Graflex.org

perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

Have looked at the page that gives part Nos and to focal lengths of cams various.
I have looked at lenserepro lists of cams available.
Is there somewhere i can read off ACTUAL focal lenghts of various lenses in order to buy a lense that can be matched with a cam?

Now i also read the article somewhere on this site ( but now cant seem to find it) that explained how to make one and it seemed pretty simple - if you have an example or a die or a plan.
Has noone actually provided a page with scanned actual images - or even measurements/plan drawings of them so that they could be copied?
Thanks for all your good advice and assistance here I do appreciate it.
Perry

45PSS · Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 5:46 am Post subject:

cams were made to match a lens at the time of manifacture. Graflex would put your lens on an optical test stand and measure its exact focal length then cut a cam to match it. (this has been disscussed in the past years on this board and a search should turn most of it up.) no lens is its exact focal length. NOW a list of cam numbers is available on this site and by using it a close match might be found and a ballpark match will be much easier.
and this if you want to grind out your own , got a dremel?

_________________
While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a quality photograph is worth a million.

[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2005-04-26 22:54 ]

worldphoto · Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2005 4:42 pm Post subject:

I have cams for the older Kodak 127mm, 135mm and the 152mm lenses that fit the 4x5 Crown/Speed Graflex cameras. I doubt that you will find cams for the 30 year or newer lenses. It might be better if you ask abot a specific lens you're interested in.
Harry

perrycas · Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 48 Location: Sydney Australia

Thanks for your assistance. I found cams at midwest camera exchange at reasonable prices, but in the end decided to let them go as i think i a will be shooting primarilly with a 6x12 120 back. pretty hard to know what you're getting hand held with that. I have a cam for a 135 so if i want to go hand held i thk i will just stick to that.
Thanks again
Perry

disemjg · Joined: 10 Jan 2002 Posts: 474 Location: Washington, DC

Matching non-original lenses to old cams is a hit or miss proposition; I was luckey, both of my user Pacemakers now have 135 convertable Symmars, and they work well with the 135mm cams that were in the cameras for the old Optars. If you have the lens, mount it, set the front standard correctly for infinity, and then check the GG image/RF at different distances to see if they are in agreement.

And the Symmars are a VERY worthwhile improvement.

Regarding the 6X12 back, I made a tube finder mask for mine and have not had any problems composing with it shooting handheld. If your composition is tight you would of course want the GG, but that means you would have to mark it for the format.