Combat Graflex 5.5x7cm rangefinder camera #477064 for 70mm roll film, rare olive-colored military outfit from the US Signal Corps: KE-4 (1) with matching Ektar 2.8/4" (102mm) nº RM823, (1953) Ektar 4/8" (205mm) nº OY169, (1960) hood, cap, flash with olive-colored reflector, 5 color filters all in matching olive-colored metal case circa 1956. The top of the camera near the center has a flip up viewfinder. Mounter to the right of the body is a black metal hand grip. The lensed can be changed easily with bayonet lens mount sytem buit into the camera. The camera, lemses and accessaries are all housed in the original fitted drab green metal case which has a plaque mounted to the top of the case that states "SIGNAL CORP US ARMY, CAMERA SET STILL PICTURE KS 6(1), SERIAL#330 contract# AF-23991 GRAFLEX Inc. . The top of the case also has the original Halibutin makers metal label mounted.
Condition: Cosmeticaly the camera, lenses assecories are in very good condition. We are not shure if it is in working condtion.
History: The Combat Graphic camera was built from 1954 till about 1957 by Graflex Inc. It is designated the KE-4 (1)
Still Picture Camera by the American Military. It began life as a design by one
John Maurer (see http://www.novacon.com.br/odditycameras/maurer.htm
And http://www.novacon.com.br/odditycameras/maureer70.htm who specialised in
designing motor-driven cameras for the Air-Force and was put into production by Graflex where it was
productionised by Hubert Nerwin who had been part of the design team at Zeiss-Ikon who produced the
Contax 35mm cameras, total production about 1500 units.
It is finished in drab olive (of course) with black trim, uses 70mm double sprocketed film in cartridges which are
like oversize 35mm. It's 10ins. (255mm) wide by 5ins. tall (127mm) and with the normal 4in.(102mm) f/2.8
Kodak Ektar is about 5.25ins. deep (134mm). The body is made of cast magnesium and it weighs about 5lbs.
(2.25Kg). The normal lens focuses to 4ft and is clickstopped to f/22.
Shutter Speeds are T,B,X,1,1/2,1/5,1/10,1/25,1/50,1/100,1/200,1/500 with a standard cloth focal plane shutter.
Wind on is using a clockwork spring motordrive which would advance about 9 frames per winding in a single
shot mode. Film feed is from Cassette to cassette with a built in knife cutter to alow unload in mid roll (like an
Exakta), frame size is 6x7cm.
Focusing is by a rangefinder, 4.5in. (115mm) base, in a single viewfinder that also zoomed when the telephoto
lens was attached, framing for wide-angle is by a "Sports" type finder on the top.
Additional lenses were:
2.5in (63mm) f/4.5 Kodak Ektar Wide-angle click stopped to f/22, min focus 4ft.
8in (205mm) f/4 Kodak Ektar telephoto click stopped to f/22, min focus 8ft.
The camera plus the two extra lenses and a bulb flash unit all came together as a kit in an olive drab
Haliburton case and was known by the military as the KS-6(1).
Nerwin did more than concieve the camera: he was hired away from Zeiss Ikon (Stuttgart) by Graflex in
1947 as part of the US-sponsored Operation Paperclip -- as Chief of Design at Zeiss Ikon, his salary was
about 1/3 or less what it became as the KE-4 project chief at Graflex!. When he joined Graflex, he had the
camera rethought on Contax RF terms, which is why the two share so many similarities.
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