Ilex Paragon 6 1/2 inch in Acme Synchro shutter that I want to use with the Anniversary, so I need to find another "A" lens board.

Dave