Graphic 35 Jet

Introducing the world’s first, and only jet-powered camera, the Graphic Jet 35! Designed by the American camera company Graflex and produced from late 1960 to late 1961.

Imagine you are an executive with Graflex in 1959, 35mm film cameras began to take a larger portion of the market in the mid-1950s, and you are seeking a way to distinguish your cameras from the rest. The transistor radio only recently hit the market, and such electronic advances are not yet appearing in camera design. Especially with older camera companies who hired primarily mechanical engineers. Except for a few outliers such as the Miranda the interchangeable lens SLR is not yet a standard. Most manufacturers concentrated on fixed lens rangefinders during the 1950s. Canon and Nikon have only just unveiled their, yet successful, lines of SLR 35mm film cameras in 1959.

What can Graflex do to make a camera that will stand out? Company president, G.C. Whitaker decided the future would lie in a camera with a fast film advance. A camera that could capture multiple frames a second. Up to this point automatic advancing film cameras required winding a clockwork mechanism prior to use. Graflex had already introduced the Graphic 35 Electric, featuring the first electric advance system, but it was noisy and slower than a lever wind. To get a truly automated fast film system Graflex would have to think outside the box and G. C. Whitaker felt he had the answer. A jet-powered camera!

First thing to note about the Graphic Jet 35, is despite its name and marketing, the camera is not exactly jet-powered. It used a CO₂ canister, similar to those in a CO₂ whipped cream charger, or pellet gun to power an internal turbine for advancing the film. The camera could take between 2 to 4 frames a second. Revolutionary for its time. However, that is where the positives for this camera ended.

Graflex had a long-standing relationship with Kowa of Japan for producing their Century 35 cameras throughout the 1950s. When it came time to produce the Graphic Jet 35 the company again turned to them. In the agreement, Kowa would produce the camera except for the CO₂ advance system which would be added to the cameras once they were delivered to the Graflex facility in Rochester, NY. This arrangement would eventually not only be the downfall of the camera but for all future Graphic 35 cameras.

Excerpt from a letter to Mike Hanemann from Tim Holden (former Graflex employee) – published in Graflex Historic Quarterly Spring 2008.

We had been doing business in a big way with Kowa of Japan, with a whole line of really good 35mm cameras, to which we gave the name “Century.” Graflex was to design the (Jet 35) camera, Kowa was to build it, and Metrowatt of Germany was to supply the exposure meter. I wasnʼt directly connected to the project except to find the gas cartridges, etc. Graflex was to design and make the “Jet” motor drive. Somewhere along the way, changes deemed necessary for the motor drive necessitated changing some of the internal dimensions, and somehow that revision did not get passed on to Kowa, and as a result, the parts did not work too well when assembled in Rochester. The upshot was that our very good relationship with Kowa deteriorated, and the whole thing was a mess.

Complicating all of this was the fact that after the little Seltzer charger had been pierced, the pressure in the motor could not be maintained because some special “O” rings were needed, and all that we could find at the time were made of a material which deteriorated. They were not impervious to the CO₂ gas, and they leaked. So much for the motor! The camera also lacked lens interchangeability, which was becoming a necessity. I think that only two manufacturing jobs were run on this camera.

During this time, H.A. Schumacher, our V.P of Sales and Advertising, had left, General Precision Equipment had bought us out, and major decisions were made by G.C. Whitaker, who was not too good at it. Unfortunately, he also had a firm belief that the future of Graflex lay in the 4×5 camera, in addition to the audiovisual field in which we were very deeply involved.

The Graphic Jet 35 would be the last of the Graflex 35 line, and perhaps marked the decline of the once-great American company. Continued investment in large format camera design would keep the company busy for the next decade and a half, but the writing was on the wall. Japanese SLR manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Minolta, and others would soon dominate the market with exchangeable lens 35mm SLR cameras.

Graphic 35 Jet

Manufacturer: Graflex
Production: 1960 – 1961
Type: Coupled Range Finder
Media: 35mm roll film
Lens: 50mm Graflex Optar f 2.0
Focus: Manual Push Button Focus
Shutter: Copal SVK 1 second to 1/500 plus bulb

Accessories:

Camera Specific Leather Camera Case with Strap
Jet Graphic CO₂ Chargers
Flash Attachment (bulbs)
Graflex Filters in Leather Filter Walet

Collectability:

Graphic 35 Jet

The Graphic 35 Jet scores a 95 out of 100 for collectability. A unique camera with a short production period makes this a rare find for collectors. Even more rare is the replacement JET CO₂ Chargers. The Graphic 35 Jet can occasionally be found on online auctions, but it usually requires some patience.

Thought the CO₂ system will be unusable in the camera, Graflex had the foresight to include a standard thumb wind option as well. This means a camera in good shape can still be used by those wishing to run a roll or two through the camera before placing it on the shelf.

Photographer: John Baltz

John is a seasoned professional with nearly 30 years in photography. A native to Northwest Arkansas, John’s first interest in photography began with collecting cameras as a child from antique markets around town. Later, John received a degree in Computer Science from the University of Arkansas. It is his strong knowledge in digital photography, along with a love for the history of photography that provides for a unique sense of creativity driving many of his projects.