This Graflex Speed Graphic Supermatic is a legendary press & photojournalism camera from the 1910s through 1973, this version post 1940 era I believe. My Speed Graphic Supermatic features a Kodak Ektar lens, revolutionary at the time, with. Speed up to 400. It also features an attached Kalart Synchronized Range Finder mounted at top and side. No pinholes or tears in the accordian. Mine comes from a pet-free and smoke-free home. Here is some historical information on the Speed Graphic. The Speed Graphic camera has two shutters – focal plane and in-lens; three viewfinders – optical, wire frame and ground glass; interchangeable lenses; a rise and fall front; lateral shifts; a coupled rangefinder; and a double extension bellows adaptable to lenses from 90mm to over 300mm. The Speed Graphic looks complicated, but is one of the simplest and most flexible cameras made. Afflicted by a “Rube Goldberg” variety of features – three viewfinders! – you prove your skill everytime you use it. Nothing in the Graphic is automated; if you don’t pay attention you can double expose, shoot blanks, fog previous exposures or shoot out of focus images. However, once you get used to it, it is amazingly easy to use. The older Graflex SLR with its patented focal plane shutter and reflex focusing had been so successful as a press camera that the Graflex company set out to design a camera specifically for the emerging “press” photographer. The result was the original Speed Graphic of 1912. The concept of having two separate shutters was a new idea. The focal plane shutter was the same as used in the Graflex, the front in-lens shutter provided extra versatility. Because both shutters cannot be used at the same time, there is possibility of confusion. Experienced Speed Graphic users find selection of shutters second nature. In 1940, Graflex announced the Anniversary Speed Graphic with Kodak Anastigmat (or the then all-new Ektar) lens. The new features included the coupled rangefinder and flash solenoid to use the then popular flashbulb. The bed would drop past horizontal, allowing the use of the new wide angle lenses. The Speed Graphic was the still camera of World War II, and took many famous images striking today for their technical and artistic beauty. On the home front, Arthur Fellig, a. Weegee, prowled the streets of New York with his Speed Graphic. He writes in his 1945 monograph Naked City. The 4×5 Speed Graphic with a Kodak Ektar lens in a Supermatic Shutter is All-American made. The film I use is Kodak Super-Panchro Press B. It is a good camera, and moreover… With a camera like that the cops will assume that you belong on the scene and will let you get behind police lines. In 1947, the Pacemaker Speed Graphic was introduced bristling with new features such as a body mounted shutter release and simplified focal plane shutter, now with 6 direct-reading normal speeds rather than the 24 tension/shutter combinations possible before. The Graflok back, with a metal focusing hood and removable ground glass was introduced in 1949. The Graflok back is now the standard for 4×5 view cameras today. The Graflok back accepts sheet film holders, Grafmatic” 4×5 sheet film magazines, 120 roll film adaptors, Polaroid backs, the Kodak ReadyLoad and Fuji QuickLoad backs, and the now-obsolete film pack. The Speed Graphic, like other “press” cameras, is designed to be operated either handheld or on a tripod. In this sense, there is a kinship between the Speed Graphic and 35mm gear. In the larger format world “kinship to 35mm” cannot be considered equivalence of features or toys. The 4×5 Speed Graphic could not be farther from modern 35mm gear in terms of construction or configuration. Yet with a Grafmatic one can shoot six successive images handheld using shutter speeds as high as 1/1000 sec. The Graflex company name changed several times over the years as it was absorbed and then released by the Kodak empire, finally becoming a division of the Singer Corporation and then dissolved in 1973, when Graflex corporate history ends. The award-winning Graflex plant in suburban Pittsford, New York is still standing and is home to the MOSCOM Corporation. Post-1940 Graphic cameras may be considered usable cameras, rather than antique or collectible cameras. The Speed Graphic was manufactured in a number of sizes, 4×5″ being the most common, but also in 2.25×3.25″ 3.25×4.25″ and 5×7″. The item “Vitg Graflex Speed Graphic 4×5/Kalart Range Finder-press-photojournalism camera” is in sale since Wednesday, November 10, 2021. This item is in the category “Cameras & Photo\Vintage Movie & Photography\Vintage Cameras\Folding Cameras”. The seller is “lisa2193″ and is located in San Diego, California. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Ecuador, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Peru, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Viet nam, Uruguay.
- Model: Speed Graphic
- Modified Item: Yes
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Series: Speed Graphic
- Format: 4×5
- Color: Black
- Modification Description: attached Kalart Synchronized Range Finder
- Brand: Graflex Speed Graphic
