Folks, I've come up with a couple more questions. I have a late Crown Graphic with the top-mounted rangefinder with a 135mm Optar mounted and a 90mm Optar in a box that came with the camera.

There are two sets of focusing scales on the rails. My understanding is that the closer one is normally for the 90mm, and the further one is for the 135mm. But when I focus with the rangefinder, I find that the nearer scale is the one that is in use. Does this mean that the cam in the rangefinder is the one for the 90mm? There is no additional cam.

Secondly, there's the whozit (synchronizing solenoid?) mounted to the lens board with the 135mm lens. There's a bipost connector which I assume is for the flash synch cable on the lens; but I've read that some folks used the solenoid. How? Why? What cable or connector would one use?

Thanks for the help!

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On 2002-09-27 13:26, wmichaelb wrote: Folks, I've come up with a couple more questions. I have a late Crown Graphic with the top-mounted rangefinder with a 135mm Optar mounted and a 90mm Optar in a box that came with the camera. There are two sets of focusing scales on the rails. My understanding is that the closer one is normally for the 90mm, and the further one is for the 135mm. But when I focus with the rangefinder, I find that the nearer scale is the one that is in use. Does this mean that the cam in the rangefinder is the one for the 90mm? There is no additional cam.

Look at each scale, the distances from infinity to 6 ft should be very different . The shorter one is the 90. Position on the bed means nothing. You can test the cam in the rangefinder by checking the rangefinder against the ground glass. Put the 135 on and focus at about 6 or 8 ft with the rangefinder then look at the ground glass. then focus at 50 ft and check the ground glass. It should be obvious.

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Secondly, there's the whozit (synchronizing solenoid?) mounted to the lens board with the 135mm lens. There's a bipost connector which I assume is for the flash synch cable on the lens; but I've read that some folks used the solenoid. How? Why? What cable or connector would one use?

At first the solenoid was used to sync the flash, later it was used as a remote tripper.... Push the red button on the flash and it trips the shutter, the shutter syncs the flash. You'd need a House hold to Graflex solenoid and a Household to bipost. both are available new at Paramountcords.com

Thanks, Les; I checked, and indeed the nearer focusing scale is the shorter of the two. So, should I begin looking for a 135mm cam for the rangefinder, or ????

If you've checked the range finder against the ground glass with the 135 an found it off, then Yeah I'd start looking.

But there's trouble ahead. 135 lenses weren't exactly 135 they could be a couple of mm longer or shorter. Graflex made many different cams for this focal length and getting the perfect match may be difficult without knowing the exact focal length and that takes some expensive equipment.

On the other hand, as someone just starting out in this I'm finding that I do most of my shooting so far on tripod using the ground glass. Thus, living without the rangefinder would be a viable option, too.

Rob Dean

Folks, I chatted with Fred Lustig, and he claims that he can create a cam for virtually any Graphic lens, if he doesn't already have one. So I'll be packaging up my Crown to send off to him.

Thanks for all your comments.