Hi - I'm a UK photographer who has just bought a Speed Graphic from the US, and I need your valuable help! The camera has a wind-up shutter tensioner behinf the Hugo Meyer rangefinder (non-working) on the right hand side. There is a shutter release below the rangefinder. The serial number is 448505.
I pressed the shutter release once and heard what I supposed was the rear curtain moving as the lever was set to back. I then set the lever to front and confirmed that the lens shutter fired, but when I tried to move the lever to back again, it would not budge - I dont like to force it, have I done something wrong? Also, the bakelite ring around the viewfinder was broken - does anyone know where I can get a new one (the camera has a 127mm lens)?
One last thing - when I open the front, is it OK to press on both the front standards to move the lens onto the front section of track, or should I be pressing some button first?

Thanks for your help,
Neil.

The shutter release lever has a stop to prevent accidental switching to focal plane from leaf. Press inward on the lever then slide it up to the focal plane position.

Next the front standard should have what looks like a ring under the lens board mount just above the bed that will be either to the left or right. Move it to the center and pull the standard out to the infinity stops or wherever, then return it to the left or right.

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While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a quality photograph is worth a million.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2002-06-05 12:09 ]</font>

Thanks for that - got me sorted out on those points. Others are raising their heads, though....

Regards,
Neil.

If other points didn't pop up, we wouldn't have a website !