Questions on B&J and Packard Eq. : LUSENET : Large format photography : One Thread

I just bought a B&J Grover 8x10 camera, and I'm wondering how you use the Extension rail. The guy who sold it to me has never used it, so he couldn't say for sure, but he thought you "put the two rails together and clamped them into the tripod bracket". That was one of the options I came up with, but I can't help but think it wouldn't be very sturdy, if it even held together. The extension does not have the "teeth" for the geared focusing, while the main part does. Other than that, they're virtually identical. Any advise/experience on this matter? The camera also came (and this was a surprise) with a seemingly functional Packard shutter. Any advise on using this? Can/Should I leave it in place even while using modern, shuttered lenses? The tube that connects to the air hose has been run through the bottom of the front standard, so removing the whole thing could be tricky. Thanks in advance for the advice.

-- Brad Daniels (, September 06, 2000


Brad: I can't help you with the Grover, but the Packard is an excellent shutter and will let you use the cheaper barrel lenses. However, it has only one shutter speed, about 1/25 second. It is a handy shutter for the studio. It is easy to add flash sync for electronic flash if yours is an older model and hasn't been converted already. If you want to remove it, it mounts with a screw in each corner. You can remove the rubber tube and either fill the hole or put a screw with a nut on it through the hole. You might use a little sealer to make sure there isn't a light leak. The only disadvantage to leaving it on the board is to make sure it is open when you use the other shutter. The Packards usually have a removable pin that allows the shutter to open and stay open.

Regards, Doug.

-- Doug Paramore (, September 06, 2000.

I also use a B&J Grover 8X10 but to my knowledge the 8X10 Grover never had an extension rail as an option. My rail is a hex rail approximately 20" in length. My bellows will only support the 20" rail. There are no gear teeth on my rail. I think someone may be pulling your leg.

-- Ron Lawrence (, September 09, 2000.

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