Graflex.org

Woodyspeed · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 8

To start out, I do not know S from S about Graflex cameras outside of having learn photography with them, and using them. I was a Navy Photographer in the sixties, and the 'Speed' was our first line camera. I was in quite a few photo units whilst in the Navy, and never saw an OD body camera, All of ours were black, with only a few having blacked chrome. I did see OD bodied cameras at both Army, and Airforce units.

BTW, we even used them in Viet Nam. Hope none of you have one that went there. The bellows, and coverings rotted in days. We then switched to Nikon F's, and the shutters rotted in them. We did have great success with the Nikonos in the field.

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682

You know it's humid when the best camera is a Nikonos.!

Did the Navy Speeds have any Military tag or designation?

I know the Signal Corp used PH-47 and KE-12 and the Air Force used C-3 and later C-6, but I've never found anything about the Navy.

bruiser · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 260

I have a Navy Pacemaker Speed Graphic in my collection. It's just a regular black and chrome version with a 'Property of US Navy' on a large metal plate on top. Also has the contract numbers, etc. on it.

Also I have a Combat 45 in OD green but plated 'US Navy' that I suspect came from a Naval teaching facility.

I know the Navy also used Series D and Super D Graflex models before they were polluted by the smaller formats!

Cheers,
Bruce

Woodyspeed · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 8

To the best of my rememberance, only a very few Graflex cameras had any kind of Navy ID outside of the aerial version with the solid bellows. A few did have brass tags. All aerial cameras were numbered no matter what type of camera it was. We could lose any camera without consequence except for an aerial camera. Loosing an aerial camera was an automatic demotion.

bruiser · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 260

Here are links to photos of my only Navy cameras:
1. US Navy Pacemaker Speed Graphic and plate
2. US Navy Combat Graphic and plate

http://photo.coffsbiz.com/navyspeed1.jpg
http://photo.coffsbiz.com/navyspeed2.jpg
http://photo.coffsbiz.com/navycombat1.jpg
http://photo.coffsbiz.com/navycombat2.jpg

Cheers,
Bruce

pv17vv · Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 255

Gentlemen, please have a look here :

http://www.navyphoto.org/navy-images/misc/1957-cubi.JPG.html

and more generally here :

http://www.navyphoto.org/navy-images/misc/navyport.html

:wink:

Georges

DHF845 · Joined: 20 Jul 2008 Posts: 103

The USN Combat Graphic 45 shows an ID plate stating it's made by 'Folmer Graflex Corp' which means it predates the 1945 name change to Graflex, Inc. I suggest it may be painted OD for use on land during WW II, purhaps D-Day or on landing craft?

Les · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 2682

From what I can gather, the Combat Graphic 45 was designed for the Pacific theater in '43 with production in '44. All of the lenses are Kodak dated '44, even cameras assembled for Korea.

While I won't rule out a combat Graphic on Omaha Beach, it seems unlikely. But there were two on iwo Jima in '45.

Les

DHF845 · Joined: 20 Jul 2008 Posts: 103

Thanks Les, didn't know that Combat 45s went to Pacific theater only.
Iwo Jima was exactly what I was thinking of i.e. OD painted camera carried by USN photographer on landing craft and onto land. :wink:

glennfromwy · Joined: 29 Nov 2001 Posts: 903

There was at least one battleship gray leather covered Anniversary Speed Graphic with U.S. Navy nomenclature. I saw it for sale a number of years ago, at a horrific price. The blacked out chrome/black leather was only used on wartime Annys. These were probably for general distribution. The Army ones were largely OD and the Army Air Corps seemed to be both, also. The war seemed to cause the military to take what it could get immediately. They procured some of the crappiest 35 mm cameras you could ever imagine, too.

bruiser · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 260

Glenn, you are covering several wars in a couple of sentences there!

The black chrome/black leather Annys were made 1942-45, and many were nomenclature plated as C-3 cameras for the Army Air Force and PH-47E or PH-47F (depending on the lens supplied) for the Signal Corps. I have 3 C-3s: a '41 in normal chrome, a '42 that is half black/half chrome and another '42 that is all black. Other wartime all black cameras were not plated at all, and I have never seen an Anny with a Navy plate.

The Signal Corps PH-47-H and Air Force C-6 were normal Pacemaker Speeds used after WW2.

The Combat 45s in OD green (for the Army, Marine Corps and Navy) and Gray (Navy) were, as Les said, in action in the Pacific from 1944.

However, the first OD green Signal Corps Pacemaker Speeds began with the PH-47-J, well after WW2. Mine is 1950, the start of the Korean War, and they became (with a few modifications) the KS-12(1) in 1953, as that war ended. The KE-12(1) was used for years, before being replaced by the KE-12(2), the Super Speed Graphic.

Just to confuse things, as Graflex loved to do, I also have a black chrome/black leather military Pacemaker Speed from 1954, with the military black flash handle too. Very stealth!

Cheers,
Bruce

pv17vv · Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 255

Bruce, what's the serial of your '41 chrome C3 ?

bruiser · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 260

Hi pv17vv,
The body serial number for the '41 C-3 is 268369 and the military serial number is AC-41-1065.
Cheers,
Bruce

pv17vv · Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 255

Older than mine then.
Mine is 296507 and AC-41-10037.
Thanks for the info.
Georges

bruiser · Joined: 15 Oct 2006 Posts: 260

Always glad to help, Georges!

The other two C-3s I have are 308065/AC-42-3164 and 320902/AC-42-72147. The AC serial numbers are nearly 70,000 apart so Graflex must have been churning out Speeds in 1942!

Cheers,
Bruce