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Adding front tilt to Anniversary speed Graphic

 
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kurageart



Joined: 02 Jul 2017
Posts: 4
Location: Italy

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:17 pm    Post subject: Adding front tilt to Anniversary speed Graphic Reply with quote

Hi, I'm willing to add a front tilt control movement to my anniversary speed graphic. So far I came to 3 solutions:

Getting the front standard from a super speed- super graphic and adapting it to my camera

Modifying the anniversary speed graphic in this way: https://stufftotalkabout.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/adding-tilt-to-a-speed-graphic/

Making one from scratch (metal - 3d printed abs? ).

I'm still evaluating, If possible, I would like not to mod the existing front, for preservation reasons, and, beside that, the solution proposed by that blog doesen't seems so strong-stable to me.

Thoughs? Experiences?
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Sjixxxy



Joined: 27 Apr 2004
Posts: 109
Location: Midwest US

PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I added front tilt to my Anniversary by using the front standard from a Pacemaker speed graphic. There are photos of the modified speed graphic on my website right here.

I did this about six years ago, so some of the caveats are a bit hazy. I mounted the standard backward to give it front tilt, and I think I might have had to replace the focusing rails with the rails from the pacemaker as well. But it works great and you get the bonus of being able to use multiple folding infinity stops.
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IanG



Joined: 04 Aug 2006
Posts: 74
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The front standard from a Super Graphic has front (and rear) tilt, with a little work (well heavy grinding) it fit's a Pacemaker, as well as pre or Anniversary Speed Graphic. I've posted images here showing this in the past.

While I now have a great front standard that will work on any 5x4 Spped 9orCrown) Graphic I've yet to get around to making my 6x17/5x4 project camera, based on Graflex spare parts - that I already have. So no good cameras destroyed in the process

Ian
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miket-nyc



Joined: 18 Apr 2018
Posts: 39
Location: NYC

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:25 am    Post subject: Re: Adding front tilt to Anniversary speed Graphic Reply with quote

kurageart wrote:
Hi, I'm willing to add a front tilt control movement to my anniversary speed graphic. So far I came to 3 solutions:

Getting the front standard from a super speed- super graphic and adapting it to my camera

Modifying the anniversary speed graphic in this way: https://stufftotalkabout.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/adding-tilt-to-a-speed-graphic/

Making one from scratch (metal - 3d printed abs? ).

I'm still evaluating, If possible, I would like not to mod the existing front, for preservation reasons, and, beside that, the solution proposed by that blog doesen't seems so strong-stable to me.

Thoughs? Experiences?


The post from wordpress.com about modifying the front standard is an extremely exciting idea, and I'd like to try a modification of it. I recently bought a Miniature Speed Graphic, and I'd been wondering whether I should have bought a Century or a Pacemaker instead to get movements.

I also have a second Mini that I'm cannibalizing to fix up the one I'm going to use. So I have a second front standard and wouldn't be ruining the existing camera if I want to modify one. Doing this makes more sense than trying to find a Pacemaker front standard, because 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Pacemakers seem less common than in 4 x 5 ones (and I'm not even sure that a Pacemaker and a Mini front standard would interchange).

But there are several changes I'd like to do to make it more practical and keep the front standard from being weaker after you remove part of its vertical tracks, as this article explains. First, I wouldn't cut away both sides of the vertical tracks from top to bottom, as the author of the Wordpress post did. This essentially gave his Anniversary total tilting ability like a field camera but also made it hard to use it as a handheld camera again. I want to use mine handheld most of the time, so I think I will cut away opposite sides on the top and bottom of the tracks. This would give you forward tilt OR backward tilt rather than both, and it would also give you a stopping point to return the front standard to the neutral position. There's no absolute need for forward and backward tilt, because the camera has a tripod socket on the side as well as the bottom, and you can always use that to mount it upside-down on a tripod.

