I was an Army photographer in Vietnam in 1970. I was a grunt until they found out I took pictures in high school. They sent me to the PIO office, where the handed me a Speed Graphic. I handed money to the first GI going to Hong Kong for a 35 mm since the SG was not going to work on helicopters.
The Graflex Super Graphic (not "Speed", which traditionally designated the focal plane shutter lacking in this model), was the last Graflex press camera model. It is notable for its very high quality build, and that is owed to the fact that Graflex didn't make it. It was manufactured for Graflex by the Japanese company which produced its own high quality view cameras under the name "Toyo". It dropped the cumbersome (if occasionally useful) focal plan shutter of real Graflex-made models. Graflex added its own branded lens of Tessar-copy design, made by who knows, mounted in an odd ball leaf shutter distinguished by a general lack of reliability and a 1/1000/second high speed it never quite managed to achieve. The shutter release was electric, through a dedicated solenoid built inside the lens board for appearances. You can mount other lenses, but their shutters have to be conventionally operated, as in the video. By the time this came along, interest in this style of press camera was dead as a dodo. Few were sold, so they now are relatively hard to find and come at an elevated price for its high quality and rarity. Overall, the Super Graphic is much easier to use today than the prior Speed Graphic models, where the focal plane shutter adjustments are always getting in the way of ground glass back viewing and focussing. For those who care, "B" means "bulb" on the shutter setting. "T" means "time", not "twice".
@@randallstewart1224 the Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic are two different cameras. www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/super-graphic.html “The Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic were made from 1956-1973. The two models are near identical: the Super Speed Graphic has a 1/1000 sec Graflex Optar lens, the Super Graphic does not.” No argument that the Toyo SG was the very last one manufactured, but the SSG and Super Graphic were the last of the Graflex SG models as far as I know. I know T means Time, I said I remember it as “twice” because I used to confuse the Bulb and Time functions when I first got into film photography.
I was an Army photographer in Vietnam in 1970. I was a grunt until they found out I took pictures in high school. They sent me to the PIO office, where the handed me a Speed Graphic. I handed money to the first GI going to Hong Kong for a 35 mm since the SG was not going to work on helicopters.
@@brucebartow6229 what unit and location were you in? Do you have any of the photos you took?
The Graflex Super Graphic (not "Speed", which traditionally designated the focal plane shutter lacking in this model), was the last Graflex press camera model. It is notable for its very high quality build, and that is owed to the fact that Graflex didn't make it. It was manufactured for Graflex by the Japanese company which produced its own high quality view cameras under the name "Toyo". It dropped the cumbersome (if occasionally useful) focal plan shutter of real Graflex-made models. Graflex added its own branded lens of Tessar-copy design, made by who knows, mounted in an odd ball leaf shutter distinguished by a general lack of reliability and a 1/1000/second high speed it never quite managed to achieve. The shutter release was electric, through a dedicated solenoid built inside the lens board for appearances. You can mount other lenses, but their shutters have to be conventionally operated, as in the video. By the time this came along, interest in this style of press camera was dead as a dodo. Few were sold, so they now are relatively hard to find and come at an elevated price for its high quality and rarity. Overall, the Super Graphic is much easier to use today than the prior Speed Graphic models, where the focal plane shutter adjustments are always getting in the way of ground glass back viewing and focussing.
For those who care, "B" means "bulb" on the shutter setting. "T" means "time", not "twice".
@@randallstewart1224 the Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic are two different cameras.
www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/super-graphic.html
“The Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic were made from 1956-1973.
The two models are near identical: the Super Speed Graphic has a 1/1000 sec Graflex Optar lens, the Super Graphic does not.”
No argument that the Toyo SG was the very last one manufactured, but the SSG and Super Graphic were the last of the Graflex SG models as far as I know.
I know T means Time, I said I remember it as “twice” because I used to confuse the Bulb and Time functions when I first got into film photography.
I dont know anything abot cameras bud it sound hela cool.
@@arthurbritotubito3427 it definitely is. :)