Re: MicroPress 4x5 question

"Richard Knoppow" <dickburk@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> skrev i en meddelelse 
news:13in19c8sp0le44@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "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.
>
>
The BACK - FRONT switch seems to be stocked. It could
look as it was locked from the factory as I have difficult to see
what the purpose is if it could be set at the BACK position. It
is not possible to push it either.
The camera could be from about 1960 and I guess the Xenar
followed the camera. It has a "modern" shutter....Compur Rapid
which has 1/400 sec. as fastest exposure time. So maybe I am
lucky that the lens is OK. I have only tried one Xenar which was
on a Rollei 35 camera. This lens was very good. Able to make
very sharp Chromes.