Graflex Super Graphic
Introduced: 1958 Discontinued: 1973
Graflex Super Graphic is the modernized successor to the Speed and Crown Graphics — in production 1958-1973, with a metal (vs leather-covered wood) body, electric solenoid shutter release, and improved front movements. Slower-selling than the Speed/Crown era because by the late 1950s 35mm SLRs were eclipsing press cameras for daily journalism — the Super Graphic served the diminishing market for serious 4×5 press work.
Key features
- 4×5 inch format
- Metal body (cast aluminum / stainless steel) — more durable than the Speed/Crown leather-covered wood
- In-lens leaf shutter — focal-plane shutter optional ("Super Speed Graphic" variant added the body shutter)
- Improved front movements — more rise, fall, shift than Speed/Crown
- Electric shutter release via solenoid — faster firing than mechanical cable
- Top-mount rangefinder (Hugo Meyer typical)
Practical notes
- Super Graphic bodies on used market: $400-900 with lens
- Heavier than Speed/Crown (~3.5 kg vs ~2.5 kg) — the metal body trade-off
- The Super Speed Graphic variant (with focal-plane shutter) is rarer and more expensive
- Metal body more resistant to age-degradation than leather — Super Graphics often look "newer" than Speed/Crowns of the same era
Related cameras
- Graflex Speed Graphic — predecessor with focal-plane shutter
- Graflex Crown Graphic — lighter predecessor without focal-plane
- Toyo 45A — Japanese folding-field-camera alternative
- Cambo SC — monorail studio alternative