Graflex.org

[maericks]

I'm considering purchasing a Century Graphic with a 103/4.5 Graftar lens. From what I read here and at other sites, the Graftar isn't such a great lens. How is the Graftar bad? Soft in the corners? Soft everywhere? Chromatic abberation? Light falloff?

I'm also interested to find out what size slip on adapter fits a Graftar.

Thanks in advance for any answers....

[Henry]

The Graftar is a triplet, and as such is certainly nowhere as useful as the Optar (a four-element Tessar-type) when it comes to coverage; so your use of front rise will be limited with the Graftar. But otherwise, for straight-ahead shooting, the Graftar is sharp enough, and for hand-held use it's handier than the Optar in Graphex because the shutter is self-cocking. The 103 Graftar takes a 31.5 mm (1-1/4 inch) slip ring in series VI.

My Century came with the Graftar. I wouldn't buy or NOT buy the Century on this basis, because you can always pick up an Optar or equivalent as you develop your kit. In my case, the Century had the Kalart, and I later added an optical viewfinder, acquired three Optars (65, 101, 203), and eventually compiled a complete set of slip rings and series VI filters, plus a few rollfilm backs. Collecting this stuff, for me, is part of the fun of owning a Graphic camera!