From the 1906 Folmer &Schwing Catalogue 1907-1911

"This camera is autographic, uses roll film and takes postcard sized-3 ¼ x 5½ inches pictures- often called "standard" size.
The autographic inscription- date and title or similar information written on the film at the exposure time-becomes a permanent part of the negative.
Such a record is invaluable for identifying the scene, long after the exposure is made.
Amateurs everywhere favour the postcard size picture.
It is large enough to show considerable detail in the contact print and its proportions are such that both upright and horizontal subjects fit the image area without waste space.
When an upright subject is to be photographed lengthwise of the film, the camera is focused a normal position, then held on its side when making the exposure.
Sockets are provided so that a tripod may be employed when making either vertical or horizontal time exposures.
Kodak Film, in 6- or 10-exposure rolls is used.
Four extra rolls can be stored in the ends of the camera, giving it a total capacity of 50 exposures, conveniently carried.
Twenty-four instantaneous speeds, ranging from 1/ 10 to 1/1,000 of a second, a slow automatic exposure of about 1/ 5 of a second,
and time exposures of any duration are available with the focal plane shutter.
Bellows capacity is 10 inches and the front is rigidly built to accommodate f. 4.5 lenses of 7-inch focal length.
This fits the 3A Graflex for all-around amateur use.
Details Dimensions, 10 x 5 x 6 3/8 inch. ; bellows capacity,10 inch.; weight, 7 Ibs.; size of lens board, 3 ¼ x 3 ¼ inch. ;
minimum focus of lenses accommodated, 6 ½ inch.
For roll film only. Plate adapters cannot be supplied."

This fabulous 3A Graflex camera in perfect working condition more than one century after its manufacturing.

The 3A Graflex was manufactured by Folmer & Swing, at that time a Division of the Eastman Kodak Company.
The camera was equipped with a build in Autographic device which was placed in the back film cover of the camera.
A window could be opened and made the film paper back accessible for writing date and location to identify the scene
long after the exposure was made.

From 1907 until 1926 the Graflex 3A was one of the first cameras equipped with a reflex mirror.
Such cameras were equipped with a ground-glass on top of the camera housing on which the lens image via the surface mirror is projected.
A viewing hood is placed above the ground glass for better viewing without incoming stray light
The mirror pops up when exposure knob is pressed and the film is being exposed at the same time.
That means that the focal plane shutter curtain moves verically from top to bottom with a horizontal open slit along the film surface.
The incoming light which enters through the lens exposes the film during the time that the open slit passes along the said film surface.
The 3 ¼ x 5 1/2 "standard" size film often called"postcard" in combination with the mirror reflex system which became very popular with the press, street photographers and war correspondents.
If portrait mode must be used, the camera can be focused in the normal horizontal landscape position, as well held on its side when making the exposure in portrait mode.
Even in this position there is no unwanted light coming in because of the reliable mirror "home" position.

The curtain is equipped with 4 different sized slits which made it much more reliable than an adjustable slit such as manyGerman cameras used to be equipped with.
The 4 different slits in combination with a 6 different shutter tension roller, made it possible to choose between 24 exposure time possibilities.
The first 3 A Graflex series distinguish from the later model only by an offset in the rear of the body under the filmtrack and the lack of the autographic feature*.


As mentioned above, the 3A Graflex was equipped with a so called Autographic Back which enabled the photographer to write info on each negative.
All the advantages of a reflex camera, the very reliable shutter, the rigid construction and the availability of the 122 film 3 ¼ x 5 ½,
made it possible that the Graflex 3A camera had a remarkable long life span of nearly 20 years until 1926.
 The construction of this very rigid camera, which is made from lock jointed mahogany, covered with Persian Morocco leather
is more or less comparable with the 10 years later launched  Compact Camera.
Main differences were a third safety curtain and the lack of both film compartments left and right of the camera housing.
The Graflex 3 A design created a surplus space on each side of the camera converted into film storage pockets, each carrying two rolls of film.
The lower spring loaded roller of the horizontal focal plane shutter was ingeniously placed under the mirror case thus reducing the height of the camera house.
Dimensions: 10¼ x 5 x 6 ½ inch. Lens board measures 3 ¼ x 3 ¼ inch. Minimum focus of lens accommodated 6 ¼ inch.
The construction of the back does not allow the use of film holders in any way. Just 122 Roll Film can be used.
The overall condition of my 100 years old camera proves that the 3A is all together a solid and very reliable camera.
The focal plane shutter fabric still works perfectly after 100 years without any repairing, cleaning or lubrication what so ever.
It may be clear that overall cleaning was neccsarry due to dust and moisture, but in fact there were no heavy defects
. However, I assume that many owners of such cameras were not so lucky as their camera had been stored away for many years
with a full tensioned spring, maybe even stored under very bad conditions like in moistly cellars of hot attics.