Second, the front standard of Minis (and probably Anniversaries) is made of brass, which can be soldered easily. So I think I would solder metal to the sides of the standard to make them thicker and compensate for cutting some away. Spring steel would be better for this than than brass (though more difficult if you have to make a slot in for the rising front). The case has plenty of room around the front standard, so a little extra width is not a problem, but the locking nut for the front standard would hit the rangefinder lever if it sticks out much more. The solution is to modify the locking nut. I will also use TIX solder for this, which is the strongest soft solder but has a melting point not much higher than boiling water, so soldering metal with it doesn't affect the temper of the metal.

I've also been wondering which DIRECTION of tilting would be the most useful if you can only have one. I know the Pacemaker front standard tilts backward, but a Pacemaker owner can drop the bed and instantly turn it into a forward tilt, rather than having to turn the camera upside-down. Forward tilt would be more useful for depth of field in landscapes -- there may be photos where backward tilt is especially useful, but it's not obvious what they are. And tilting the front standard backwards without raising it could interfere with the front standard lock. However, if you're tilting the lens, you should be able to slide it in the same direction to keep the negative in the lens's image, and the Mini can only shift it up.

I haven't really decided on any of these things yet, just toying with them.
Comments would be appreciated.
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Dan Fromm



Joined: 14 May 2001
Posts: 2119
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 2:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Adding front tilt to Anniversary speed Graphic Reply with quote

miket-nyc wrote:


I've also been wondering which DIRECTION of tilting would be the most useful if you can only have one. I know the Pacemaker front standard tilts backward, but a Pacemaker owner can drop the bed and instantly turn it into a forward tilt, rather than having to turn the camera upside-down. Forward tilt would be more useful for depth of field in landscapes -- there may be photos where backward tilt is especially useful, but it's not obvious what they are. And tilting the front standard backwards without raising it could interfere with the front standard lock. However, if you're tilting the lens, you should be able to slide it in the same direction to keep the negative in the lens's image, and the Mini can only shift it up.


This is true but highly misleading. Using dropped bed and rear tilt to get forward tilt works for a narrow range of focal lengths and focused distances.

IMO the only useful movement that Pacemaker and earlier Graphics have is front rise. If you want what a technical or a view camera will do, get one.

But if you want to tinker for the joy of tinkering, go ahead and have fun.
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miket-nyc



Joined: 18 Apr 2018
Posts: 39
Location: NYC

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Adding front tilt to Anniversary speed Graphic Reply with quote

Dan Fromm wrote:
miket-nyc wrote:


I've also been wondering which DIRECTION of tilting would be the most useful if you can only have one. I know the Pacemaker front standard tilts backward, but a Pacemaker owner can drop the bed and instantly turn it into a forward tilt, rather than having to turn the camera upside-down. Forward tilt would be more useful for depth of field in landscapes -- there may be photos where backward tilt is especially useful, but it's not obvious what they are. And tilting the front standard backwards without raising it could interfere with the front standard lock. However, if you're tilting the lens, you should be able to slide it in the same direction to keep the negative in the lens's image, and the Mini can only shift it up.


This is true but highly misleading. Using dropped bed and rear tilt to get forward tilt works for a narrow range of focal lengths and focused distances.

IMO the only useful movement that Pacemaker and earlier Graphics have is front rise. If you want what a technical or a view camera will do, get one.

But if you want to tinker for the joy of tinkering, go ahead and have fun.


Well, I DO want to tinker, but I want my tinkering to be useful tinkering. It sounds like, if I'm going to limit myself to front tilt in only one direction, it should be a down tilt, rather than the up tilt of the Pacemaker.

In terms of "technical or view camera," I've already got two of them: a 4x5 monorail and a 4x5 field camera (made [not very well] in India). Both are so large and non-portable that I haven't used them in years. That's why I want something small and handheld, but with some useful movements.
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Dan Fromm



Joined: 14 May 2001
Posts: 2119
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Look into Horseman 6x9 technical cameras.
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