I've been looking into buying a parts speed or crown to refinish and use as a lightweight field camera, but I shoot mostly verticals and the horizontal back presents a problem.

Is it possible (i.e. do the dimensions allow) to rotate the entire back 90 deg so I can shoot all verticals?

Looking from the front of the camera it seems possible, but then again I am only basing this on what I have seen in pictures-- it's been a while since I've had opportunity to handle one.

Thanks for your help,
--Josh

Quote:

On 2002-01-07 15:39, joshwa wrote: I've been looking into buying a parts speed or crown to refinish and use as a lightweight field camera, but I shoot mostly verticals and the horizontal back presents a problem. Is it possible (i.e. do the dimensions allow) to rotate the entire back 90 deg so I can shoot all verticals? Looking from the front of the camera it seems possible, but then again I am only basing this on what I have seen in pictures-- it's been a while since I've had opportunity to handle one. Thanks for your help, --Josh

No. But you can revolve the entire camera, and with no problems if you're shooting straight ahead.

Cheers, also regrets,

Dan

Just use the screwmount that can be found under the strap on the left side, the strap can be unhooked from either the top or bottom.

the body isn't square, so it won't be an easy modification. The easiest thing to do is to add a spacer, made of wood between both the back and the body. but that would infringe on the shortest lens you could use.

Rotating the camera on it's side mount means you lose the only real usefull movements of the camera--front rise. The drop bed feature becomes uselsess too.
My choice would be the Crown since it has the shortest body to begin with.

Another thing to take into consideration is vignetting: the opening on the back of a Crown is 4" high x 5" wide, so physically relocating the back to the vertical will give you a 4" high image on the negative anyway.