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troublemaker
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
Posts: 715
Location: So Cal
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 Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 7:33 am Post subject: |
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The historian in me is looking for an Anniversary Speed Graphic. I am assuming based on some of the info here that this was the predominant model carried and used for most of WWII. A couple questions regarding these and my inteterest would focus me on the black painted type. Were these standard war time cameras for all correspondants in all fields of photography, or were they millitary issue for say Army photographers etc...?
I am looking in particular for one with the proper lens that it would have come with and perhaps with flash and or entire kit with case. So any info on these relating to my questions and those I may not know to ask would be interesting to me.
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Joined: 06 Apr 2002
Posts: 198
Location: Northern New England USA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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Black paint Annys were on issue to all branches of the services in 4x5. The Air Corps seems to have used Minis and 3x4s as well.
Most black paint Annys I've seen have had Ektars in Supermatic shutters and Kalart E rangefinders, although I've also seen some Hugo Meyer and Kalart F on early cameras. Glaflex made something like 300,00 of them, so there's room for variation.
My own black paint Anny is a mid 1945 camera with the Kalart E and 127mm Ektar dated to match in a full synch Graphex shutter.
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glennfromwy
Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 903
Location: S.W. Wyoming
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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Anniversary Speeds were also produced in olive drab (rare) and Navy gray (Very rare). The earliest wartime models seem to have come in all kinds of oddball configurations. Probably because of the emergency purchasing done before anyone had time to spec the things and let out contracts.
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Glenn
"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo" |
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troublemaker
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
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Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:03 am Post subject: |
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thanks guys,
So am I to assume the Blackened ones were millitary issue only or were these also available to news correspondents or the public? Sorry if this sounds repetitive.
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Joined: 06 Apr 2002
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Location: Northern New England USA
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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The black paint was as much an economey mesure to save chrome for the war effort as it was to subdue the camera. Once they started, they kept the black paint for all markets until after the war.
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troublemaker
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
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Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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Oh yes, war shortages and necessity.
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glennfromwy
Joined: 29 Nov 2001
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Location: S.W. Wyoming
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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All my black trim models are painted over the chrome. So far, I've never seen one that was different. Shiny chrome on battlefield = bad idea.
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Glenn
"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo" |
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Les
Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 2682
Location: Detroit, MI
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Were these standard war time cameras for all correspondants in all fields of photography, or were they millitary issue for say Army photographers etc...?
I am looking in particular for one with the proper lens that it would have come with and perhaps with flash and or entire kit with case. So any info on these relating to my questions and those I may not |
Graflex was supplying Speed Graphic cameras to the Signal Corp well before the war, in fact they were supplying 3A Graflex cameras to Pershing in WWI. All during 1941 bets were being place on, not t IF we were going to war, but WHEN. Graflex started to work on making an all black Speed before December of 1941. Mostly they were experimenting with what kind of finishes were durable, economical, and effective. After December 7th, Uncle Sam bought up just about every camera they could get their hands on, black or not, Government tag or not.
The July Trade Notes (Graflex's internal newsletter to dealers) proudly announces that on July 1, 1942 the first all black production Speed Graphic came off the line and they were going all black for the duration of the war. EverySpeed from then until sometime in 1945 were all black be it for Government of civilian use. Before July of '42 the blackening was incremental. You can find an all black Speed with a chrome front slider. And many times they just painted over the chome trim , but once their on-hand stock ran out, the trim was black-over-brass.
| Quote: | | Black paint Annys were on issue to all branches of the services in 4x5. The Air Corps seems to have used Minis and 3x4s as well. |
95% of the Signal Corp Speed Graphic cameras were 4x5. Late in the game ('45) The United States Army Air Force put in an order for a batch of Miniature Speeds. These were designated "C-4". (The USAAF version of the 4x5 was C-3, 5x7 View cameras a la Kodak 2D were "C-2" and C-1 was for 8x10s. The Signal Corp used a diffrent nomenclature)
I"m not aware that the Signal Corp used any 2x3 and I can't find any evidence that any branch used 3x4 Speeds.
| Quote: | | Most black paint Annys I've seen have had Ektars in Supermatic shutters and Kalart E rangefinders, although I've also seen some Hugo Meyer and Kalart F on early cameras. Glaflex made something like 300,00 of them, so there's room for variation. |
I agree, though the Sig Corp did have a model with a Paragon Anastigmat in a huge Acme shutter. For the most part civilians couldn't get a new camera. But if you had enough pull ( affilliated with a newspaper, etc), and could get the right paperwork through, you could get a new camera, but it would come with a lesser lens, say a Kodak Anastigmat, Wolley Velostigmat, possibly even a pre-war german Tessar.
| Quote: | | Anniversary Speeds were also produced in olive drab (rare) and Navy gray (Very rare). |
Glenn, tell me more. I have yet to see any hint Anniversary Speeds in OD or Navy colors. The Graphic 45 Combat camera did this, but I wouldn't consider it an Anny as it doesn't have a bellows. And the early Pacemaker came with OD leatherette for the Korean War
| Quote: | | Shiny chrome on battlefield = bad idea. |
And yet none of Uncle Sam's Anny camera sets came with a blackened flash unit. All of the specs I can find for Anny cameras show the standard Graflex flash. later on, with the Pacemakers (and even the XL, yes the XL was drafted too!) the Graflite when black, and the Combat Graphic had it's own special flash unit that was OD green on the back, I guess they figured if you stupid enough to set off a #5 flash bulb from a foxhole, that chrome flash won't hurt a bit.
