Speed Graphic to buy

[Ian Grant]

Jim at that price and with all the extras it would still be a real bargain even if it was a pre-Anniversary Speed Graphic.

Ian

[nsurit]

I even pay the postage to Texas and send him a Christmas card. Bill Barber

[George Collier]

Well, Ya'll convinced me. I already have a serious GAS problem, just making it worse.

Thanks for the replies.

[premo]

If my experience with these means anything, they are very good and easy to use. I would definatle keep the 5 inch flash reflecter and there should be a converter somewhere in the goodies that lets you use no. 5 or 25 bulbs, which are much easier to find than the screw base bulbs. Look the camera, bellows and shutters over carefully for abuse. By the way, when I was hired by a newspaper as a "photo-journalist" I told the editer I was a photographer, not a journalist. His response was they found it easier to teach a photographer to write than the opposite. We used to call the press 25's "lightning in a bottle."

[George Collier]

Well, I'm in process of getting this stuff. I didn't mention it before, but I used this gear in the mid 60s in the Army, so I'm familiar with it, just didn't know the current value. I may sell off some of it.

[djacobox372]

Jump on it! that's a good deal.

You can buy lens boards on ebay; they're not that hard to find.

[alexhill]

Or you can make lens boards. Its gotta be one of the easiest things to make that everyone buys. Save your self the 15$ and buy film instead

[Anscojohn]

Uhh second dibbs?

*************
Terrible price. Rotten camera. Third dibs........

[2F/2F]

Even if the camera body was beat to hell and an early model, you'd be able to get your money's worth from all the other stuff. $160 is a good deal for that kit. The film pack is useless, unless you have expired film packs to use. The Polaroid back is useless, unless you have some stockpiled 4x5 Polaroid to shoot. The flash with both reflectors is something you could sell for at least fifty to a hundred bucks if you have no use for it. The telephoto lens would sell if you do not want to use it. The Optar lens (135mm, I am assuming) is nothing special. They are as cheap and as common as dirt. It is a fine lens, but was designed to shoot straight on, with no movements. If you were to sell it, you'd probably get under $40, so I would just keep it. It is probably already set for use with your rangefinder, so it will let you shoot hand held without too much monkeying around with calibration. The cases often have to be tracked down separately, which is a P.I.T.A., and not terribly cheap to do. The shutter solenoid will allow you 1) to fire the front shutter from the flash handle, which makes for a smoother and more stable release, 2) to use the flash handle as an electronic shutter release when on a tripod, making for one of the smoothest shutter releases you can have, on any camera, and 3) allows you to use class M bulbs with X synch shutters, by setting the proper delay between when the flash fires and when the shutter opens. I use my flash handle as a cable release 100% of the time with my Speed when using its Ektar lens, for all three of these reasons. Add on to all of this that the camera is likely quite usable, and may be a later model, and you have scored. If it turns out to be a later Super Graphic or Super Speed Graphic, then you've basically got an American-made Technika-type camera with a two way back, swings, etc.

[George Collier]

Well, with distractions going on in my life right now, I'm going to pass on this, but I would like to help my friend sell the kit.
The equipment is not as pristine as I thought it would be, but in good serviceable condition, with a bit of "weegee ware".
He doesn't want to ship it, but I travel to the DC area frequently and can drop off.
Let me know if you are interested.