Graflex.org

jfinnivan · Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2

I recently acquired a Crown Graphic 4x5 camera, and I just ordered some Polaroid 79 film, and some Fuji color slide film for it (both ISO 100). I was planning on using my old Weston light meter, but it seems like the photocell in these things deteriorates with time(?), since both mine and my father's have stopped working after many years in storage. So, I'm planning on using a 35mm camera as a light meter. My question is, can I use a 35mm camera as a light meter, or is there some adjustment I have to perform on the settings because of the difference in film size? On one hand, the image on a 4x5 area will have less light per area unit than a 35mm size, but I am assuming the standardized F stop system takes care of this. What do you experts do to get your shutter speed and apeture settings?

Thanks for any help
Joe

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2148 Location: New Jersey

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

A couple of things. If you're focussed closer then infinity then you might have to deal with the bellows factor. Try this:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/bellows-factor.html

Second thing try some B&W film first. You might find both the slide film and polaroid a little tougher to get the exposure right.

Unless you're attached to those weston meters I doubt I would spend the money to fix them. I have a couple working ones and they're nice but you can get a new incident meter for not a lot of money.

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

Let's keep things simple just to get you started.

Shoot subjects that are 6ft to inf and ignore bellows factor.

If you've got a 35mm lens for your 35mm camera (or a zoom that you can set to 35mm) that will be close enough for a 127-150mm lens on your Crown. compose the picture in the 35mm and read and transfer the meter settings.... Not however that you'll probably want to shoot with apertures in the f8-f22 range. Your Crown doesn't have an f2.8

Shoot the Polaroid first. Color negative and B&W negative have are the kindest when it comes to exposure error. Transparencies are the least forgiving. Polaroid comes somewhere in the middle.

For me Weston meters are for die hard re-inactors. Not only are the cells sluggish, but you also have to convert Weston speeds to modern ISO standards which can be a bit tricky.

I say stick with the 35mm camera until you can get a decent incident light meter.

Micah in NC · Joined: 26 Jun 2003 Posts: 94 Location: North Carolina

Well,
I'm just starting out in Graflex (and 4x5, for that matter), too! I just tried out mine with film for the first time, and I used Polaroid Type 57 film (ASA 3000). I, too, used a Weston light meter, the Weston Master II. Weston speeds are 80 percent of ASA/ISO speeds, or so a recent Popular Photography article said. So, if you shoot ASA 100 film, set your Weston meter at 80. ISO 400 would be 320, and so on. But you can do sunny f/16 as a rule of thumb, if nothing else, and not worry about using a meter--just shoot on sunny days!

I'm glad to see I'm not the only new Graflex user here! Let us know how yours turn out!

--Micah in NC

Nick · Joined: 16 Oct 2002 Posts: 494

Only the oldest two [three?] models use the Weston system. The currently made model doesn't and for that matter neither does one of mine. I think it's either a III or a IV.

If you shoot B&W and do your own film test then it doesn't matter how it reads. Just do your test with it.

jfinnivan · Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2

Thanks for all the help. I went out with the polaroid film and my friend and I measured the exposure using his Nikon D100 digital camera. The exposure looks good, so the next step is to try out the Fuji transparency film.