[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2006-01-11 11:52 ] |
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jdman
Joined: 13 May 2001
Posts: 302
Location: Midwest
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| I have a 4x5 that is mostly black, the trim is not and the knobs are not. Ektar/ Kodak Supermatic. Oddly has a chrome track lock. Never run the S/n 350679..Russ |
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Les
Joined: 09 May 2001
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Location: Detroit, MI
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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I"m guessing the front slider has Speed Graphic in italics, the lens say ER and she shutter speed plates say "Graflex Inc"
(All 1945) |
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jdman
Joined: 13 May 2001
Posts: 302
Location: Midwest
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Good guessing Les, but what is confusing is I am looking at an older one 256358 and it is loaded with chrome. I wonder if it was as hard for the general public to buy a speed in 1945 as it was a car in 1948? Russ |
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troublemaker
Joined: 24 Nov 2003
Posts: 715
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:14 am Post subject: |
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This is very interesting so
I am just reading along now, thanks...
I have two cents worth on the public acquiring new cameras. I am going to make the assumption that there were plenty of camaeras in circulation to get most assignments done come Dec 7th. There was a lot of photography happening during the pre-war years, and I would guess the news correespondents had equipment already they weer comfortable with as opposed to searching out new equipment like the armed forces needed to do. It certainly promoted an acceleration in opitcs research that carried into the cold war for arial photography (spying-recon). I am a big fan of a few of the airplanes that made many a low level flight over enemy territory snpping away with an electric wind film mechanism intead of a machine gun. Ballsey (can I say that here?)
I am still hoping to set up an interview with a WWII period photographer who was in Europe during the war, no news on that yet. I do not even no if he was Military or civilian yet, but hope to make the contact one of these days. The guy lives a half hour walk away, so I don't think I should let this go without I at least tkae the gentleman to lunch.
Thanks for the info and someone please send me one of those gray painted US Navy models please, preferably one that was at Midway, in excellent condition if possible, and I will make sure nothing happens to it for a few years...
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Les
Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 2682
Location: Detroit, MI
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:14 am Post subject: |
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On 2006-01-11 13:48, jdman wrote:
Good guessing Les, but what is confusing is I am looking at an older one 256358 and it is loaded with chrome. I wonder if it was as hard for the general public to buy a speed in 1945 as it was a car in 1948? Russ
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Well this one is nearly 100,000 units older, so I"m guessing it was an early 1940 model with the flip up peep sight (like the Mini Speed) and the Kalart RF with the scales on the outside. Ya might give gandolf a ring on this one.
It was harder. Tim Holden talks about getting(I"m forgetting the term, but 'government permission' comes close). You had to have an "A" rating at one point, which then moved up to "AA". Now I don't know what or who you had to be to get this rating, but I get the idea the guy working the swing shift at Lockheed had as much chance of buying a new Speed Graphic as the guy working at the Zeiss factory in Jena.
Another item that was created for the impending war was the Supermatic shutter. Until then German shutter were great, but it became obvious that the supply of these would be cut off either through politics (we don't want to associate with them) or Gemran war time regulations (The Fatherland needs them more than they do).
There's a story around that the last batch of Zeiss Jena lenses came to Graflex via submarine, and the case was lead lined and water tight. Personally I'm not aware of any merchant subs and didn't know the US govt cared that much.
[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2006-01-11 18:28 ] |
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Joined: 06 Apr 2002
Posts: 198
Location: Northern New England USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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On 2006-01-11 18:14, Les wrote:
There's a story around that the last batch of Zeiss Jena lenses came to Graflex via submarine, and the case was lead lined and water tight. Personally I'm not aware of any merchant subs and didn't know the US govt cared that much.
[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2006-01-11 18:28 ]
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In fact, there were German merchant subs (or at least one) but in WW I.
Along with the homegrown Supermatic, we also got the full synch Rapax/Graphex shutter.
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glennfromwy
Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 903
Location: S.W. Wyoming
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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I have a black Supermatic Shutter. I have seen a couple of others *******. Les, I have seen several O.D. Speed Graphics on the market, includind two complete original outfits with O.D. case, tripod, etc. I would love to get my mitts on one of those sets but the asking price made me fall over. I have only seen one navy camera. It had gray covering, proper nomeclature plate and gray painted trim. Another treasure that made me pass out when I saw the asking price. Flash bulbs - wartime outdoor flash photography was limited in the U.S. to using infrared bulbs, due to lights out restrictions. In looking at old battlefield photos, it's pretty obvious that flash was not used much. There are stunning shots taken by the light of exploding shells, however. I stated that my wartime cameras are painted over the chrome, but Les is correct about paint over brass. I have one piece of trim in the parts box that is painted brass. Interesting discussion. Thanks everyone.
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Glenn
"Wyoming - Where everybody is somebody else's weirdo" |
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