Instant film in the Speed Graphic with the Aero Ektar lens

Today I met up with @lazybeard and @Jana_Obscura to play with Colby’s new Crown Graphic, my Speed Graphic with Aero Ektar lens, and the new anamorphic pinhole camera that @theschlem gave her to try out.

I had been wanting to use the Polaroid back on the Speed Graphic, while using the Aero Ektar lens for a while.    I also wanted to find out the minimum distance from camera to subject, so I flipped down the infinity stops on the Speed Graphic, and pushed the lens to the front of the tracks.

Here’s a photo Jana shot of me doing this:

Here’s a few shot from a more traditional distance:

And here are some closeups:

And for fun, here’s a scan of the instant peel-apart stuff you usually throw away.

Here’s some background info:

The Aero Ektar was a WW2 reconnaissance lens.  Its got an f/2.5 aperture, so on large format, you get a super shallow depth of field.

Putting this lens on a Speed Graphic was popularized by David Burnett.   Its become known as the Burnett Combo.    There’s a photo of him with his camera here.     Nowadays, these lenses are still pretty expensive.   But the effect is so worth it.

Shooting instant film in the speed graphic does crop the photo down from 4×5 to the Fuji pack film size, so you have to shoot for the middle of the frame.  But with a little careful aiming, its not an issue.

It was a totally great and productive meetup.  Then we went for Mexican food.

I’m so lucky to have film geek friends to support & encourage my habits.   🙂