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Dan Desjardins

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Can you guess which one I just got?



Yup - you guessed it - I just got the Crown Graphic Special on Craigslist. This is a circa 1968 - 1970 version (Xenar lens with the Compur Shutter). This model camera was actually manufactured from roughtly 1955 all the way up to 1973 when the company closed its doors forever. The Crown Graphic/Speed Graphics were the standard for press photographers throughout the 40s and 50s - losing that distinction to Rollie in the later 50s and early 60 - then to 35mm cameras.

Am I going to take any pictures with it - maybe. I still need to get some film holders, a developing tank and then borrow a scanner, etc.

Why did I get this - well, besides being ULTRA COOL - I actually used one of these when I was in High School to take group photos.

There are a TON of things you have to do to simply take a picture with this thing:
  1. Open The Shutter
  2. Open the iris all the way
  3. Focus on the ground glass
  4. Close the shutter
  5. Set the iris
  6. Insert the film
  7. Remove the dark plate
  8. **** the shutter
  9. Compose and take the picture
  10. Reinsert the dark slide
  11. Flip the film holder over for another exposure...
This is an era where you really needed to know your gear and be careful because so many things could go wrong. If you brought only one film holder - you got two shots - count 'em - TWO SHOTS.

Compare that to todays cameras firing 12 FPS for possibly hundreds of images! Somehow I like to feel that using kit like this Speed Graphic actually helped me be a better photographer - but there are truly many great photogs (many on this forum) who have never touched one of these.

Just thought I'd share this with everyone - I find that the more we know and appreciate the roots of our passion - the more passionate we become.

Des
 
You have GOT to get an enlarger for it. Scans just do not do justice to a large format negative. Congratulations on a very nice aquisition!!
 
Congratulations, maybe

I also used one of those as a kid in high school. I was the Yearbook photographer. The one I used belonged to the school and it was a Speed Graphic rather than a Crown. It had the rf on the side rather than the top and the focal plane shutter never did work. It had a single flash tube on the side but the local newspaper guy's had two Graflex Stobonars on it and I had a case of flash envy. His football game photos were good. Mine were barely useable. My group shots were pretty good though.

I bought a Crown a few years back and rather than cut film I found a couple of roll film backs for it but the endless fiddling and complex rf coupling which never was truly right on eventually got to me and finally I sold it. Also the reopening of the wet darkroom was met with much displeasure in the immediate vicinity. I did have some fun with it but I am not at all sure it was worth it. Also big honking negatives gather geometrically more dust than smaller ones do, or so it seems. Scanning is also tedious.

Hope you have some fun with it. I would be looking for a decent rf back or two if I were you though. John
--
http://www.pbase.com/dahlstetphoto
 
Here's what the press photographers did back in the day:
  1. Show up
  2. Insert film
  3. Insert flash bulb (did you get a flash attachment too?)
  4. Set the iris for the expected subject distance range (look at that label you glued onto the side of the camera)
  5. **** the shutter
  6. Wait for the subject to appear at the press conference
  7. Double check the expected distance and adjust iris if necessary
  8. Unwrap that ham sandwich you packed
  9. HERE THEY COME!! Drop the second half of the sandwich while you're spitting out the first half
  10. Remove the dark plate
  11. Focus with the rangefinder
  12. Compose and take the picture
  13. Reinsert the dark slide
  14. Grab a taxi back to the lab
 
tarnish said:
Here's what the press photographers did back in the day:
  1. Show up
  2. Insert film
  3. Insert flash bulb (did you get a flash attachment too?)
  4. Set the iris for the expected subject distance range (look at that label you glued onto the side of the camera)
  5. **** the shutter
  6. Wait for the subject to appear at the press conference
  7. Double check the expected distance and adjust iris if necessary
  8. Unwrap that ham sandwich you packed
  9. HERE THEY COME!! Drop the second half of the sandwich while you're spitting out the first half
  10. Remove the dark plate
  11. Focus with the rangefinder
  12. Compose and take the picture
  13. Reinsert the dark slide
  14. Grab a taxi back to the lab
Click to expand...
and one more thing -

15. return to the scene and retrieve the sandwich :D
 
And the funny thing is - the picture was probably as good or better then many of the "press conference" photos of today - done in a single shot.