How to open the Camera.

The focusing hood opens automatically if the top-cover of the camera is raised.
Lock the hood using the side brackets.
The top of the hood is lined with soft velvet or fur shaped to fit the contour of the face of the photographer
and thus excluding extraneous light, enabling the operator to focus perfectly.
Now open the front door by pushing the hidden knob on top of the right film compartment.
The door opens automatically but needs to be pushed further down until it "clicks"
Pull the lens standard with lens out of the camera house until the infinity stop to the end of the track..

Attention
First pull lens out of the camera house against infinity stop
before setting the controls.

To open the camera press the hidden knob on top of the lower left side on top of the camera. (Seen from the front side of the camera).
The hinged bed door opens automatically. Pull the bed down until the bed braces snap into the full locked position.
Swing the front standard lock out straight and pull the front firmly against the infinity stops and lock this position by swinging the standard lock to the left.
To open the focusing hood press the spring catch forward. The hood unfolds automatically, but you have to lock  the two  braces to hold the hood in open position. 
Set the mirror by pressing lever H until it locks. You may now see an image on the ground glass.
Now turn the focusing knob on the lefts side of the bed backwards or forwards until the desired object is sharply defined on the ground glass screen.
For aperture and diaphragm setting see Instantaneous Exposure. To close the camera, please be sure that you first press the mirror lever H backwards until it locks.
Now swing the standard lock straight and push the standard all the way further back into the camera body.
You may help a bit by pressing the mirror lever H a bit more to allow the standard and bellows to find enough space behind the bed door.
Swing the front standard lock to the left to lock the standard. Make sure the sliding track is moved all the way back.
Press down the braces and close the hinged bed door.

 

pull lens out of the camera against infinity stop and lock it in that position
 
The Film No. A-122. 
The wide body included two compartments for storage of each two films.
 

The hinged cover when opened gives easy access to the film compartments.
Watch and see the working of the horizontal slit focal plane shutter which moves vertical along the film surface..
On both sides of the camera back you'll find a blade shaped spring which keeps the roll film tide on the spool which greatly facilitates
loading and unloading the film spool in or out the camera film compartment.

More info about
the working of the reflex-mirror
in Time modus.

The opened back of the Graflex 3A shows the mirror house in Time exposure position.
That means that the mirror in this situation is flipped up against the mirror.
No image can be thrown on the ground glass.
Instant modus.

If the mirror is in down position, thus in Instant setting,  the entire mirror house behind the mirror is completely dark
to protect the film for unwanted stray light and waiting for exposure by the release button.
The release catch holds the mirror in down position until the release knob will be activated.

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Above figure shows the mirror in 45 degree focusing position.
Special attention for the double flexible suspension light baffle.
An identical but single suspension assembly was used in the Graflex 1-A.

The downwards moving releasing arm with its slant end 39 moves the horizontal release arm to the right.

Above the backside of the lens section including the bellows and lens plate.
This section houses the hinged mirror frame with on top the reflex mirror.
LB is a new made light baffle with on its top the mirror frame catch. See fig 8
This part replaces a worn and broken original. The light baffle will later be covered with black lining.
On the left side the R thoroughly cleaned release button assembly. See also Fig 9.
The push arrow moves the release arm to the right and unlocks the mirror with catch 27 .
SLB stands for Side Light Baffle. Once assembled again, these thin metal shields are situated between camera wall and exposure chamber.
Together with the Light Baffle and the mirror frame, they secure a light proof exposure chamber.
If the release button is pressed, the mirror pops up and at the same time the focal plane shutter
 starts its journey along the film to expose it with its pre-set slit.

 

Patent.  figure 1 shows camera in open position. Focusing image on ground glass and ready to take an exposure.
Red is mirror. Blue is spring. 
 

