When using a 4 x 5 camera, use a strobe or studio flash to take indoor photos. Learn how to use the flash port of a Speed Graphic large format 4 x 5 camera in this free camera lesson from a professional photographer.
Expert: Anthony Maddaloni
Contact: www.maddaloniphoto.blogspot.com
Bio: Anthony Maddaloni is a professional photographer from Austin, Texas.
Filmmaker: MAKE | MEDIA
Its a lie to say the bulbs they were using were extremely powerfull. Because of the way a bulb works, at certain shutters speeds the guide number was reletively low. Bulbs burn for a compartively long time and shutter speed actually affects power output. Many used focal plane type bubls which have chemistries that retard their burn rate to extend the burn time so that they work with the large focal plane shutters on the speed graphics. this reduced peak intensity. You over simplify.
Polybun 2 years ago
It works both ways depending. If you slow the shutter down to 1/30th of a second and fire the bulb at the same time the shutter starts to open you get reasonably even lighting. This is the way early systems work. A sync port on the shutter isn't needed. Later, they did allow for the button to only operate the solenoid, while the pc sync cable came back from the shutter to fire the bulb.
Polybun 2 years ago
Great set of videos for 4x5 photography.
Can anyone recommend at camera tech repair shop that can add a PC port to a lens that never had a flash port?
superspeedG 3 years ago
Old-school flash bulbs are typically attached to a speed graphic via a solenoid that triggers the shutter from the flash itself. I'm not sure if the pc port would work for a flash bulb because the delay time needed is different then a strobe.
djacobox372 3 years ago