Graflex.org

clnfrd · Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 9:16 pm Post subject:

On a more serious note, I purchased a Century Graphic in 1951 with the Graftar 103mm lens and took all the home room photos with it for our high school yearbook. (I was a Junior). The problem I noticed was thet the corners were fuzzy and showed some astigmatism when I shot indoor photos of the choir with electronic flash...wide-open lens and slow shutter speed. The distortion wasn't helped by the fact that I made the 8"X10"s with a cheap Kodak Cold-light Hobbyist Enlarger. I shot Tri-X cut film or film packs. Fred.

Henry · Posted: Thu May 10, 2007 12:17 am Post subject:

Mm, I think the key phrase here is "wide-open lens." I've not used the Graftar that way; the little shooting I've done with it has been outdoors, stopped down 2-3 stops. I haven't tried making 8x10s, though. That might reveal the same problem that you found.

Doug Kerr · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 177 Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Hi, Fred,

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682 Location: Detroit, MI

The 103 Graftar was Graflex economy three element lens, I think in the SVS Prontor shutter. (It Might be the Graflar in the SVS) Both of these were cheap lenses, that while capable of sharp images stop down, simply did not deliver wide open.
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troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

103mm Graftar in Century shutter
Triplet: economy entry level lens
103mm Trioptar in Century shutter
Triplet: economy entry level lens
But a capable performer and good stopped down
103mm Graflar in SVS Prontor shutter
Triplet: This would also be consisdered entry level but produces
sharper images than the above.
Coverage for all these is about the same. All will cover 6x9 well at f~16
Opened up they will fall off in the corners. I don't know the exact stats for angle of coverage or image circle for the triplets, but guesstimate them to be close to the 62 degrees of the tessar formulas.
I've had good useable images from all three lenses, but ditched the Graftar long ago in favor of the 101 tessars, kept the Trioptar for a light backpacking lens, and haven't decided what I will do with the Gralfar but wil probably keep it with the "Special" camera. It did impress me as a very sharp lens, so maybe ya'll got me interested in it...

Doug Kerr · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 177 Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Hi, Les,

troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

I think the Century and Small Alphax shutters are somewhat like the Graphex and Rapax line from Wollensak. They simply put a different nameplate ring on the Century and Graphex for Gralfex production purchases as requested etc...
Same shutter, only the name was changed, and most say Manufactured by Wollensak anyway.
The only thing I have noticed is that changes to the internal parts were made over the years so that early parts are not always interchangeable.
The Wollensak shutters are certainly easier to service than anything Prontor.

Henry · Posted: Fri May 11, 2007 3:19 pm Post subject:

I think that's correct that the Century shutter was made by Wollensak, it says so right on the front, but it bears little resemblance to the various Wolly-Graphex shutters (#1-2-3) that I own.For one thing it's self-cocking, for another it has no pre-focus lever, and it's a "Synchromatic," meaning that you don't have to move a lever from "Off" to X, M, or F, but the synch is color-keyed to shutter speeds (red M: 1/10, 1/25; green F: 1/50, 1/100; black X: 1/200). It is a very well made, reliable, and positive-acting little piece of machinery and real handy to use in the field. If the lens coverage were better I'd be using it a whole lot more!

Doug Kerr · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 177 Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Hi, Henry,

troublemaker · Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 715 Location: So Cal

If one dissassembles the Century shutter there in lies the similarities.
The parts however are not as finely finished and fitted as the higher end Wollensak shutters, and thus looser fitting. Not necessarilly a bad thing as it is less affected by dirt and gumming. The springs are strong and last, and because of this they tend to retain accuracy within very useable ranges without major maintenance. The cocking and retard mechansims are much simpler. Of the dozen or so that I have had my hands on, only one I used extensively for while in the field (and still use), had to be torn down to repair and replace parts. OF those that came on cameras, most recently a Century shutter on a Graphic 22 TLR, after sitting for years and probably never being serviced, makes great exposures as metered. Thus I consider them great knock around and user friendly devices.
While there are definitive manufacturing similarities between the Century and Graphex/Rapax shutters, I wouldn't go any farther than saying they both came from Wollensak. Apples and oranges...