Hi,

I have a chance to get an excellent condition Speed Graphic. Excellent, except that there is no viewfinder (rangefinder) on it.
Is it possible to add one later on?

And the bellow is a little "stiff", the seller mentioned. This is not problematic?

I'm still researching this large format stuff, but a friend photographer adviced looking into graflex. I need to dig deeper into the technical tidbits, I think.

thanks!

Marco - just signed up here

Well a view finder and a rangefinder are very different animals.

The view finder is always on top and gives you an APPROXIMATION of what the camera will see. I never use mine.

A Rangefinder will (when properly adjusted) allow you to focus the camera without looking at the ground glass.

Unless its really cheap, I would find a camera with a working Rangefinder.

Now the bellows are stiff. This isn't a good sign. A stiff bellows means the creases/edges are taking a lot of strain and opening and closing the camera many times while in use will invariably cause pin holes in the corners.

Which model is this camera? Does it have a wood lensboard (Anniversary, or Pre-Anniversary) or a metal lensboard (pacemaker)


les

Here is an image:
http://www.fotoapparatuur.nl/GetImage.asp?id=42711

I've not seen this camera in real life yet, but since it has 3 lenses with it, and the original flash I was interested.
It looks like the anniversary model.
I'm not sure if it should be a rangefinder or viewfinder that is missing.. Might be a viewfinder, by looking at the image (the tubular viewfinder, from the FAQ).

On the 2nd hand site it was actually posted into the "Linhof" section. But AFAIK, Linhof didn't make "Speed Graphic" types, only the "Technica" models.

I am actually used to working with technical cameras, focussing on the ground glass, so I thought the missing "view/range"finder wouldn't be too much of a problem..

Now this bellow issue worries me.. His exact words were (well, translated), "the bellow is hard, but I think okay".. .. hmm??

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mfrissen on 2004-06-10 05:43 ]</font>

The camera is an Anniversary, probably from '41 '42. The lenses are all uncoated. I'm not sure what lens is in the Compur, but the one on the camera is a kodak Anastigmat, the precursor to the Ektar.

Unless the Compur shuttered lens turns out to be a Dagor, the lenses are nothing to get excited about. The photographer that has experience with uncoated lenses can make great images with them. But if this is your first largeformat camera, then I suggest trying to find a later model Crown with a coated lens.

The bellows are dying, there are probably pin holes in there already, and yes it's the viewfinder that's missing. The rangefinder is on the side.

So to wrap up.... three inexpensive lenses, one camera missing parts, will soon be usesless as a shooter if not already, original flash.

I say $100. But you'd probably be better off investing that $100 in another camera.

Now a couple of years ago the flash alone would have fetched $150. But that was then.

ooookay.... thanks for the hints.. I wasn't paying attention to the lens coatings.
Oh, he asked E 550 for it .. which means about $665 ..

I _think_ I am going to look a bit further. The problem is that there are not a lot of graflexes found in this area (except ebay)..
Hmm, I should be more patient I guess.
(not to mention read up more about the different models)