Graflex.org

[Westshore]

I'm not sure if this is a lenses question, a view question or a speed question, but . . .

Which cameras will allow the use of barrell lenses? and at which shutter speeds can they be used?

For example, I think a barrell lens can be used on any speed graphic, but at what shutter speeds?

Also, can barrell lenses be used in Crown Views? Other types of l.f. cameras?

Finally, is there an advantage in using the barrell lenses other than cost?

My primary application would be portraits.

Thanks.

Greg

[t.r.sanford]

The kind of camera that has a built-in focal plane shutter, and so is most readily useful with a "barrel" lens, is the "Speed Graphic" (any model). Later ones are likely to be more functional than earlier ones.

"Crown Graphic" cameras do not have focal-plane shutters. This certainly does not unfit them for use with barrel lenses, but you need to provide some sort of exposure control (add a studio shutter, use a lens cap -- or your hat, as was done in days of yore, work with "open" flash or by turning the floods on and off, etc.),

A "Speed Graphic" offers FP shutter speeds up to 1/1000 second. The older models offer 24 speeds, selected by combining any of 6 tension settings with 1 of 4 slit widths. The last one, the "Pacemaker Speed," is a bit more intuitive for someone brought up on modern cameras.

You select the shutter speed according to the same criteria you would use for any shutter, with any lens, of course.

[glennfromwy]

Barrel lenses are useable on any Speed Graphic. That means any camera with a focal plane shutter. Shutter speeds on pre-Pacemaker Speeds run 1/10 second to 1/1000 second plus time exposure. 24 choices. Pacemaker Speeds use use 6 "modern" speeds from 1/30 to 1/1000 plus time.
You can use a barrel lens at any speed appropriate to a light meter reading. This is assuming the lens has an adjustable aperture, which is not always the case.

_________________
Glenn
Edit : Sorry, t.r. sanford, I didn't mean to repeat your answer. We must have posted at exactly the same time and yours got here first. No posts showed when I did this. At least we are in agreement, eh?
"Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"

[ This Message was edited by: glennfromwy on 2004-01-27 14:51 ]

[Dan Fromm]

[Westshore]

Thanks for your quick input help.

Greg

[Nick]

Well any camera with bellows can easily use barrel lenses. Assuming you've got enough bellows. Shutters are nice but they are hardly needed. If you're talking large format odds are you aren't talking sprinters. Not today at least. If you really must have a shutter something like a packard shutter can be usefull. Problem is new they aren't exactly cheap. But they even come with flash sync. Which I guess means the one speed is just fine.

Use your hat. Dark slide or whatever. Use slow film or ND filters. Add even a #8 filter and suddenly you're pretty close to 1 second or more most days.

Advantages? Some of the older lenses have interesting looks. This can be good for portraits etc. The process lenses can be very cheap and very good.

[Dan Fromm]

[Nick]

Fair enough. I shoot B&W at 64 EI with an F/stop of 22 or smaller. On a sunny day that already down to 1/32. Between ND filters or even a strong red filter it's not too hard to get down to 1sec. When you hit 1 sec my film needs 1 stop extra for recpriocity. So I need 2 seconds for an exposure on a sunny day. It gets longer of course with hazy or cloudy days.

[t.r.sanford]

Purely manual means, like hats (or turning the lights on an off), work best indoors. But there were all sorts of very simple shutters of the "drop" or guillotine sort that were in use prior to around 1900, and some are easy enough to make out of mount board, light metal or thin wood. As noted in an earlier post, new "Packard Ideal" shutters cost more than one might like, but they do show up used from time to time. I surely wouldn't pass up an appealing lens simply because it doesn't have a shutter!

[Dan Fromm]