Graphic No. 0 1909 Rollfilm Camera (1 5/8'' x 2 1/4'')
Photo thanks to Mr. Jim McNee - [email protected]
The No. 0 Graphic camera dates from 1909 (through 1923). It features a focal plane
shutter. The zeiss kodak anastigmat (tessar 4 element per Mr. Romney, see below) lens
was f/6.3, but in a fixed focus mount. So essentially, you had a box camera taking
1 5/8" x 2 1/2" images on rollfilm. Thanks to the age and Zeiss optics, there is a
modest collector's interest, which helps explain the $250 and up that good examples
may fetch for an old box camera!
I had the use of one of these for about a month in the 1940's. It was a
good camera. Very sharp.
After the shutter curtain broke I used the F6.3
Zeiss Kodak lens (a Tessar 4 element) for many years on an enlarger for
6x9cm , then traded it to a guy restoring one of these No 0 cameras.
The big problem was it was fixed focus and a bit slow for 1/500 sec with
ASA 100 film.
If Graflex had given it an F4.5 lens in focussing mount,
which they easily could have, they would have sold a lot more of them.
Best wishes...Ed Romney
[Ed. note: Thanks, Ed, for sharing this info and your experiences with us!
Readers interested in vintage cameras and their upkeep and repair may
also find Ed's camera repair manuals and related resources on his web
site at http://www.edromney.com to
be useful and interesting!]
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