Hi

I am new to medium format photography and have the following questions:

1) I have a Galvin 6x9 view camera that I like very much and would like to double up as an enlarger. Has anyone used the Graflarger backs made by Graflex for 6x9 Graflok style backs? Opinions? They are pretty rare and pricey ($125 IS above my student budget!) so I would like to know the bad points beforehand.

2) I would also like to know if there is a Polaroid back available for this camera.

I have enjoyed the camera a lot in the short time i have had it, and have the following tips for others on a shoe-string budget like me:

1) I picked up a free swatch of LEE gel-filters at the LEE booth at a photo show & thus got the use of the 400+ filters in there as they more than cover my tiny Zeiss-Jena Tessar 105mm lens! You can also get the swatch-book by going to their web-site.

2) Looking for a lens-hood/filter holder, I found a pair of tapered 6x9 bellows on an old polaroid camera used for taking pictures of an oscilloscope screen, and converted it into quite a useable lens shade! I used 32mm O-rings that slip snuggly on and off the outside rim of the lens to mount the bellows to the lens. I have since seen such bellows in some antique shops too.

Thanks in advance,

Pradeep

-- Pradeep Sarin (sarin@mit.edu), September 08, 1999

Answers

I seem to recall seeing a 6x9 Graflarger back on eBay some time ago. (The 4x5 backs seem to be a little more common.) I would assume that they are available somewhere. As for the Polaroid, I don't think I've ever seen a back designed for a 6x9 graflock. I'm curious to know if anyone else has.

-- Adam DeKraker (adam.dekraker@wmich.edu), September 08, 1999.

I have a 4x5 graflarger back; it works (even with variable contrast paper, altho the contrast values are different). In years of looking, I have never seen a 2x3 graflok polaroid back

-- John Lehman (ffjal@uaf.edu), September 08, 1999.

Jim Galvin, (916) 44- 5841, can mount a Polaroid 405 holder on a rear board for you. He charges about $75, I think, and the 405 holder is another $75 at B&H. Perhaps steep for your student budget, but there it is. Of course he can also make lens board adapters, recessed boards, etc. BTW, I found that the stability of the camera was greatly improved by adding a bit of brass shim stock between the rail clamp and the focusing track. You don't have to tighten the locking knob so tight. njb

-- Nacio Brown (njb@sirius.com), September 10, 1999.