Watch for my Speed Graphic on C-SPAN! :)

Oops! I forgot to add the link to the House hearing: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00JvoT

And the link to the C-SPAN schedule page: http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/fullschedule.csp?timeid=212038173436

That's hysterical. I bet a lot of the photogs are too young to even know what a Speed Graphic is, and probably wonder how many FPS it can shoot, whether it's shutter or aperture priority, and how the AF works!

Hmmm, it's aperture priority (since the shutter speed isn't too accurate).

Let's see, with a Grafmatic I can shoot over 1.0 fps... Which is faster than a brand new, super-duper PhaseOne P45+! And, I have *Twelve* Grafmatics already loaded with TMX and TMY.

Incidentally, the rangefinder is calibrated to the 135mm Graphex lens, but the shutter's flash contacts are dodgy at best. I can also slide the focusing scale on the bed a few tenths of an inch and use my 127mm lens & shutter instead. [And No, the lenses will NOT interchange in the shutters.] For flash shots, I use my Norman 200B set at half power (100 w/sec), for battery life.

Last March, I shot my cousin's Bar Mitzvah with it -- See: http://users.snip.net/~joe/austin/index.htm

very cool, thanks for sharing and thank you for the links on Burnett,

Faster than $30,000+ of new monster digital camera, and image quality could surely hold its own even in a huge print as well.

thanks Ray

"... Also, check out my humorous home page: http://tinyurl.com/8x4po ..."

I can't believe how miserably I flunked the Gore-Unibomber Quiz. What an eye-opener!

That quiz, inspired by a column by Tony Snow, is at least seven years old; but I still keep it up as I still get replies like yours!

I use my 1969 Polaroid pack film camera at weddings. So much fun! People love having their pictures taken. Also, they assume that if something has a bellows it must be really expensive.

Great work!

all that and no shutter lag, congrats.

Well, almost no shutter lag per se: I removed the pneumatic shutter actuator, which is needed for flashbulbs...

i have a restored Crown Graphic that I bought from fred Lustig. It has new bellows and focusing rails. He's the guy to contact if you need any repairs or parts. He's knowledgable and really nice.

Fred Lustig 4790 Caughlin Pkwy #433 Reno, NV 89509 phone (775) 746-0111 (Pacific time zone, daytime only)

I've heard of Fred Lustig; and as I understand he does good work. I have bids in on a couple on ebay; but if not, I may just go ahead and send it to him.

OK, I just heard from David Burnett, the photographer who inspired this project. He gave me some extremely valuable advice for shooting Congressional hearings:

I'll keep y'all posted...

Incidentally, here is the lineup of lenses I have for my Mamiya 645AFd:

Well, the I-95 Corridor got hit with a nasty Nor'easter ice storm. When I went outside to clean off the van getting ready for the 140 mile drive, I slipped and fell twice... And that was BEFORE loading the 50 pounds of gear in my rolling toolbox case into the van.

Then, I came back in and called the House Committee number one more time; and was *still* getting an answering machine; so at that point, looking at all the ice and listening to the traffic reports (such as the NJ Turnpike having a 35 MPH speed limit), I decided to throw in the towel on this adventure.

The good news: I'll be seeing my sweetie tonight after all... And No, I will NOT post any pictures of us tonight! :)

Here are two additional links from the NYTimes about David Burnett:
Which Camera Does This Pro Use? It Depends on the Shot
Two minute movie of Burnett on the 2004 campaign trail.

This guy is The Real Deal! :)