Graflex Graphic 35
The Graphic 35 is a 35mm rangefinder camera built by Graflex - the company mostly known for its line of Speed Graphic large format cameras. I knew of these before, but this is the first time I've had one in hand. I was lucky enough to stumble on this very clean and functional copy, and I'm wicked impressed! This is vintage American industrial design at its finest. By far the most unique feature here is the focusing. Those two black buttons on either side of the shutter/lens assembly are rocked back and forth to acheive the desired focus. Also, what looks like a self-timer lever is actually the shutter release. It's not quite working on this one (the only thing that appears to not work), but the design of this is really cool - if you use your index fingers on the focusing rocker buttons, you can use your middle finger of your right hand to pull the shutter release lever sideways without taking your eye away from the viewfinder. Though I should add that the rangefinder window is separate from the viewfinder window. Still, I found I was able to focus via the rangefinder, switch to the viewfinder, and pull the shutter release all without taking my eye away from the camera. Other functionality is more old school, such as the winding knobs, and the fact that you have to manually cock the shutter before taking your next shot.
Graflex Graphic 35
The Graphic 35 is a 35mm rangefinder camera built by Graflex - the company mostly known for its line of Speed Graphic large format cameras. I knew of these before, but this is the first time I've had one in hand. I was lucky enough to stumble on this very clean and functional copy, and I'm wicked impressed! This is vintage American industrial design at its finest. By far the most unique feature here is the focusing. Those two black buttons on either side of the shutter/lens assembly are rocked back and forth to acheive the desired focus. Also, what looks like a self-timer lever is actually the shutter release. It's not quite working on this one (the only thing that appears to not work), but the design of this is really cool - if you use your index fingers on the focusing rocker buttons, you can use your middle finger of your right hand to pull the shutter release lever sideways without taking your eye away from the viewfinder. Though I should add that the rangefinder window is separate from the viewfinder window. Still, I found I was able to focus via the rangefinder, switch to the viewfinder, and pull the shutter release all without taking my eye away from the camera. Other functionality is more old school, such as the winding knobs, and the fact that you have to manually cock the shutter before taking your next shot.