Graflex.org

paxety · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 69 Location: Florida

What did photographers take into account when choosing between front and rear shutters? Of course the focal plane has a few speeds that are faster, but what about in a situation when both shutters had applicable speeds? Nowdays, of course, the condition of the shutters themselves may limit choices, but what about when the cameras were new?
j

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clnfrd · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 11:49 pm Post subject:

When I was In High School, late 40's/early 50's, I would "earn' boxes of expired Velox contact printing paper from a local photog by taking his 4X5 Graflex and/or Speed Graphic to ballgames and shooting negs, which he would print and sell. With the Graflex reflex camera, I would use the focal plane shutter at 1/1000th/sec, always for outdoor shots. But with the Speed, if the shots were outdoors, daytime football, I would use the FP shutter. For indoor games, basketball, I would use the front shutter at 1/400th with flashbulbs. And then came the electronic flash, with speeds of 1/2000th/sec. not useable with focal plane (you would get a photograph the width of the slit in the curtain)...so you would always use the front shutter. So, it was a matter of choice, determined by the subject matter and the conditions. Fred.