Continued-The
Phillips 4x5 by Oren Grad (Return to begining of article)
Set-up
Open the camera by loosening the back bar knobs and
flipping up the rear standard beyond the vertical position to the metal
stop at maximum rear tilt. Lift the front standard and screw it into one
of the four sockets on the focusing bed that are spaced to accommodate
a range of focal lengths. Zeroing shift and swing is guided by clear alignment
marks on the standard and the bed. Then, the back standard is pulled forward,
a small pivoting block on one side swung into place against the stop to
establish a true vertical, and the back knobs tightened. A small turnbutton
on the front standard zeroes front tilt, and then the front is positioned
vertically against another alignment mark and locked in place with the
front bar knobs. All of this is easier done than said. With a bit of practice,
set-up takes only a few seconds longer than traditional wood-field designs,
though it can’t be done on autopilot—close attention is needed
to mate screw smoothly with the socket and to position the front standard
against the alignment marks.
The lensboard is secured in the front standard with a T-handle spring-loaded
plunger, which is quicker and easier to use than the traditional sliding
bar found on most wood-fields. The camera accepts Technika-style metal
lensboards, sort of. The boards, including Technika- and Wista-branded
boards as well as clone boards, should fit. Two nylon set screws compensate
for thickness variations among brands. However, Technika and Wista boards
are generally drilled with shutter holes displaced downward. Lenses in
#3 shutters mounted on these boards won’t fit, because the shutters
bump into the bottom of the lensboard frame. Lenses in #1 shutters on
Technika- or Wista-brand boards have the same problem on early production
cameras, though as of this writing Phillips has a design fix in the works.
Brand-name boards with lenses in #0 shutters will fit all cameras with
no problem. Even where the boards fit, however, the downward displacement
does cost a few millimeters of direct front rise. All in all, I think
it’s best to use the center-drilled clone boards supplied by Phillips
or other vendors. With a center-drilled board and a 1/4" spacer ring,
even lenses in #3 shutters can be used.
The two grommets in the focusing hood mate with two hooks on the back,
and the elastic cuff can be tucked between the base and the ground glass,
allowing the tripod-mounted camera to be carried between picture setups
without having to remove and stow the hood.
 Adjustment
and shooting
Front rise/fall and axis tilt are secured together
by plastic T-bar knobs. These are easy to adjust even with gloves on.
In a nice touch that will save absent-minded photographers from losing
knobs in awkward places, they’re designed so that they can’t
be spun completely off the camera without deliberate effort. Compression
washers allow for finesse in setting and ensure that adjustments can be
secured tightly even as the camera wears with use. The small turnbutton
on the front standard allows rise to be adjusted with tilt braced at zero,
but simultaneous adjustment of rise and tilt requires care so that changes
in one setting do not affect the other. The same is true for front swing
and shift, which are secured together by the same T-knob screw that holds
the front standard to the focusing bed.
Another pair of T-bar knobs secures rear tilt. The rear standard sits
on two slotted “feet” that run the length of the bed and are
secured via large knurled plastic knobs. With the knobs loosened, the
rear standard can be pulled away from the camera to provide almost 150mm
of additional extension, twisted to provide a few degrees of swing, or
both. There are three sets of intermediate detents, allowing easy setting
of back extension without swing. (The detents introduce about 3mm of shift
when engaged, which can be ignored in many cases or, if necessary, corrected
at the front standard.) Again, however, take care when both adjustments
are used simultaneously. A pair of bubble levels on the rear standard
that indicate front/rear and sideways tilt makes aligning rectilinear
subjects easier.
Focusing is done primarily via a lead screw device controlled with a knurled
knob on the back. Another knurled knob locks the focus setting. The knob
is handy for most fine and intermediate focus adjustments, but running
the screw through the full travel of the bed—about 110mm—is
tedious. Flange-to-film distance also is controlled through extension
of the back and choice of screw socket in the focus bed. For long lenses,
start with a quick pull of the back to one of the extension detents, and
then finish fine adjustment with the knob.
With all settings locked, the camera provides excellent rigidity for a
wood-field, even at maximum extension.
The bag-pleat bellows on the camera I tested is really an unusual sort
of pleated bellows, with a rear section of traditional fine pleats and
a front section of four “fat” pleats. Through most of its range
the bellows is extremely flexible. I was able to focus my 75mm lens, mounted
on a flat board, to infinity, with no trouble. With a bit of squeezing
and pushing, I managed to get a full 24mm of rise and as much fall. Because
the bag-pleat bellows may sag when used in high temperatures—say,
under an intense summer sun—this version of the camera is supplied
with a pair of dainty little L-posts. These normally hide in two holes
in the front of the focusing bed, but can be inserted between the bed
and the bellows to prop up the bellows after all settings are adjusted.
I fiddled with the posts a bit and they look as though they ought to work,
but I didn’t have any bellows-sag problems during my testing indoors,
or outdoors in fairly brisk April weather.
©2006
Preston Publications. All rights reserved. No part of this
material may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a
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