Graflex speed graphic vintage camera review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2015
- In this video i go over the Graflex Speed Graphic and talk about its focal plane shutter and how to shoot it on the fly!
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/ travis.mortz
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I've got one. Love it. 1943/1944 Speed, with black hardware, 127mm Ektar. My camera has the original lens cap. No scratches anywhere, camera looked like it had been stored in a vault, and even smelled new when I got it.
Thank you for posting this information. The last time I shot a Graflex was back in the early 80s for a college photography course. I have always loved the camera and I finally got my hands on my very own. Sadly, I had forgotten many of the things I had learned and your video has provided me with the information I need to get out and shoot some film and enjoy this old piece of history.
Thank you so much for your video. Very informative. A few days ago, I was at a local thrift store and, from a distance, saw what I thought was an old radio. As I got close enough, I realized that I had found a Speed Graphic camera in beautiful shape. It looks like it's barely been used. And it was being sold for $10.49!!!! So now I need to figure out what film holders to purchase and get a sheet film tank & film. Luckily, I have an enlarger that allows me to print 4x5 negatives. Again, 'thank you' for your video.
Your camera is a so-called Anniversary Speed Graphic that was made in the late 1930s or early 1940s, not as you say, the 1950s. It's in very nice shape given it's age. The Anniversary series was followed by the Pacemaker series. Those cameras were in production from the late 1940s through the early 1970s when Graflex folded their tent.
One other point. The little window on top of the range finder is for a small light bulb that was called a focus spot. It was powered by the flashgun. The focus spot projected a dot that worked just like the rangefinder. As the focus was racked in and out, the dot would merge from two dots into one when the subject was in focus. It made it easier to use the rangefinder in the dark
I love Graphlex cameras. Thanks for making this video.
Nice video! BTW, "T" stands for "timed" exposure: first will open the shutter, the second press will close it. Cheers!
The Watson viewfinder is from a Burke and James press camera. I have one that came on my Crown Graphic. The little sliding button to the right of it lifts the back of it slightly on springs for parallax compensation at close distances. My Watson has a square finder frame for 5x5 with inset marks for the 4 inch edge of 4x5 for either vertical or horizontal framing, because the Burke and James camera had a rotating 4x5 back. The one on your camera looks like it has a 4x5 mask installed.
I'm getting to know my pair of of Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphics, a 1950 4x5 & 1951 2x3. Loads of fun
A friend of mine had one, but he was a Corp of Engineers Photographer, so it would have made sense he owned one. He swore by his when he wasn't told to shoot 35mm with his Nikko-mat SLR. They are costly with the right lens, so many folks will run a more modern Intrepid medium or large format rather, as it gives you some greater flexibility and more assured results. Great chalk talk on a true staple of the industry at one time. Thank you.
The little window on top of the rangefinder is for the "focuspot". It was an "L" shaped item with a light bulb in the back, controlled by a knob at the end of the focuspot. When the light was on, it would shine thru a prism, turning it at a 90 degree angle. The light would then go down the rangefinder and would shine out thru both lenses of the rangefinder. Used in the dark, it could focus on your subject. Without the light, you used the ambient light bounced off the subject to focus, by lining up the images in the rangefinder. One rangefinder, two methods of focusing, and they were opposite of each other. Brilliant.
It's no Linhof Teknika, but this camera was sturdy as a rock, still popular, and in '75 or '76 I bought my first Speed Graphic, the Pacemaker model, which was made from '47-'55. If Harley Davidson ever wanted to make a camera, this would have been the camera they made, a no-frills-let's-get-down-to-business-and-work type of camera. Coupled with Zeiss glass, you can't go wrong. I don't have enough praise for this camera.
Thank you! This is the fourth video I have watched and this one finally showed the trick for opening the front of my dad's old camera - now I can see what is "hidden" inside!
This is first camera I used when I was 16 in 1961.
We had a massive cold cathode enlarger in the Press darkroom where you could print the negatives while wet if it was urgent.
It had a 90mm Schneider Angulon f6.8 and a 135mm f4.5 Schneider Xenar lens.
The focal plane shutter would synchronise for flash up to 1000th of a second with special FP flashbulbs with a long burn.
The focal plane shutter travels at the same speed, the slit width varies from narrow for a 1000th and wide for 50th.
Thanks for this comprehensive overview. I was deciding between a Horseman 45FA or a Graflex Speed. I'd like to eventually own both of them at some point, but I wanted to get something that was more compatible with the gear I already have and the kind of experimental shooting I want to try to do. I ended up getting a Graflex Pacemaker Speed Graphic. It was a little bit stiff when I got it, but I'm already in love with it. Thanks for all your work and effort!
Great video man! I hope to see more from you in the future. I really want a speed graphic now, thanks!
Travis, Thanks for the video. I just bought one today for $50. Looking forward to 4x5 shooting.
Do an episode of all your cameras and which is your favorite and the one you have with most of the time. Thanks 👍!
I just wanted to apologize in the name of all the Star Wars fans, keep up the great work!
There's a guy who stripped one of these down and placed between his lens and 8x10 camera body. Focal Plane shutter worked like magic in this configuration.
