Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Questions

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cnewhall

Chris
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I have a question regarding a large format camera. Any info at all would really be appreciated! I know very little about these.

I just received an offer of a Graflex Super Speed Graphic for $25.00. It comes with a Rodenstock Optar 135. I guess the back of it came off and the owner is not sure what kind of latch it takes to put it back on. Is this worth the price he is asking? I would really think it is, but I can't find much info on these online, at least not price-wise.
 
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Does the lens have a shutter that goes to 1/1000. From the information you have given it seems it would. If so, and in good condition, the lens/shutter alone would be worth several times $25. It is the nicest of the Graphic press cameras. I have one myself.
 
Spavinaw said:
Does the lens have a shutter that goes to 1/1000. From the information you have given it seems it would. If so, and in good condition, the lens/shutter alone would be worth several times $25. It is the nicest of the Graphic press cameras. I have one myself.
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Were there any leaf shutters that did? As to the price, as stated, the lens should be worth much more than that, and the camera should be repairable if need be at a reasonable price. It may just need a new back that can be purchased from a repairman or the 'net.
 
Of course $25 is a steal for a Super Speed or Super Graphic. I received one a couple of weeks ago - a Super Speed with the 1/1000 Shuter and Optar - and considered it a great deal at $350.

I can't imagine it will be hard to find a new back - or repair the current one. I am new to these, but I have found that Fred Lustig in NV is the man for repairs and he just told me he could assemble new cameras from his NOS parts inventory (mine is on its way to him for some repairs to the RF). So parts are around...
 
I'm kind of afraid to ask him, because he offered via email, if he meant $250.00 and not $25.00 (seems like a harder mistake to make if you actually put the decimal point in, right?). Would it still be worth $250, even with the back missing the latch?

I will get to see it in person before buying it because he lives about an hour away from me. But is it worth going up there if he really meant $250?
 
It depends on whether you really want one.

IMO, $250 is a good price if all it needs is a repair to the back. But I understand the Shutter is comparatively fragile on the S. Speed, so repairs may run more if it has seen any abuse or amateur repair attempts. Read up on these at graflex.org and you can get some tips for inspecting it.
 
Fred Lustig

Fred Lustig

cnewhall said:
Is it hard to find parts for these? There doesn't seem to be much of anything on eBay, other than manuals.
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The man who acquired all remaining parts from Graflex when they ceased production is named Fred Lustig. Still working on these in his 80's, he put a nice clean used bellows on my Super Graphic a few months ago.

He lives in Reno, NV and is listed in the phone book although you can search him on the internet and get his mailing and phone address.

Very knowledgable and pleasant on the telephone. He was timely on my bellows install. No more new bellows and they are special because of the wiring inside the pleats, he apparently has good used stock.
 
kuzano said:
The man who acquired all remaining parts from Graflex when they ceased production is named Fred Lustig. Still working on these in his 80's, he put a nice clean used bellows on my Super Graphic a few months ago.

He lives in Reno, NV and is listed in the phone book although you can search him on the internet and get his mailing and phone address.

Very knowledgable and pleasant on the telephone. He was timely on my bellows install. No more new bellows and they are special because of the wiring inside the pleats, he apparently has good used stock.
Click to expand...

Wiring inside the pleats? Was that for stiffness only, or some other purpose?
 
kuzano said:
The man who acquired all remaining parts from Graflex when they ceased production is named Fred Lustig. Still working on these in his 80's, he put a nice clean used bellows on my Super Graphic a few months ago.

He lives in Reno, NV and is listed in the phone book although you can search him on the internet and get his mailing and phone address.

Very knowledgable and pleasant on the telephone. He was timely on my bellows install. No more new bellows and they are special because of the wiring inside the pleats, he apparently has good used stock.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, that is very useful and good to know.
 
ribbon wiring taking current to front lens board....

ribbon wiring taking current to front lens board....

oftheherd said:
Wiring inside the pleats? Was that for stiffness only, or some other purpose?
Click to expand...

The Graflex Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic had a red shutter button on the left side. The batteries in the upper rangefinder section provided current through that red switch to drive a solenoid in the front standard. The solenoid tripped a lever in the special lens board that tripped the lens shutter.

The wiring was a ribbon foil folded into the pleats to carry the current from the batteries to the front standard and thus trip the shutter.

This is the reason the Graflex Super (both models) is highly sought as the final innovation of handholding large format for Press and other purposes.

Fred Lustig may be one of the few camera techs left who fully understands this requirement of the special bellows for these cameras.

Bottom line... the Graflex Super Bellows was quite special, carrying the tripping electronics from the body of the camera to the shutter in the front lens board.

A fully operational Super needed the electronics in the body, the route for the electricity to the front standard (foil ribbon wiring in the pleats-which sometime wore and broke), and the special lens board with the tripping mechanism.

The Go To guy is Fred Lustig.
 
kuzano said:
The Graflex Super Graphic and Super Speed Graphic had a red shutter button on the left side. The batteries in the upper rangefinder section provided current through that red switch to drive a solenoid in the front standard. The solenoid tripped a lever in the special lens board that tripped the lens shutter.

The wiring was a ribbon foil folded into the pleats to carry the current from the batteries to the front standard and thus trip the shutter.

This is the reason the Graflex Super (both models) is highly sought as the final innovation of handholding large format for Press and other purposes.

Fred Lustig may be one of the few camera techs left who fully understands this requirement of the special bellows for these cameras.

Bottom line... the Graflex Super Bellows was quite special, carrying the tripping electronics from the body of the camera to the shutter in the front lens board.

A fully operational Super needed the electronics in the body, the route for the electricity to the front standard (foil ribbon wiring in the pleats-which sometime wore and broke), and the special lens board with the tripping mechanism.

The Go To guy is Fred Lustig.
Click to expand...

My super Speed will arrive at Fred's today for an RF repair and a servicing of the Lens/Shutter. I really look forward to getting in back in tip top shape.

He said to expect about a month turnaround - was that similar to your experience, Kuzano?
 
Thanks gdi and Kuzano.

I had never heard that and didn't know that. Amazing to say the least. One just never knows what unusual thing may have been done in photography. I wonder how that has held up in general? I can imagine a lot of those wires have failed. But I guess it beat having wires hanging around the bellows, standard, and drop bed.
 
oftheherd said:
Thanks gdi and Kuzano.

I had never heard that and didn't know that. Amazing to say the least. One just never knows what unusual thing may have been done in photography. I wonder how that has held up in general? I can imagine a lot of those wires have failed. But I guess it beat having wires hanging around the bellows, standard, and drop bed.
Click to expand...

It is quite ingenious and, to me, it seems to work well. But there is no on/off switch so you need to use a bit of care if walking around with a sheet loaded and the slide out; it is very easy to accidentally bump the red button.

I have heard that the releases are mostly non-functional, but I have had 2 Supers and both worked just fine. But they take two fairly obscure batteries and the battery door is held on by the tension of the batteries against inner spring contacts. So if the batteries are removed, the cover cannot be in place - thus a lot of the cameras have lost their covers.
 
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