Improved Mirror Spring

The later model, the one with the autographic feature, has a different mirror spring system than the first edition like the one here above. (blue 26).
This later type has a shaft bushing spring visible on the outside of the left camera side.
Inside the bushing there is a spring which power holds the mirror up against the ground glass.

The big bushing of the mirror shaft holds the mirror under pressure while the small bushing holds the upper curtain roller in position.
Both features are part of the later produced 3A Graflex model. Visible inside the film spool storage pocket.

 

Enlarged patent drawing of the Graflex 3 A camera in closed and open position.
*closed position in coloured upper right corner.
 
The 3-A Camera Patented by William F Folmer is almost
an identical design like the Compact Graflex, all be it that the 3 A lacks the safety curtain.
In stead of a third safety blind, the mirror (17) combined with the light baffle (68) keeps the exposure chamber light tight during the exposure time setting.
 

The Instantaneous Exposure
After the image on the ground glass is properly focused and the darks slide of the film holder has been drawn or removed, the exposure is made by a downward pressure of the release lever.
The hinged mirror swings up and at the same time the focal plane shutter with the pre-set open slit moves down along the film surface to expose.

The focal plane shutter gives instantaneous exposures of 1/10 to 1/1000 of a second as well as time exposures of any duration.
Not forgetting to mention that the shutter is equipped with a safety device which prevents winding the shutter until the mirror is set.
 

The focal plane shutter is the very same as we can find on all the other Graflex cameras of that time.
Apart from the O = "open" setting for time exposures, the curtain contains 4 different slits.
These represents the width of the 4 curtain apertures. The first one is 1½ inch, the second ¾ of an inch the next 3/8 of an inch and the fastest aperture is 1/8 of an inch.
The Graflex Speed table mounted on the viewing hood shows instantly the speeds obtained with the different tensions and the various apertures.
6 spring tensions combined with the 4 openings or slits gives a total of 24 different exposure times.
The narrower the slit which moves across the film surface, the shorter the exposure.

 

Any exposure time you want is available.
To make a tme exposure: Set the mirror. 
Turn the I-T disk in such a way that the T is opposite the mark on H.
In the newer model with the Autographic, slide the bar to the marked position T
Now the mirror is no longer connected to the release.
Turn the winding key until "T" is visible in the window.
Set tension at least on 4. Now focus to your subject.
Set the diaphragm. To take the photo: Raise the mirror by pressing down the release lever on the left  side.
Now the mirror pops up. By pressing down the lever M located on top of the upper control panel, the curtain is pulled down and the full opening exposes the film.
By pressing down the lever again, the curtain is drawn down, covers the film  and thus ends the exposure time.

Slow Instantaneous exposure.

Automatic exposures of approximately one fifth of a second can be made. 
To do this. Set the mirror and set  the curtain at O (open) and the tension at 5.
Now by pressing the release knob at the left front side of the camera,
the mirror will rise up and starts the exposure at the same time allowing the curtain to terminate the exposure. 

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The following lenses were available with the 3A Camera: 
Zeiss Kodak f 6,3 no. 4 - Bausch & Lomb Zeiss Tessar Series Ic f= 4,5 -
Cooke Lens Series II f=4,5. No. 21 ½.
Comparing to the camera, the lenses were very expensive.
The price of the camera without lens was $ 75.00 lenses from 101.00 for the Kodak  to 125.00 $ each for the B&L and Cooke  (catalogue 1914) 

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The Graflex Autographic Feature The Graflex 3 A back cover is equipped with the Autographic feature.
This device made it possible to make notes of the location or event direct on the negative immediately after the exposure.
An oval shaped device in the back of the camera was equipped with a sliding mechanism which gave access to the underlying film cover paper.
A small metal stylus, clamped on top of the camera could be taken out to use as a pencil.
A sort of typewriter carbon transferred the written text on the negative beneath the film cover paper.
The text was clearly copied and later visible in white on the negative.
A Highly Profitable Contract

George Eastman purchased this invention from Henry J. Gaisman, a very successful inventor and entrepreneur,
and paid him 300.000 US$ for it. Kodak added this new invention to all its so called "Autographic" cameras.
From then on all Kodak and Graflex cameras were equipped with this for that time unique useful Autographic feature.

More about this useful feature

 

Photos © Jo Lommen

Graflex Cameras

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