It is always fun to see how people react to seeing our vintage photographic gear being used. Today I was at a local crafts festival, using my 5X7 Speed, where the following two reactions took place.

A guy asked me if the camera was a Hasselblad.

A woman taught me a new word for bellows when she confided that she had a camera at home that had an "accordian thingy" such as was to be seen on the Speed.

At least nobody asked if it was digital.

The best comment I ever got was at Mono Lake. There I was, focusing on something or other, when a passerby remarked "Wow! You must really know what you're doing." Falser words have rarely been spoken.

Cheers,

Dan

The best I got was from a man who put his hands up and said : " No, don't kill me !!! " The worst (and most frequent one) is " And you still find plates, Oooooh ! "

I have a press and a studio model. Surprisingly, out in public, a lot of people know what I'm using...or at least that it's 4x5 (or sometimes 5x4).

The most common questions I get are from people who think it's a moving picture camera, or people asking for prints or pictures of them and their friends.

In my experience, photographers who have commented on the camera are far and away more unintelligent and annoying than the non photographers who have done so. Most common reactions from photographers are:

1. "What is it?"
2. "That's a Polaroid camera, right?" or, alternately, "Is it digital?"
3. "Do you have film in there?" or, alternately, "Does it work?"
4. "You have to change the film every time?"
5. "They're only good for one flash?"
6. "You're crazy. How do you use that thing?" (answer: "I may be crazy, but I'm not an idiot.")
7. "Where's the [insert any 35mm camera part here]?"
8. "How do you [insert any 35mm camera procedure here]?"
9. "I didn't know they made a studio camera too." (This one is not really bad at all.)
10. "Can you e-mail me the pictures?" (My personal favorite to respond to. I simply say: "No.")

Keith

I've enjoyed the reports of comments heard by some of us Graflex users. The oddest one that I've heard while using my 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Pacemaker Speed was "Too bad those old cameras can't do color photos." while I had a roll of Kodak Portra 400VC loaded in the roll film back!(':lol:')
(':lol:')

C. Henry

I always seem to get:

"What kind of video camera is that?'

A couple weeks back I was at the semester-end lunch for out film photographers group at the high-end hamburger emporium at the local yacht club. I brought my 4X5 crown (with bulb flash of course) along to record the event. I got many strange looks. The only verbal comment, from a gentleman old enough to have used one new, was: "I haven't seen one of those in over 30 years." He was smiling.

The best question I have had was; "why is the image upside down on your camera when it's the right way up on mine (hers was digital point and click)?"

To which I knowingly replied it was because they fit the sensor upside-down in digital cameras so that people can hold them the right way up.

She seemed happy enough with that as an answer.

Rob.B

I gotta admit, that reply is GREAT.

A 5X7 Speed will certainly bring out the comments. A very impressive piece of equipment. I recently sold mine. I'm down to using 2X3, 3X4 and 4X5. That's all I can handle nowadays.

I had some good comments and questions at the inauguration in January, with the best by far being "Are you here covering the 1928 inauguration?"

But most comments fall closer to the edges of "is that an old camera"/"does it still work" at one end, to the other end of the spectrum, "wow, I haven't used a Speed Graphic in 30 years," which I've heard twice so far in my two and a half years taking pictures in public with the camera.

Had interesting comments from professional photographers in Turkey who have never shot film and just don't believe film is still made for Speed/Crown Graphics.

But the Graphics don't elicit anything like as much interest compared to my Wista, usually it's wow that's old it must be antique - I reply no it's quite new they are made in Japan & the lenses in Germany

Ian

Is that a Hasselblad? Thirty-four pages and growing: http://www.apug.org/forums/forum45/12598-hasselblad.html

I routinely work in public with my Graflex (Crown and RB), they attract a lot of attention and comments. It's a hoot.