Graflex.org

Henry · Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2004 10:30 pm Post subject:

Today at the Ft. Washington (PA) camera show, I acquired cat. no. 2771, Graflite Clamps, mint in the box, for $3. Guess now I'll be looking for the 2-cell Graflite, Jr., w/5" reflector, and the rangefinder bracket. One thing leads to another in this hobby....

t.r.sanford · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2004 11:22 am Post subject:

Those clamps are another fine example of Graflex's ability to get wonderful results with minimum parts count.

You might want to consider a flashgun that can actuate a solenoid. The three-cell "Graflite" guns do that. An earlier thread on this site reported that there was a two-cell "Graflite" (not the "Jr.") that had the solenoid tripping switch.

Henry · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2004 3:40 pm Post subject:

What would be the advantage of a solenoid, over the built-in flash synch of the Graphex shutter? My Century isn't rigged for a solenoid and I'm not sure I want to go there, unless there's some magic about a solly that I'm unaware of.

t.r.sanford · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2004 4:11 pm Post subject:

The only advantage is that the solenoid can serve as a remote release, using the trip button on the appropriate "Graflite" (or earlier "Graflex") flashgun. Whether that's a great advantage or not depends entirely on how you like to work. The benefit probably is greater with a 4x5, which is bulkier; and mounting a solenoid on a 2x2 board takes some doing (but often has been done).

What I've always valued about the solenoid is that it allows you to mount a flash to the tubular "Graflite" gun, then unclip that gun and hold it anywhere you like while gripping the camera securely with your left hand under the strap. It's easy to trip the shutter with your right hand, even if you're holding the gun over your head.

A neat thing about the Graflex clips is that they not only mate with the appropriate anchor bolted to the Kalart rangefinder (or directly to the right side of the camera), but also with the strap lugs on the left side. This gives you a variety of options for holding the camera and tripping the shutter. In days of yore, some people (a minority, but not insignificant) preferred the tubular flashgun to the strap.

Henry · Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2004 4:26 pm Post subject:

Thanks for pointing out that the clamps will work with the strap lugs. That's an option in case I can't find a proper bracket. Plus, for this old Kodak user, the flash feels better on the left-hand side, and that way it also doubles as a hand-grip.

t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:36 am Post subject:

Right; the flashgun can be a comfortable grip, especially on a "23" where there's not a whole lot of room to get your fingers inside the body, and the relatively light weight of the camera puts less of a premium on holding it as near the center of gravity as possible.

I think there was a more or less ergonomic grip made for the "Century," though I've never seen one.

The difficulty about many brackets is that they tend to rotate around the tripod screw when you're not looking. A bracket with a lip that lies in contact with the front or back of the body and prevents rotation (like the wonderful Heiland/Honeywell brackets for the old "VX Exaktas") is worth looking out for, or constructing.

Henry · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 12:52 am Post subject:

I have a the bracket that came with the Kodak "Standard Flasholder" (c. 1953) that I used with my Pony 135 camera. Fact I still have the flasholder, in good condition, and if I can figure an affordable way to rewire it (bypassing the ASA bayonet) for the bipost I just may shoot a few of my precious stock of bulbs with this flash/bracket attached to the Century. Paramount's price for a custom bayonet-to-bipost cord is a bit steep considering that I only have about 4 dozen bulbs.

But the bracket I was referring to is the one that fastens to the side of the Kalart. If I ever do acquire a Graflite Jr. and the rangefinder bracket I'll do an authentic flash mount on the right side of the Century; otherwise, it'll be the strap lugs.

[ This Message was edited by: Henry on 2004-06-07 17:54 ]

RichS · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 2:26 am Post subject:

If you're looking for the bracket, try Pacific Rim at: http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/
I bought one there a while back and they usually always had them listed along with clamps and flashes. I don't know if the Century used the same bracket though?

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t.r.sanford · Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2004 2:55 am Post subject:

I'm pretty sure the same vertical bracket was used across the entire line. My "Century" came with a Kalart rangefinder, and I had a bracket affixed to it by the Graflex service organization, c. 1962; it is the same bracket that's mounted directly to the side of the top-RF 4x5 "Pacemakers." There are a lot of them around. You sometimes find them mounted to flash brackets for other kinds of camera, e.g. the square-based ones for TLRs, and my favorite "Exakta" brackets.

glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903 Location: S.W. Wyoming

You may want to look for an ASA to PC adapter for your flash. Scarce, but they're out there. PC to household flash cords are plentiful. That would save having to rewire.

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Glenn

"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo"