"Miniature" Press Cameras

[luisalegria]

I recently picked up a few Speed Graphics and a Busch Pressman in poor condition and with no lenses (hence very cheap). I want to do some 6x9 work with various lenses, and to properly use my Zeiss Biotessar 2.8/16.5cm on 6x9. That last will require a modified 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 (refitted with 6x9 back) with focal plane shutter for best results. I do not want to butcher my all-original Speed Graphic or mess with its rangefinder, so for Frankenstein work I wanted some "dead bodies".

I've spent a couple of weeks working on these, and so far I have restored two of the smaller ones to operational condition -

Miniature Speed Graphic - This was "Miniature" because it was a 6x9 format camera, actually designated 2 1/4"x3 1/4". This seems to be an original version made some time between 1939-1946, but probably either 1939-42 or 1945-46, and I think its later because of the version of the Kalart rangefinder. As its name says, its just a scaled down version of the standard 4x5 or 3 1/4x 41/4 Speed Graphics. This was designed with a spring back, i.e. a groundglass on springs behind which one inserted sheet film or film pack holders. This design made it impossible to use most roll film backs, so it was soon redesigned.

I got this with a jammed focal plane shutter that blocked the back; someone also half-trashed the mechanism trying to fix it apparently. It was also missing a back and had no lens. Its in quite good shape otherwise, and the Kalart rangefinder is fully functional and very clean. The only thing still missing is the rear peep sight for the sports finder.

I fixed the shutter (fortunately there was nothing wrong with the curtains), note my brass screws holding down the access plate. I built a Graflok back for it out of wood and brass, so now it will take all standard 6x9 film holders. I also made a groundglass back using an old Graflex film pack holder. These cameras will take nearly any lens that one can mount on a simple wooden lensboard; this one is shown with a Zeiss 4.5/15cm on a Compur shutter on a lensboard I made. I have several more lenses I am mounting on these boards, including lenses in barrel, which are usable because of the focal plane shutter. I would like to use my Elgeet 10", Bausch&Lomb 8", B&L 162mm, Wollensak 90/135/162mm, Ektar 203mm, etc.















The other is an early Miniature Busch Pressman. Busch of Chicago seems to have introduced their line of press cameras to compete with Graflex in 1942, because Graflex was completely committed to war production and was not selling civilian cameras. Mine is I think one of the first Busch cameras, as it matches exactly ads from 1942-43.

The Busch Pressman was in many ways a direct copy of the Graphics, differing mostly in lacking a focal plane shutter. They were sold with different finders and with or without Kalart rangefinders. Based on what I see on the one I have, the first Busch Pressman was quite inferior in quality to the Graflex cameras, with fewer machined brass parts and more stamped metal, poor chrome, cheap bellows etc. This makes sense as it was certainly a "substitute" wartime product. Later post-war Busch cameras were extremely well made, arguably better than Graflex.

I got mine missing a back, with rotten bellows and strap, peeling leather, flaking chrome and rust. No lens. I built a Graflok back, found a cheap Speed Graphic replacement bellows (which is a bit too short as the Pressman took a longer bellows) and cleaned it up as best I could, replacing some parts with brass pieces and the strap with a new leather one. The rangefinder is missing a part of the arm, so I still need to find a solution to that problem. It works fine though with scale focus or groundglass, and because this thing has much more front standard movements than a Speed Graphic, its best used as a sort of mini view camera. One mistake I made on this is I made the Graflok back a bit too deep, making it difficult to use movements at infinity with a 105mm lens.

The lens on this is a Steinheil Cassar 3.8/105 in Prontor II shutter from a defective Franka Rollfix. I also have a Kodak Anastigmat 4.5/105 Tessar-type in Supermatic shutter, Schneider Radionar in Prontor, and of course whatever other lenses I can put on these small lensboards.

[tuananhmap]

Oh my god It's so hard to bearth why it so beautiful ....i wish

[mo]

Have you used them yet? I take my hat off to your restoration skills and abilities
What sort of parts do you look for if I come across any in my travels?

[womble]

Beautiful work. Congratulations on a really well executed project.

K.

[fish4570]

that is some serious industrial art ...

[Attila]

[LucisPictor]

Amazing! Amazing what they called "miniature" those days.
And amazing that they shot so many great images with cams like these.

[kansalliskala]

They look really fine!

One thing I don't understand is how do you focus these cameras with a sports finder? Is the Range Finder coupled to the bellows mechanism and below is a knob with a scale like on TLR:s?

[luisalegria]

The Sports finder is meant for use with the "Normal" lens provided; on these 6x9's it was usually a 105mm.

One would usually find the range with the rangefinder and then switch to the sports finder or optical finder, whichever was desired for framing.

There is a focusing scale on the bed, not seen in my photos, for use when the situation is one where an estimated range is acceptable. If the lens is properly adjusted for infinity (by setting the infinity stops), the scale should be accurate for the "normal" FL lens.

When a non-normal lens is mounted (any FL other than 105mm on these), the scale will be wrong. Replacement scales were available for Speed Graphics for other FL's. The Kalart rangefinders can be adjusted to other FL's also, but this is a rather tedious job and the range of FL's that can practically be used with the RF is limited.

It is normal to set the RF for a "normal" and focus all non-normal lenses on the groundglass.

[darosk]

C'est si beau! Beautiful