Official Military Folmer & Schwing and Graflex cameras
| 1916? - 1918? | 3A Graflex - Front door is stamped 'U.S. ARMY, SIGNAL CORPS, G-3 No xxx' (1-100). Ordered c1916-18 for US Army Signal Corps. Finished in brown saddle leather with brass metal hardware. Autographic back, Wollensak Velostigmat Series II f4.5 6inch lens. Obviously VERY RARE. |
| 193? - 1939 | Pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic. US Army Air Forces C-3 Ground Camera. Standard black leather/grey bed hardware. Originally equipped with Compur shutter/Kodak Anastigmat f4.5 6 3/8" lens but later replaced (on existing serving cameras) about 1941 with Alphax shutter/Kodak Anastigmat f4.5 6 3/8" lens to bring them into line with the 'new' Anniversary model C-3. Official military metal plate attached to outside of front door. Rare. |
| 1940 - 1943? | Anniversary Speed Graphic. US Army Air Forces C-3 Ground Camera. Standard black leather covering but chrome or black bed hardware depending on year. Lenses and shutters include Alphax shutter/Kodak Anastigmat f4.5 6 3/8" lens, Kodak Supermatic/Kodak Anastigmat f4.5 6 3/8" lens, Graphex/Optar f4.5 6 3/8" lens and Kodak Supermatic/Ektar f4.7 127mm lens, Ilex Acme No 3 shutter/Paragon f4.5 5 1/2" lens. In some complete outfits there was also a Kodak Supermatic/Bausch & Lomb f6.8 88mm WA lens. Some cameras have three red dots in the front glass of the top viewfinder. Official military metal plate attached to outside of front door. Quite common but rare in the complete leather cased C-3 outfit. |
| 1941 - 194? | Miniature Speed Graphic. US Army Air Forces C-4 Ground Camera. Standard black leather/chrome hardware finish. Graphex shutter/Optar f4.7 101mm lens. Three red dots in the front glass of the top viewfinder, a special black flash solenoid above the lens and the official military (plastic this time) plate attached to outside of the front door are obvious differences from the civilian version. Probably the only official military Mini Speed. Quite rare, especially in small leather cased outfit with Graflex 2-cell flash. |
| 1941 - 1949 | US Navy Graphic View I. Special black bellows fitted instead of the usual red. Equipped with Kodak Supermatic shutter/Ektar f7.7 203mm lens or other options. Again, quite rare, especially in the complete vulcanoid cased outfit. |
| 1942 - 194? | Anniversary Speed Graphic. Royal Air Force (Great Britain) Type 1 Ground Camera. Standard WW2 black leather/black hardware finish. Kodak Supermatic shutter/Wollensak Velostigmat f4.7 127mm lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Quite rare. |
| 1942 - 1944 | Anniversary Speed Graphic. US Army Signal Corps PH-47E. Standard WW2 black leather/black hardware finish. Kodak Supermatic shutter/Kodak Anastigmat f4.5 127mm, Wollensak Velostigmat f4.7 127mm or Ektar f4.7 127mm lens. Kalart or Hugo Meyer rangefinder. Official military metal plate attached to top of the camera body. Usually supplied in a complete outfit known as Camera Set PH-104, earlier ones in a black leather case, later in an OD green vulcanoid case. |
| 1942 - 1944 | Anniversary Speed Graphic. US Army Signal Corps PH-47F. Standard WW2 black leather/black hardware finish. Ilex Acme No 3 shutter/Paragon f4.5 5 1/2" lens. Huge Meyer rangefinder. Official military metal plate attached to top of the camera body. A more unusual version. |
| 1944 - 1946 | Camera, Combat (Combat Graphic). Special US Navy and Marine Corps 4" x 5" wooden body camera designed for the Pacific war. Marine Corps version in OD green, Navy versions in OD green or battleship grey. All have black Supermatic shutter/ Kodak Anastigmat Special f4.7 127mm focusing lens with 'EExxxx' serial number. Official military metal plate attached to shutter winding side of camera body. After WW2 some were painted black and sold on the civilian market as 'Graphic 45' cameras. Only about 1500 made. |
| 1947 - 195? | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Air Force C-6 Ground Camera. Totally standard Pacemaker with Graphic back, body release for front or rear shutter operation, black leather covering and chrome bed hardware. Equipped with Kodak Supermatic shutter/Ektar f4.7 127mm lens. Some versions have Graphex shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door and large metal depth of field table on top of the camera. Quite common but rare in the complete vulcanoid cased C-6 outfit. |
| 1947 - 1949 | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Army Signal Corps PH-47-H. Totally standard Pacemaker with Graphic back, body release for front or rear shutter operation, black leather covering and chrome bed hardware. Equipped with Kodak Supermatic shutter/Ektar f4.7 127mm lens. Later versions may have Graphex shutter/Optar 127mm lens. Hugo Meyer rangefinder. Official military metal plate attached on top of the camera. Quite common but rare in the complete PH-104 outfit, either in an OD green vulcanoid case or OD green Halliburton aluminium case. |
