Super Speed Graphic military model KE-12(2)

[f/stopblues]

I picked up this camera locally a while back and have been having lots of fun with it. I noticed this military plate on it when I bought it, but didn't give it much thought because the camera is the same as a stock model. I've dug around google a little bit and have just seen it listed as "rare" but no numbers are given. Does anyone know just how rare these are? This one is stamped as number 59.

I'm probably going to sell this thing soon because I just bought a Speed Graphic with a focal plane shutter, but I thought I'd ask about the nameplate just out of curiousity. I treat my cameras like tools mostly, so I never looked into it very much.

Sorry about the picture quality! My phone camera lens is scratched all to heck after a particularly bad drop.

Thanks!

8770687707

[IanG]

Not sure the military plate adds to the value to many it's an intrusion.

I'd keed this it's a far more practical camera than a Speed (or Crown) Graphic as it has reasonable movements, I do use one.

Ian

[BrianShaw]

Some people call anything they sell on ebay "rare". I'd call that an interesting curiousity but other than that it just looks like a darn nice camera to me.

[BrianShaw]

p.s. since the Graflex site calls it "Quite Rare" I'd cite that when you sell it for big bucks!

[f/stopblues]

Haha yeah, the Graflex site is where I read that info. I'm not trying to add a premium to the camera, I just got curious about it. Some of the Army green military models look cooler in my opinion :)

The movements are more limited on the Speed Graphics, eh? I'll have to look into that before I do anything rash and sell it. It won't be the first time I've told myself, "I'll just buy this camera and sell the other one so I don't actually spend any money." Six months later I still have two cameras.

[Brian C. Miller]

That looks like it's in really good condition. My Super Graphic is Navy surplus, and it has a little plate with the photographer's name on it. I agree with Ian, the movements on the Super Graphic are very decent. If you sell that, replace it with a Toyo 45AX, which will give you some back movements. The Toyo front movements are the same as a Super Graphic.

(But I agree with Ian, you should keep the Super Graphic.)

[dsphotog]

Keep the Super, and use the Speed for it's ability to use barrel mount lenses with its focal plane shutter. Plus, they both use the same lens boards.

[BrianShaw]

Keep the Super, and use the Speed for it's ability to use barrel mount lenses with its focal plane shutter. Plus, they both use the same lens boards.

HA HA HA... that is EXACTLY what I unabashedly did when I was faced with ending up with both a Super Graphic and an Anniversary Graphic! Even though they do not use the same lens board.

[f/stopblues]

You guys are bad for my bank account. I've been eyeing 8x10's lately, too. Looks like I'll have to sell my other kidney. Oh well.

[IanG]

HA HA HA... that is EXACTLY what I unabashedly did when I was faced with ending up with both a Super Graphic and an Anniversary Graphic! Even though they do not use the same lens board.

I have put a Super graphic stanadard on a Pacemaker Graphic and a pre-Anniversary, the rail itself is the same, the clearance isn't (height of rail from it's base), I heavily modified a spare standard, grinding it significantly until it fitted easily. I need to make some parts, the locking sliders for the lens panel are missing and I'd need to sort out attaching bellows, but I was told on here & Graflex.org it just wasn't remotely possible ;)

At some stage I'll write an article about it, the intention is to convert my spare Pacemaker Graphic and to leave in Turkey with all the movements of a Super Graphic and a revolving back.

87772

Ian

[Kuzano]

Two pages of information on the Super from Cameraquest.com. The big page talks about the "hidden" movements on the front standard... Swing and Side Shift. The other page talks about some mods on the Super that enhance the front standard in terms of different tilts, plus a rear tilt modification that looks intriguing.

http://www.cameraquest.com/supergrp.htm

http://www.cameraquest.com/supercov.htm

Then, there is another page on a comparision of a Linhof vs. a SPEED Graphic

http://www.cameraquest.com/techgrap.htm

[Jonathan Barlow]

I know the 1952 Deardorff military 8x10's (250 made) bring a premium; the last one on eBay sold for $4800, where a typical clean V8 brings $1500-1800. Mine is so clean that it looks like it came out of a time capsule.

[coastalphotog]

It's a good looking camera and I personally think that the "military" plate adds value to the camera over one without it. Yes, it doesn't help it to take better pictures but it adds some richness to that camera's history. From what I can glean is that many of the plates were removed by the government before selling the camera to the public through a Defense Disposal Facility (DRMO). Your camera may have "walked" itself out of the base through improper channels hence its still got the plate. These were the last military Graflex cameras made after a long history of supplying them to the government.