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4x5 camera info needed.

Started by Dave Shepard, August 03, 2008, 02:58:36 PM

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Dave Shepard

I went to the flea market looking for old tools, and came home with this:






It's a "Baby Wizard", by the Manhattan Optical Co. of N.Y.  Anyone know anything about them?


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

DanG

Wow!  How many megapixels? ;D ::)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Dave Shepard

 :D


It was weird taking a picture of a camera. My digital and bad lighting don't do it justice.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Tom

I have used a Graphflex when I was working for the newspaper.  4x5's are "do anything" cameras in my opinion.  If you learn to use it, you will never be without it.

The large format produces exceptionally sharp photos and the lens were usually pristine.   Great for portrait work, copy work and photos of groups.  where they really excell is in architecture work.  The Bellows can be twisted, which puts the lens in a different plane than the film.  That lets you point the camer up at a tall building but straighten out the perspective of converging lines.

They used to be used for sports and everything, but, now there are better cameras for that.

If you have film holders for it, take care of them so that they don't leak light.  4x5 film (I prefer black and white) is still readily available.

Dave Shepard

I know what you are talking about regarding twisting the bellows, but I don't see an adjustment for that. How do you know what you are going to take a picture of, and how do you know if you are in focus?

I think this camera was mis handled, and recently. The lense and shutter systemare mounted on a little piece of wood, which is held in by a clip. The bottom of the piece of wood is broken, and unfortunately, missing. I'm sure I could repair it. I don't know if I'll try to use it any time soon. I'll probably take it in to the camera shop for them to check out, and see what they think.  :)

There is also a sticker saying who the camera belonged to, and that he died in 1903, and that his brother Fred gave it to the person who made the sticker.


Dave
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

StorminN

Dave,

Those brass thumbscrews on the left side of the front of the camera might allow you to adjust the front plate like Tom's saying... it's hard to tell from the pic if this camera allows that sort of movement or not. At the center bottom of the front there might be an adjustment for left / right swing, too.

I'm not familiar with this particular make of 4x5, but like Tom said, they are versatile... you can shoot all sorts of film. I still have my Graflex Crown Graphic, and one of my favorite films to shoot is Polaroid Type 55, which is a black & white positive / negative film... meaning every time you take a shot, you get both a negative and a positive print, and because it's Polaroid, you get them in 60 seconds... pretty cool. I heard recently that Polaroid was going to discontinue all their instant films, and that's a shame. I use this camera & film when I travel in the remote highlands of Mexico, and the natives still get a kick out of seeing themselves on a print, nearly instantly.

-Norm.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

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