Posted by Leigh L. Klotz, Jr. on October 19, 2000 at 15:25:18:
In Reply to: Need advise on purchase of 4x5 Speed Graphic posted by Kent on October 19, 2000 at 14:50:33:
This is a very pretty camera. The Kalart was
almost certainly added to it, but probably
by the original owner so it's reasonable. I'd
say that if you're interested in a collectable,
pay what you can afford. As a user camera,
thoughm, the Pacemaker series (and for some
the Super series) are superior cameras, and
should sell for less when not in mint/exc
condition.
What follows below is for user cameras; for
collectibles, it's much more subjective
and it's just a matter between you and your wallet (or in my case,
between me and my wife).
The Tessar is a fine lens, though you may want
something wider. You might want to read about
the lenses in the "lenses" section under the
Speed Graphic FAQ on this site.
For a user camera, I wouldn't get too attached to
any one camera before buying it, though.
Personally I prefer the Ektar Tessar lenses to
the Zeiss.
I like the 127mm even though it was designed
to cover 3-1/4x4-1/4, but to each his/her own.
A very large number of Speed Graphics had the
Kalart RF. I think it's better than the
Hugo Meyer or none, but still it's not an
indication of rarity that you can buy one for
$60. It just means that they're expensive as
spare parts.