I have found various references to "Big Bertha", a Graphic with a long lens and extra supports for use as a "telephoto" image maker. I have not found any references as to how one was built. I would guess it would take more than just a support system... you'd have to extend the belows somehow as well. Anybody know how it was done?

A little information can be found by searching Google for Big Bertha Lens. Apparenty some Home Portrait cameras, ref. page 394 of Graphic Graflex Photography indicate this. I am sure someone on this board can give you the full story. Russ

In the begining there wer several variations. The Detroit Free Press claims to have built the first one, but I can't find a link to the page they had a year or more ago. If anybody can scan the pic of a later model in nearly any edition of Grafic Graflex Photography, it would help.

In the mean time, take a Home Portrait Graflex, strip the bellows. Add a plank to the bottom about 3-4 feet long. Mount you 20-40" Dallmeyer Tele on this plank with a lever to move the lens in and out for focus. Now cover the necessary parts in sheet metal, and add a couple of stops for the focus shift lever (this lever is big, as in 6-8" long)

A good photographer shooting base ball would have a focus stop set up for first base and second base, home may be minimum focus. This way no matter what was going on in the infield, he (and it was always a "He" ) could rapid focus to the proper stop and fire, pretty much without thinking. If it was a really hot shot, near the deadline, he could have a runner run just that holder back to the lab while he stayed till the end of the game.

It goes without saying, these things weighed a ton and were mounted on very heavy tripods or special mounts fixed into the building.

My local library had documentary set up on the kids' computer about FDR. In it there's a wonderfull overall shot of the crowd, FDR at the podium on the left and on the right a raised diaz filled with at least 4 big berthas.

Now the paper regulalry cropped the image, but if they didn't a 40" lens on 5x7 is equal to roughly a 200mm on a 35mm camera.

I have it scanned, but do not know how to post a jpeg. Russ

Can you send it to me?

lnphoto@twmi.rr.com

Yep..Russ

Get invalid Recipient when I try to send mail to the address you gave me. Russ

try LNphoto@twmi.rr.com

Here's one from George Eastman House


Hes's a couple more from Corbis/Bettman archive.

..


_________________
"In order to invent, you need a good imagination and a lot of junk" Thomas Edison


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2002-03-01 17:38 ]</font>