Upon visiting a neighboring city's camera shop today, I noticed a Grafflex Crown Graphic 4x5 for sale, 7 4x5 holders, 1 120mm holder, rangefinder, flash and replacement bulbs, and a 4.5 101mm lens all included for $50. Am I crazy, or is this a ridiculous steal?

Other than light leaks, what signs of defects should I look for and what questions should I ask before grabbing this thing? A good toy for a novice to start with (at this price, anyway)?

Oh that's a fantastic deal, go for it

Check the holders make sure they're in good condition and have the darkslides and that they fit. Check the lenses for fungus and that the shutter operates on multiple speeds, and the aperture blades are clean and move freely.

Also, read this: http://filmphotogr...rmat-primer-part-i

Assuming that it is in decent shape, that's a fantastic price. Hell, so long as the bellows are light tight, who cares what condition the lens is in.. it is still worth it even if you have to replace the lens.

A Crown Graphic was my first 4x5 and once in a while I want to buy another one. It is a hell of a lot of fun to run around in a protest shooting it handheld.
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I think the Graflex cameras are the perfect 4x5 rigs to get started in large format. Cheap, uncomplicated. Not much in the way of movements whatsoever, though they do have some.

And a 4.5 lens on a 4x5 is awesome if you like bokeh. Super shallow DoF possible.

Hell, the price is worth it if only for the 4x5 holders alone.

If the lens is a 101mm (which I've never heard of), it might not be sync'd to the rangefinder. Normally they are 127mm Ektars or 135mm Optars, but there could have been others over the years. Ask if it is synced to the rangefinder.

The main limitation to the Crowns, besides movements, is that you're a little limited in the lenses you can mount to them. But there are some really nice classic lenses out there for them.

Thanks for the input, fellas. I was hoping both of you would be able to weigh in—pretty much confirming a lot of my thoughts on it.

I can't remember who the lens manufacturer was, but I'll look into it. The holders and their slides looked great and the inclusion of the 120mm back was fantastic to find. If everything looks safe and functional, I think I'll be treating myself to a Christmas present. I'm so excited with the prospect of going bigger (even despite the square-like aspect ratio)!

There's also a dude in the neighborhood who's trying to sell his Hasselblad 500C and 50mm f/4.0, which would be fantastic, but I don't have $600 sitting around.

That's an incredible steal, assuming the bellows are light tight as mentioned. I haven't seen one around the shops here in Toronto for under $300, and that's without any of the bonus bits you're getting. If it's all in decent condition you can't afford NOT to have it!

I'm crossing my fingers my dad will finally be willing to let me take one of his 4x5 cameras with me when I visit for Christmas.

Hope it goes well when you go back to take another look, and if you get it that you'll post some scans.

Well, I called and it sounds like somebody snagged it already. Damn. Should have bought it when I saw it and investigated later.

Thanks again, though, friends. Now I know better about what to look for.