We used PF 60 flashbulbs on these cameras with a long burn time to cover the slow travel time of the focal plane shutter.
The travel time is the same on slow speed settings and high speed settings. It's the width of the blind open that gives the comparative exposure times. Hence the need for long burn bulbs FP bulbs.
This also gives the bendy tyre effects on 1000th of a second.
OK. Last time I used one of these I was 16 in 1961. Thanks for the memories. I am from uk. So this is a 5x4.
Nice walk through. Thanks for that!
good video Travis
None of you guys reviewing the Speed Graphic mention the bed, that it can fall below the 90 degrees dead-level position, and lens rise, and lens tilt. It astounds me unless I have missed a review, that NO ONE reviewing these cameras on TH-cam seems to know that it is even possible!
Kevin Parratt haha yea you’re right. Honestly I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to get too deep into camera movements and their purpose. But I definitely am aware of the capability! Haha
The Super Speed Graphic had a (albeit problematic) leaf shutter that went to 1/1000th of a second. I believe there were others.
Thanks for the great video. I'd like to see a review of using a Graflite flash gun with it.
Anything over 1/100 should be fine, no need to use the focal plane for sharpness. they allow you to use the barrel lens. I have a 210 mm 4.5 B&L lens i got for 15$. also, a 15" tele wollensak that compresses a lot and has very shallow depth of field. the bi-post flash terminal does take electronic flash at all leaf shutter speeds, you just need a $15 bi- post to PC connector, easily obtainable. Also, it is good to shoot this camera on a tripod, if you are not
allergic to them. Also, if you want to shoot longer lenses wide open you need to critically focus on the ground glass. this necessitates a sturdy tripod, not one made for a cell phone. finally, when you took the picture and quickly just flipped the filmholder over, you neglected to replace the dark slide, which will ruin the exposure. All you get is a black black piece of film, which maybe you could use for a DIY welding goggle project or something.
great videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge, by the way, i just got a Graflex speed graphic and the Kalart RF is not working, i found out that the big metal lever that goes inside the body is not moving when focusing, when i move the lever , the images will merge, also the rf images are clear and contrasty, do yoou have a tutorial o video where i can use as a reference to fix it? here in my city there are not technicians that will fix it, thanks so much José
damn. I really wish there were other cameras in 4x5 that had a focal plane. I'm gunna get one, but in the video where you talked about shooting this with your family just as if it were a 35 mm is so awesome.
Ok so what I said was stupid. I’m just going to get a Speedgraphic
it is not like a 35. it is much slower and more deliberate. the oposite of a 35, or a phone for that matter.
@@bartlevenson7851 oh yea. No i agree. I really should have added that in some situations where I’m shooting slower, you could bring this out for a bit if it’s not an important shoot where you need to capture everything you can. Just with how I do things sometimes it wouldn’t slow me down anything insane to where it’s “unusable” for me.
It would be nice if you could insert photos into your camera reviews that you took with the reviewed camera, like you did in the random film review video.
A focal plane shutter will give far more camera shake then a leaf shutter. I would say use the stuff then talk about it.
Risque =\= risky
I’ve just obtained my first Graflex speed graphic. Using the lens serial number, it translates to a 1945. I am starting to find some parts - but the main one I’m looking for is the Flash Sync Cord with the “rod” style male end, and the “tube” type female end. All the ones i’ve found have flat male ends (like a lamp plug). The original cord I have, the ends (plastic?), are very brittle and I’m hesitant to use it and possible destroy it. Any suggestions???? Thanks again for fine video!! Dick
Now that aero ektars are so expensive, do you have a suggestion for a lens that will at least closely resemble the aero ektar rendering?
I’m really fond of the look that I’ve seen others post online.
I am now the owner of THIS camera!
You should not leave the focal plane shutter tensioned. It should always be set to the lowest setting when stored. Before using, the FP shutter should be "repacked" by winding and firing a few times. This way, you will (hope to) get uniform exposure acres the film plane.
+MrShobar "acres"=across. Damned automatic spelling corrector! Thanks for your video.
Would you mind possibly going into more detail on how to use the sports finder on these graflex cameras? I haven’t yet seen anyone on TH-cam demonstrate in detail how to use the sports finder. Can the sports finder be used for focusing as well? Or is it used only for composition? Can’t seem to figure it out on my graflex speed graphic camera. Any help would be greatly appreciated . Thanks and keep up the great work on your channel, love it.
The sports finder is strictly for composition. Not focusing. Good Luck!
"O" on the focal plan shutter is not "zero", it is "O" for "Open" as the curtain is completely clear and allows for using the lens shutter instead.
So the shutter can fire multiple times on one wind?
the slit focal plane shutter isnt moving that fast, it is the size of the slit that matters, or the delay before the second curtain closes, and that is what causes the distortion in moving objects too
I did not know that with this camera u can used it for roll filming 120 that I found it interesting
Video shot in color?!
abt 1 min - HUH? Leaf shutters are less shake-inducing than focal plane shutters.
And what about ROTARY shutter ?
And flip flop shutter ?
And guillotine shutter ?