Re: MicroPress 4x5 question

"Max Perl" <max_perl@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:472a57df$0$2083$edfadb0f@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On the MPP MicroPress 4x5 camera there is a FRONT <-> BACK 
> switch. It seems to be locked in the FRONT position but 
> the FP shutter works fine
> in this position and I am not able to move the switch to 
> the BACK position. Anybody knows the secret behind this 
> switch?
>
> The camera came with a Xenar 135/4.7 lens. Is this an OK 
> performer?
>
> I think I have the International Back version. What does 
> this mean? ....that many suppliers of rollfilm backs can 
> be used on the camera? ....e.g. a Horseman 6x9 back?
>
> Max
   Left out the Xenar. This lens is of the Tessar type. They 
can be very good, as are the Xenars in Rolleiflex/Rolleicord 
cameras. I have had only one of the 135mm/f/47 lenses to 
check, it was on a late 1950's Speed Graphic. This lens had 
excessive smearing at the corners, probably oblique 
spherical aberration which is inherent in the Tessar type, 
but I am not sure. Like the Wollensak lenses for the Graphic 
cameras it had to be stopped down too far to get the corners 
sharp. This may have been a dog. You can test for this 
easily by focusing the camera on a distant small, bright, 
object or highlight at the corner of the frame. Its normal 
for a Tessar type lens to smear such highlights when wide 
open but the smear should be mostly gone by about f/8 and 
completely gone at f/11. The old Wollensak Raptar has a 
little left even at f/32. Both the Kodak Ektar and Zeiss 
Tessar are clean at f/8 to f/11. This lens should be about 
the same if its a good one.
   Previous to WW-2 Schneider did not have a good reputation 
for consistency, after the war the company turned this 
around and began to make excellent lenses and have quite 
good quality control.
   I don't know much about MPP except that they made a good 
clone of the Linhof Technika.
   The "international" back is a copy of the Graflok back 
originally designed by Graflex for the Speed and Crown 
Graphic cameras. This back takes standard Graphic type film 
holders but also takes a wide variety of accessories because 
the ground glass spring panel can be removed easily. It has 
two sliding strips to hold the accessory in place. Without 
the spring back the it looks like the older Graflex back as 
used on the Graflex SLR cameras but the dimentions are 
differnent and the lock strip position is reversed from the 
Graphic type back so the Graflok or International or 
Universal back will not take Graflex holders or accessories. 
Almost all roll film adaptors and other accesories made 
after about the mid 1950's fit the Graflok/International 
type back.
   I repeat in case my first post got lost, that the slide 
switch for the shutters probably needs to be pushed in a bit 
to unlock it.


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@[EMAIL PROTECTED]