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eddie gunks · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 12 Location: kingston NY

hello all,
i have a 4x5 speed. the FP shutter flashes at all speeds except 25/50. any easy fix? is it easy to open up and clean? i do not want any parts to go flying out as they sometimes do when i open up different things:)

. will the shutter sync at higher speeds? even 1000 and 500?

i also have a graphex shutter with flash posts. it is marked "M" (colored white letter), "M" (colored red letter), and "F-X" (the F is red and the X is white). it seems to fire the electronic flash all the time in the red "M" setting. can i use this setting or will the flash fire before the shutter is opened? The "X-F" setting fires okay at higher speeds, intermittently at the slowers speeds and less so at 1 second. is there a way to easily fix this? i have not had much success in putting the shutters back together and i do not want to ruin this one as it works very well except for the flash part of it.
any help or ideas would be great. i know Flutots can do my graphex shutter but i was just thinking of a cheaper DIY idea.

thanks

eddie

Henry · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 2:46 pm Post subject:

What I do as a rough test of the flash synch is to stick the flash inside the camera facing the back of the lens, then run the shutter through all possible speeds and synch settings. If you set the lens on its largest f-stop (i.e., wide open) you will be able to see whether the shutter blades are fully open when you pop the flash. You may want to wear dark glasses for this test! Otherwise you're likely to be seeing that flash filament for the rest of the day (or, worse yet, night--it's worse with your eyes closed).

Depending on the results of this test, you may find that the Graphex is usable with flash even if the synch is on the "wrong" setting for it.

C. Henry · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 7:59 pm Post subject:

I find it much easier on the eyes to aim the camera and the flash at a Gray Card and watch the shutter from the back or inside of the camera

C. Henry

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2133 Location: New Jersey

Eddie, I'm sorry to tell you this but there's only one speed at which a Speed Graphic's focal plane shutter will synchronize properly with an electronic flash.

"T", and that's usable only in very dim light since you'll have to trigger the shutter once to open it and a second time to close it.

If you want to use flash with a Speed Graphic's focal plane shutter you'll have to do as the famous Weegee did. Use flashbulbs.

If you want to use electronic flash with your Graphex shutter, send it out for service.

eddie gunks · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 12 Location: kingston NY

45PSS · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:52 am Post subject:

The Focal Plane Shutter syncs with FP type flash bulbs only. Standard flash bulbs will not burn long enough to give a correct exposure except at very slow speeds or T.
To repair the flash contacts on a FPS:
1. Remove the camera back. Screws that hold the back on are different for each area of the camera, pay attention to which one goes where.
2. The curtain has metal strips made into it on the right side looking at the curtain form the camera back at the slit openings. The camera body has contacts that travel thru the camera body to the external contacts.
3. Clean the contact strips on the curtain.
4. Clean the contacts on the camra body.
5. Reform the body contacts so that they make full contact with the curtain contacts.
6. Reinstall the camera back.
7. Test the shutter and flash contacts.

Graphex Shutter: F-X is the correct position for electronic flash. The flash contacts inside the shutter are usually copper and need to be cleaned if the flash is not firing consistently.
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