A speed Graphic made, factory pinhole camera . . . for real?

[Drew Bedo]

This is supposed to be a factory made graflex pinhole camera. I have never heard of this. Is this real or some kind of Project?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141803220367...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Oren Grad]

Drew, the eBay link will die soon enough and then this thread will be pretty useless. If you'd like to pursue this discussion, please try to describe the item in enough detail so that it will still be understandable and useful for readers once the auction has disappeared down the memory hole.

[Drew Bedo]

OK, well it looks like a pre-anniversary Speed Graphic except: There is no focal plane shutter mechanism, range finder, view finder or strap. The front is solid, that is, there is no provision for opening the front. The whole camera box is covered in that nice pebble grain leather and there is a circular cut out in the middle of the front with a metal pinhole. The back has a 4x5 spring back with a leather hood/shade over the GG.

Any thoughts?

[Jim C.]

It's a nice DIY pinhole camera using a crown graphic body carcass, or it could even be a box made
to fit the graphic back, that's my take on it.
The link shows a graflok back with a metal hood, not the leather sided pop up hood.

[Tim Meisburger]

Drew, it looks like a graflex back screwed to a nice box. I have no idea if it was made by Graflex, but it would be dead simple to make one at home, if you know how to put that leather on (I don't). It may have been made to demonstrate optics for a school? Just speculation.

[plywood]

The GG would not be of much use.

[IanG]

I agree with others it's just a Graflex Graflok back, the box isn't Graflex, all the custom "Graflex" based cameras (Police, Prison etc) were made by outside workshops using factory parts as well as new or modified when needed.

Ian

[EdSawyer]

Definintely not a factory build.

[DrTang]

not 'medium format' neither

[Jim Noel]

It looks almost identical to one I made several years ago. Definitely not a factory product.