Graflex 1000 Specs

[Too Many Cameras]

I picked up a Graflex 1000 shutter today (it will arrive in a few days or so, then go off for an overhaul to replace the shutter leaves.) Does this lens have an equivalent Copal size? I'd like to pick out a lens to put into the shutter for once it's restored. (Also, I don't know how to measure it once it arrives to figure out what kinds of cells it could take.)

[Dan Fromm]

Oh, dear. The Graflex 1000 shutter's tubes' don't match any of the Compur/Copal/Prontor standard sizes. As far as I know only two lenses were made to fit it, a 270/6.6 version of Rodenstock's 270/5.6 Rotelar and a 135/4.7 Optar (tessar type) made by Rodenstock. The Rotelar is an unloved and long forgotten telephoto lens.

[BrianShaw]

Who still repairs those?

[David Lindquist]

Who still repairs those?

And in particular who has replacement shutter leaves?

David

[Too Many Cameras]

Thank you, everyone. It'll be a fun challenge to see what I use in the shutter. It has the 135 in it right now, but that's not an FL that I really use or need (I'm happy with my 90mm to 150mm jump.)

As for repairs, I don't know that I can say who I use (I'll ask.) He's swamped with work from the people who use him via word of mouth. And yeah, he's never turned down nor been unable to fix even my hardest requirements (to-date, I've sent him around 30 cameras and lenses; the hardest was a Taron rangefinder that had been incorrectly repaired by another repairman who specializes in obscure Japanese cameras, and he managed to fix that, and Tarons are about as hard a repair as you can find due to how the focus mechanism ties into the camera body; my guy also removed the haze off my Leica 50mm lens, so he does the hard jobs and does them very well.) The parts and supplies in his warehouse are incredible in their diversity and completeness.

[David Lindquist]

Thank you, everyone. It'll be a fun challenge to see what I use in the shutter. It has the 135 in it right now, but that's not an FL that I really use or need (I'm happy with my 90mm to 150mm jump.)

As for repairs, I don't know that I can say who I use (I'll ask.) He's swamped with work from the people who use him via word of mouth. And yeah, he's never turned down nor been unable to fix even my hardest requirements (to-date, I've sent him around 30 cameras and lenses; the hardest was a Taron rangefinder that had been incorrectly repaired by another repairman who specializes in obscure Japanese cameras, and he managed to fix that, and Tarons are about as hard a repair as you can find due to how the focus mechanism ties into the camera body; my guy also removed the haze off my Leica 50mm lens, so he does the hard jobs and does them very well.) The parts and supplies in his warehouse are incredible in their diversity and completeness.

Thank you. He sounds like a real find; I understand your wanting to be discrete.

I don't need replacement shutter leaves for one of these myself, just thinking that some one who has them is apt to have a real treasure trove of other hard-to-find parts.

David

[Don Dudenbostel]

I worked for the Department of Energy in 74-75. We shot almost everything on 4x5 Super Speeds. These are very problematic cameras. We used flash bulbs, unfortunately, and the trigger wires running through the bellows broke regularly. The camera I was issued was so undependable I finally scrounged up a WWII Army signal Corp speed graphic that had olive green leather on it. My old Army issue worked every time.

Another issue was if you could get the camera to trip the shutter, the shutters sometimes self destructed and required new blades. I think the one issued to me did it twice in 6 months. Also those shutters weren’t terribly accurate and at 1/1000 there’s noticeably more exposure in the center of the frame than at the edges.

If you do run into issues that can’t be resolved just mount a regular view lens on the board or a graphic board and use it like a regular Crown graphic. The basic camera was quite good, it was just the electrical and fragile shutter that caused problems.

[Paul Ewins]

... As far as I know only two lenses were made to fit it, a 270/6.6 version of Rodenstock's 270/5.6 Rotelar and a 135/4.7 Optar (tessar type) made by Rodenstock..... Coincidentally, I recently purchased a set of Schneider Symmar cells that were made for the Graflex 1000 shutter. They are one of three sets of prototypes made in 1962 and are marked as 180/6 (not 5.6) while the rear cell is the usual 315/12. The front cell is a lot narrower than normal as is required to fit within the large cocking collar (for want of a better term) on the front of the 1000 shutter. I've no idea whether this was a speculative venture by Schneider (hoping to OEM for Graflex) or whether Graflex invited them to submit a prototype for consideration but obviously it never went any further.

[Bob Salomon]

If remember correctly that shutter only hit its highest speeds at small apertures.

[LabRat]

I seem to remember hearing something about the 1000 shutter, something like it operates at a much higher tension than others, and something about nylon bushings inside that disintegrate and are impossible to find good ones for... And something about some weird shutter efficiency that the speed is lower than the 1/1000th sec as advertised at different f settings...

I had a junk one on my bench for awhile as a paperweight, even messed with it from time to time, but didn't like living...

Maybe not the best candidate for restoration...

Steve K

[Too Many Cameras]

I worked for the Department of Energy in 74-75. We shot almost everything on 4x5 Super Speeds. These are very problematic cameras. We used flash bulbs, unfortunately, and the trigger wires running through the bellows broke regularly. The camera I was issued was so undependable I finally scrounged up a WWII Army signal Corp speed graphic that had olive green leather on it. My old Army issue worked every time.

Another issue was if you could get the camera to trip the shutter, the shutters sometimes self destructed and required new blades. I think the one issued to me did it twice in 6 months. Also those shutters weren’t terribly accurate and at 1/1000 there’s noticeably more exposure in the center of the frame than at the edges.

If you do run into issues that can’t be resolved just mount a regular view lens on the board or a graphic board and use it like a regular Crown graphic. The basic camera was quite good, it was just the electrical and fragile shutter that caused problems.

I only got the lens. I was definitely hoping to use it on my Anniversary Graphic or Gibellini. But thank you for the tips. The leaves in this one definitely got caught on each other. They kind of work right now, but two of them are chewed up. MNy repairman just received them, so I'm looking forward to what he can do, if anything, with it at this point.

[Too Many Cameras]

If remember correctly that shutter only hit its highest speeds at small apertures.

That's not going to make it easy to use the 1/1,000th setting.

[Too Many Cameras]

I seem to remember hearing something about the 1000 shutter, something like it operates at a much higher tension than others, and something about nylon bushings inside that disintegrate and are impossible to find good ones for... And something about some weird shutter efficiency that the speed is lower than the 1/1000th sec as advertised at different f settings...

I had a junk one on my bench for awhile as a paperweight, even messed with it from time to time, but didn't like living...

Maybe not the best candidate for restoration...

Steve K

Thank you and I had given that some thought, too. If it fails it fails and I've learned something in the process: Stick with the Copals and Seikos that I know and that work well for me.

[Bob Salomon]

That's not going to make it easy to use the 1/1,000th setting.

It never hit 1/1000 anyway. To state that speed it only had to be within 30% of it to be in spec.