No - I didn't get a flash unit - but I will be watching ebay and CL for one...
 
When President Kennedy visited the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in early '60s to inspect the Apollo Program, the press was using the Graphic (like yours), Rollie, and Leica. There was no Nikon and Canon in sight. Later, I got a M3.

The "pro" at that time, was laughing at the amateurs having to rely on build in meter (Nikon's). How far have we come ! ! !

I have a Rollie that I bought that will match your new Graphic. I bought my Rollie (1952 2.8 model) just because I have to have it - can't afford it when I first took up interest in photography. Since then, my Rollie have been used once.

Good luck to your new camera. I think you need a Super D Graphic to accompany your new toy!

Lighthog
 
Still playing with my Linhof that my father in law gave me. Still works as designed and does things that are not easily done even with Photoshop today. He just recently handed down to me his Exa, Exakta, and Topcon cameras with some nice old lenses which I hope to use on my EP-1.

--
Charles
My family images are at http://www.stakeman.smugmug.com
Be sure of your subject.
Never, force the shot.
 
gonzalu said:
ugh..
Click to expand...
That's just loading the film. You should see what it is like to use a large format field camera.

BTW, the Crown, and Speed Graphics are the point-and-shoot versions designed for press photographers. They have fewer swings, tilts, and shifts.

Open the shutter for viewing, set the aperture at wide open, focus and compose the shot. Did I mention that the image is upsidedown and backwards on the ground glass? Adjust swings and tilts for perspective and focus control. Refocus. Make sure all adjustments are locked down.

Close the shutter (bad if you forget). Set the aperture (bad if you forget). Set the shutter speed if you haven't already. **** the shutter.

Insert film holder. Remove dark slide. Release the shutter. Reinsert dark slide (bad if you forget). Remove film holder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITlQmLRLlGI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XH_JTO-Ipc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luayt69B6wQ

You're not a real photographer until you've mastered a large format view camera.

Just kidding. Although, it is a good exercise.
--
Robin Casady
http://www.robincasady.com/Photo/index.html
 
Robin Casady said:
gonzalu said:
ugh..
Click to expand...
That's just loading the film. You should see what it is like to use a large format field camera.

BTW, the Crown, and Speed Graphics are the point-and-shoot versions designed for press photographers. They have fewer swings, tilts, and shifts.

Open the shutter for viewing, set the aperture at wide open, focus and compose the shot. Did I mention that the image is upsidedown and backwards on the ground glass? Adjust swings and tilts for perspective and focus control. Refocus. Make sure all adjustments are locked down.
Click to expand...
Press cameras like that are meant to be handheld. That is what the rangefinder and wire frame finder are for. You don't use the ground glass or tilts unless it is on a tripod and even then as you mention, it is a poor cousin of a monorail or field camera.

Slam in the grafmatic or a bag mag. Set the shutter speed and aperture. Check your range with the rangefinder. When your subject is in the spot, hit the shutter. Pull the slide for the next shot. **** shutter and shoot. No adjustments to lock, ground glass to peer at through a loupe or any of that time taking stuff. It is not so hard if you do it a few times.
 
A lot of the flash guns went to star wars fans. You can even buy a kit to finish the job just like luke skywalkers lightsaber, which was a graflex flash gun.

I have a speed graphic myself, I do still use it, I love it but it is not the most versatile 5x4" because the movements are limited, but it is the quickest to use. The speed has a focal plane shutter as well, good for using old barrel lenses, in particular the aero ektar 178mm f2.5 !!! I have a ektar 127mm (lovely 3d effect, and colour corrected too) and a french 210 f4.5 heliar formula lens, what lens did you get with yours?

For processing I just do b&w in steel hangers in 1litre icecream tubs, no problems, easier than fiddling with sheet film tanks IMO.
 
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