The Graflex K-4 is a 1950s military rangefinder built for 70mm film, and it is as intimidating as it sounds.
Coming to you from Jason Kummerfeldt of grainydays, this fun video revisits the Graflex K-4 with a working kit that includes the Graflex K-4, the Kodak Ektar 100mm f/3.5 lens, and a massive Kodak Ektar 205mm lens. Only around 1,500 K-4 bodies were made, and most have not survived in working shape. This one shoots 70mm film, a format slightly larger than 120 and long abandoned for everyday still work. You load it into reusable cassettes, measuring and clipping film in the dark before sealing the spool under tension. Eight feet of Kodak Tri-X 400 yields roughly 28 exposures, assuming you do not waste frames while figuring out the advance.
Loading is not casual. You pull film from one chamber, clip it to a take-up spool, assemble the cassette, and drop it into the body. There is even a built-in slicer to cut the film mid-roll. The camera is entirely mechanical and powered by a spring motor that you crank by hand. One wind gives you up to eight shots in succession, with the shutter and film advance linked to a single press. