Speed Graphic

Bob Feuerstein brought over these two 4 x 5 cameras today for me to explore and play with. Bob is a graduate of Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara and has made his living as a professional photographer for several decades. He worked in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office for eighteen years and now works for either the city or county of San Diego. He has shot a lot of stuff including forensic work and has a wealth of knowledge.

I am going to get some plates and try to think of some cool shots with the View Graphic. Bob tells me that the Ilex lens, made by Eastman, was very good. The camera has a long bellows that can be adjusted to solve problems of parallax.

These cameras were all built to last and precisely engineered and manufactured. It is a pleasure to hold them. They still appear to be totally functional. Wonder if any modern day nikon or canon can last sixty or seventy years and still look this good?