{"id":551,"date":"2024-02-20T11:55:16","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T17:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/?p=551"},"modified":"2024-02-20T11:55:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T17:55:20","slug":"crank-it-and-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/2024\/02\/20\/crank-it-and-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Crank it and Go"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Graflex Series B RB is… fun. And finicky. But, mostly fun. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I never thought that the biggest issue with a Graflex SLR\u2014the large focal-plane shutter variety\u2014would be the size of my hands, which are not small. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh. And the issue of sequence, as in the steps from focus to cocking the shutter on these old focal-plane shutter cameras. I was a bit rusty at the process of large-format photography, having not used my Pacemaker Speed Graphic\u2014once in regular rotation\u2014in about a year. Fortunately, sequence gets corrected, as I would hope getting one\u2019s ape thumbs out of the way of a particular moving part on this particular camera, a Graflex Series B 2×3, also gets corrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If my thumb is in the wrong spot while triggering the shutter on this Graflex Series B (the little sibling to the Super D), the wingnut used to crank the shutter will hit it, and cause delay. Or, complete stoppage. On my first roll (with a 23 Graflex 120 roll-film holder) it happened at least three times. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Also, the cranking chart for that curtain shutter. It\u2019s not complicated, but one needs to take the time to correlate spring tension and shutter slit size. It\u2019s a similar mechanism Graflex used for its focal plane shutters since its initial design. There\u2019s a metal knob one clicks to adjust spring tension (1-6), and a dial to select from four curtain slits (A-D), for a total of 24 speeds from 1\/10 to 1\/1000. Then there\u2019s the wingnut to cock the shutter. This particular Series B, going by the serial number on the lens (another serial number, located on the body of the camera, yielded no results), was made in 1947, late in camera\u2019s manufacturing run. My Pacemaker Speed Graphic, only a year older, has the \u201cupdated\u201d focal plane shutter system with six speeds, 1\/30 to 1\/1000. There\u2019s a switch to choose between two spring tensions, and one turns the wingnut.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(On the Series B, do a test fire before actually attempting an exposure. It will do you well, as shifting between spring tensions sometimes doesn\u2019t give you an accurate wind\u2014with use, one gets familiar with the tension \u201cfeel\u201d when turning the wingnut.)<\/p>\n\n\n

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The lens is a nice, standard Kodak Ektar 127mm f4.5\u2014a nearly identical lens to the standard one on my Pacemaker, the difference being its ever-so-slightly wider aperture capability (the one on the Pacemaker is f4.7). I\u2019ve also noted that the lens has a slightly softer focus. That could be that I haven\u2019t pulled the lens for a good cleaning\u2014something I usually would do, but this camera does not have a removable lens board. Some work is involved. Still, the portraits I took (which will be posted later) look great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never thought I\u2019d have any interest in one of these \u201cchimney\u201d-style Graflex SLRs, especially the smaller formats. When equipped with that 6×9 roll film back, however, one takes advantage of the full exposure capability (compared to the film holder for the camera) and the rotating back. For me, there is no point shooting square 120 with this thing if one already owns a good-quality TLR, Hasselblad SLR or competing brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, damn, this thing is super clean\u2014whoever owned it kept it well. The shutter sounded a bit hinky at the shop, and the fella there knocked off a few bucks, so I thought I\u2019d take a chance on it loosening up with some regular use (thankfully, it did). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used regularly that Pacemaker Speed Graphic mentioned above with its functional focal-plane shutter, but it\u2019s in need of a CLA. It has a distinct sound, to be sure. But this lil\u2019 Series B? Slick as can be, just a gentle \u201cwhoosh, whoosh, whoosh\u201d with each exposure, no matter the speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One reason this thing was in my price range, I suppose, was that it\u2019s equipped with the standard back (read, not Graflok) that most Graflex\u2019s manufactured prior to 1948 had. Thus, given the scarcity of 2×3 sheet film, one is saddled either with cutting down film to use in an aging, wooden film holder, or, finding a particular roll film back that does not have the two ridges on the plate that snug into a Graflok-type back. The latter is a bit of a problem\u2014while 2×3 Graflok backs can be found easily, the \u201cstandard\u201d mounting\/exposure plate are not common at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, this Series B came with that particular, older-model standard roll-film back. And I\u2019m enjoying the heck out of it. I\u2019ve adapted a Series VI drop-in filter adaptor for the lens, motored through a second roll, and started a third. Results, as I\u2019ve gotten used to it, are improving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most difficult item of note is, like other old ground-glass-focus rigs, one needs to focus with a wide open aperture, then close it up accordingly for your exposure. This being a waist-level focusing SLR adds an element of difficulty to that. Reframing at f16 requires a little faith, especially with a filter tacked on. But, so far so good (mostly). \u201cUse a tripod!\u201d I hear you shout. Agreed. But, part of the fun of this rig is its relative utility\u2014like using a TLR\u2014something a tripod eliminates. With the relatively small size of this thing, however, a monopod would suffice. I will be doing that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, before plunking down an exorbitant sum on a Super D, consider what you need. These little (comparatively) Series Bs are good fun, and provide some great results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I never thought that the biggest issue with a Graflex SLR\u2014the large focal-plane shutter variety\u2014would be the size of my hands, which are not small.  Oh. And the issue of sequence, as in the steps from focus to cocking the shutter on these old focal-plane shutter cameras. I was a bit rusty at the process… Read More »Crank it and Go<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"[\"content\",\"tags\",\"comments\"]","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,19],"tags":[76,53,74,17],"class_list":["post-551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equipment-reviews","category-medium-format","tag-black-white-photography","tag-film-photography","tag-graflex-series-b-rb","tag-medium-format"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"rise-blocks_total_comments":0,"rise-blocks_categories":[{"term_id":8,"name":"Equipment Reviews","slug":"equipment-reviews","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":8,"category_count":3,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Equipment Reviews","category_nicename":"equipment-reviews","category_parent":0},{"term_id":19,"name":"Medium Format","slug":"medium-format","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":19,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":12,"count":4,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":19,"category_count":4,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Medium Format","category_nicename":"medium-format","category_parent":12}],"rise-blocks_excerpt":"I never thought that the biggest issue with a Graflex SLR\u2014the large focal-plane shutter variety\u2014would be the size of my hands, which are not small.  Oh. And the issue of sequence, as in the steps from focus to cocking the shutter on these old focal-plane shutter cameras. I was a bit rusty at the process of large-format photography, having not..","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/darkroomdetritus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Como-Lake-April-2023-WEB.jpg?fit=852%2C1199&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":579,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions\/579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkroomdetritus.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}