| 1949 - 1952 | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Army Signal Corps PH-47-J. The first olive drab (OD green) Speed Graphic, with a full Graflok back, body release for front or rear shutter operation, black bed hardware. Equipped with either black Kodak Supermatic shutter/Ektar f4.7 127mm lens or (later) Graphex shutter/Optar f4.7 127mm yellow dot lens. First camera to use the black anodised US Army 3-cell Graflite flash handle. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Quite rare, especially in the complete OD green Haliburton cased PH-104 outfit. |
| 1949 - 196? | US Navy Graphic View II. The only(?) Graflex view camera with an official military metal plate, mounted on the upper right of the front standard. Black bellows usually fitted instead of the usual red. Later versions (from early 1960s) appear to be more common with red bellows and have no Navy ID plate. Equipped with Kodak Supermatic shutter/Ektar f7.7 203mm lens or other options. Again, quite rare, especially in the complete vulcanoid cased outfit. |
| 1953 - 1955 | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Army Signal Corps KE-12(1). The second OD green Speed Graphic model, this Pacemaker version has a modified military-only Graflok back (no sliders), no body release for front or rear shutter operation and black bed hardware. Equipped with a Graphex shutter/Optar f4.7 127mm yellow dot lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Reasonably common but quite rare in the complete OD green metal Haliburton cased KS-4A(1) outfit. **Because there is no body shutter release this version is often mistaken for an Anniversary model and sold as a WW2 camera on auction sites. It is not a WW2 camera. |
| 1953 - 1957 | 70mm Combat Graflex. US Army Signal Corps OD green rangefinder camera. Because of its large size and design it is often referred to as 'Gulliver's Contax' or 'Texas Leica'. Equipped with a spring wound focal plane shutter and 4" Ektar f2.8 lens. Official military metal plate attached to rear of camera. Hard to find and quite rare in the complete OD green metal Haliburton cased KS-4A(2) outfit with dedicated flash and three Ektar lenses. |
| 1953 - 1955 | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Navy Camera: Still Ground, Press Type 4x5. Fully standard Pacemaker with Graphic back, body release for front or rear shutter operation, black leather covering and chrome bed hardware. Equipped with Graphex shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official military metal plate attached on top of the camera. Rare, especially in the complete vulcanoid cased outfit. |
| 1955 - 195? | Pacemaker Speed Graphic. US Property (maybe Navy) Camera: Still Picture 4x5 Press Type. Fully standard Pacemaker with top rangefinder, Graflok back, body release for front or rear shutter operation, black leather covering and chrome bed hardware. Equipped with Graphex shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Rare, especially in the complete vulcanoid cased outfit. |
| 1958 - 196? | Super Graphic. US Property (maybe Navy) Camera: Still Picture 4x5 Press Type. Fully standard metal Super Graphic with built-in rangefinder, Graflok back, electric body release for front shutter. Equipped with Graphex shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Quite rare. |
| 1958 - 196? | Super Graphic. US Property (maybe Air Force) Camera: Still Picture 4x5 Press Type. Fully standard metal Super Graphic with built-in rangefinder, Graflok back, electric body release for front shutter. Equipped with Graphex shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official AF military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Quite rare. |
| 1961 - 19?? | Super Speed Graphic. US Army Camera: Still Picture KE-12(2). Fully standard metal Super Speed Graphic with built-in rangefinder, Graflok back, electric body release for front shutter. Equipped with Graphex 1000 shutter/Optar f4.5 135mm lens. Official military metal plate attached to outside of the front door. Webbing hand strap instead of leather. Quite rare. |
| 1965 - 1973 | Graflex XL. US Army Camera: Still Picture KS-98A and KS-98B. All black finish military version of the modular system XL camera. The only difference between A and B versions is the level of equipment in the cased outfits, which contained several rollfilm backs. Quite difficult to obtain. |
| The Graflex 3A was supplied to the US Army Signal Corps in about 1918 in a special military finish of smooth brown saddle leather and brass metal hardware. Some other Graflex SLRs (early Auto Graflex?) were also supplied to the Signal Corps in the same finish. All these brown cameras are incredibly rare. See photos below: |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
| The first twelve photos above show the US
Army Signal Corps G-3 version of the Graflex 3A. Next is another brown/brass Signal Corps version, this time a very early 4x5 RB Tele
Graflex. Then a brown/brass 4x5 RB Series B, followed by a US Navy (NTS-P, ie. Navy Training School - Photography) 4x5 Series D outfit.
As I'm not sure of the official military designations, the brown leather RB Auto Tele and RB Series B cameras do not appear in the main
descriptive table above. If anyone has further information at all about these or any other brown leather or military marked Graflex SLR
cameras please contact me.
After WWI there appear to have been very few markings on any military Graflex SLR cameras, no matter which of the Armed Forces used them. Although some had large yellow or white numbers stencilled onto parts of them certainly none seemed to have been fitted with metal military ID plates as seen on the Speed Graphic versions. Later SLR cameras used by the military appear to be RB Series B, Series D and Super D, mainly in the 4x5" format. Crown View and Graphic View (I and II versions) were also used but obviously for pictorial and illustrative use rather than combat duties. Most military View Graphics have black bellows fitted instead of the usual red bellows but there are exceptions. Strangely, unlike the SLRs, some View Graphics have military ID plates attached to the front standard. | ||||
| US NAVY USES OF THE GRAFLEX: Graflex is best suited for- Action in a limited area General outdoor views Informal outdoor potraits Closeups during action of any damage where natural light can be used Graflex may be used for- General action Outdoor group pictures Indoor portraits Copying Small parts photography Identification photography Graflex is unsuited for- Close-in architectural photography Action under bad lighting conditions Carrier landings | US NAVY USES OF THE SPEED GRAPHIC: Graphic is best suited for- Action photographs Work under adverse lighting conditions Individual and group photographs General outdoor views Graphic may be used for- Copying Small objects photography Identification photography Aerial obliques Graphic is unsuited for- Close-in architectural type photographs Above text from US Navy 'Photography 1947 Vol 1' |
NOTE: During WW2 many Speed Graphics, all black and otherwise, entered the military supply chain. I have a 'non-military-plated' all black Anniversary Speed Graphic that has only the red Signal Corps acceptance stamps on it.
The US Navy did not appear to have a military designation (or metal plate) for Anniversary Speed Graphics so many various Speed Graphics could have seen Navy Service. Navy manuals state the Graflex back was preferred on their Speed Graphics, which was maybe due to the Navy also having large numbers of 4x5 Graflex SLR models. Therefore the slotted Graflex film holders, film pack adapters and cut film magazines would have been interchangeable between both Speed Graphic and Graflex cameras. I would also expect*** that some cameras were marked with the small white US Navy anchor stamp, as was applied to other WW2 Navy photographic equipment.
***[This guess has come to fruition. A Graflex back equipped WW2 (c1942) Anniversary Speed Graphic has come into my possession with the US Navy stamp under the top and adjacent to the serial number. This stamp is also on a Kodak Medalist and a Wollensak 15" lens in the collection so its application seems kind of random. If anyone else has a similarly marked WW2 US Navy Speed Graphic, Graflex SLR or other photographic equipment please let me know.]
Apart from the RAF Type 1 Anniversary Speed Graphic noted in the initial table above, Canadian, Australian and other allied Armed Forces didn't appear to have officially 'plated' Speed Graphics.
**There were NO Olive Drab green Speed Graphics produced before the PH-47-J Pacemaker in 1949 so don't believe anyone who is describing or selling one as a WW2 camera.**
In the collection are a couple of highly unusual all black military or US Government Pacemaker Speed Graphic PH-47-J and KE-12(1) versions, with black leather bodies (usually Olive Drab green) AND the military all black metal hardware. The PH-47-J type (with full Graflok back and body mounted shutter release) has no plate but 4 rivets where one was on the door, while the KE-12(1) type (with simpler military-only Graflok back and no body mounted shutter release) has a small metal plate on the door stating 'Property of US Govt, 4x5 Still Camera'. I have no idea as to the original users of these two cameras.
Graflex aerial (aircraft) cameras are another story and not dealt with here...yet!