this 1950's camera perfected everything - Graflex Graphic 35

[@lindonmichael]

I'm not into cameras but your enthusiasm for them is infectious. I appreciate you showing me this cool stuff

[@sheelios]

Thanks for sticking around and still watching my videos! Really appreciate it!! Your comment made my day 😊

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

I have one. a F-3.5 since the early 60's. It was my first sophisticated camera. Did you say it is an SLR(I rechecked, you didn't). It isn't, it is a Rangefinder., but one of the coolest looking Rangefinders, ever. I used the Grahic-35 through my school years and then picked up a Yashica 'Electro- 35' Rangefinder mainly because of the electronic light meter. After that another Rangefinder a Minolta and then a Pentax 'K1000' my first SLR, and so many cameras since then. I was doing a project in Ballad in 2010 when decided to load some film into the Graphic-35 and go downtown and to the Ballard Locks. The camera got so much attention I didn't get a lot of shots. I later finished the roll on Lake Union during the Duck Dodge a sailboat race. I shot several more B&W rolls later, but haven't picked it up to use in a good 13 years or so. The Graphic-35 has remained on my glass enclosed camera display shelf a long with many other classic cameras from the 50's through the 80's & 90's and still gets a lot of attention. Cameras and film has been an enduring hobby of mine since I built a Pin-hole camera when I was 8, and started developing my own film when I was eleven. I still shoot the occasional roll of film and on the street, the old 35's still get a lot of attention from other shooters Thanks for the post. PS! Still shoot film. Check out the new CROWN + FLINT APP . Also The KZbin channel 'Electichrome'.

[@sheelios]

this is an awesome story! thank you for watching and commenting. the graphic definitely has such a unique look ive never seen in any other camera. i dont think i could ever get rid of mine. makes sense why it would get so much attention i will definitely check out the app and the youtube channel! thanks for the recommendations!

[@randallstewart1224]

This was the second model of the "Graphic 35" which Graflex thrust into the market in the late 1950s in its effort to save the company from financial collapse. From the 1920s into the 50s, Graflex dominated press camera sales like Kodak dominated film. After WWII, they kept making the same 4x5 inch sheet film press cameras, while the pro market started to swing away toward new style medium format roll film models and 35mm rangefinders. By the time the board of directors woke up, Graflex didn't have the money to redesign and retool for new styles of cameras, so they started buying up other cheap camera companies (Ciroflex to make cheap TLRs) and just buy 35mm cameras made by Japanese companies, putting their name on the front. Thus, the Graphic 35 was born. The first version was made by Kowa, looking very much as this model. It's gimmick to promote sales was that its film advance/cocking functions were powered. That was nearly unique and hot shit in 1958. What proved not clever was that the power came from a CO2 gas cartridge. In the 1950s, these were mainly used to power gas driven pellet guns, I.e., big BB-guns for child-like adults. The gas cartridges did have to be replaced after some use, but they were sold in every hardware store in the US for cheap. Unhappily, the gas drive mechanism never worked well, so Graflex was being slaughtered with warranty claims. The camera sold poorly, and it was withdrawn in a year or so. It was replaced by this model, very conventional, well-made, good lenses (here, from Rodenstock in Germany). It was not successful either. The traditional Graflex customer base couldn't care less. The high end amateur market responded, "So is it a Leica?" The vast snaphooting, family album stuffing, "dad's camera" base was buying Kodak and Ansco plastic cameras, or Kodak Retinas. Actually, that color coded flash guide system was perhaps the best idea, the "guide number" system for rating the light output of flash bulbs (as well s for the new electronic flash units coming out then) was the only way to set a lens aperture to properly expose for flash photography. But, all flash makers cheated - all of them, by overrating their products' output to help sales. More light was better, so it sold better. The data from the makers was totally fraudulent, so any serious users had to make test exposures and compute a working guide number for their own use. Once you had a useful guide number, you determined lens aperture (f-stop) by dividing the guide number by the camera to subject distance. (A guide number was determined in either feet or meters, being different for each unit of distance to be used.) Apart from owning the last working, CO2 powered Graphic 35 as a collectible, there is nothing special about either model.

[@sheelios]

WOW! thanks so much for all this info! so much i didnt know about it. assuming youve had the chance to use some of these cameras?

[@randallstewart1224]

@@sheelios No. I've collected quite a variety of cameras over the years, but not so many fixed lens 35mm models. I might have mentioned that Graflex also marketed a second series of Kowa made models under the name of Century 35. These are very high quality, but rare as hens teeth in the US. I've never seen more than a photo of one.

[@patrickrostker6693]

Neat, it even looks retro, very stylish! ❤

[@sheelios]

looks retro because it is!

[@scottymccrae]

it's graflex's world and we're just living in it

[@sheelios]

It truly is

[@TheCammer]

Love the camera reviews (previews? Idk but theyre great)

[@sheelios]

mini research essays? i cant believe id be doing research essays for FUN. thanks for watching!!

[@OKEdits]

the segment be segmenting so hard

[@sheelios]

It do be

[@AnthonyGullace]

First minute vibes. Love you love film love josh

[@sheelios]

Love you love film love Josh

[@seyyadwahabdeen]

Sickkkkk

[@spicychashu]

its gonna b second nature man just trust me trust

[@sheelios]

😬😬😬😬

[@wartimenews]

How do you get the graflex out of the later case

[@sheelios]

The leather case is screwed into the bottom, so unscrew and the case should slide out

[@Technochaos03]

The camera looks immaculate for a 65 year old artifact. You find it still in the box or something?

[@sheelios]

It was in perfect shape! Not a scratch I was shocked. It has a leather case but I can’t imagine the previous owner ever used it more than once.

[@MrConstantGibberish]

damn..I want one. Can I have yours?

[@sheelios]

Yes

[@dbk78]

You know peter mackinnon? Your the exact opposite , and thank u for that

[@sheelios]

Hahah thanks for watching! Appreciate it

[@traceyhamilton4216]

"PromoSM" 😴

[@sheelios]

What does this meaaannnnn

[@vipEmpire_]

@@sheelios it's a spam bot. good video btw, but honestly the flash stuff isn't confusing. just match the colors so the exposure remains the same. everything else is mandatory and can't be simplified further

[@sheelios]

@@vipEmpire_ ah thats what i thought haha. thanks for watching!!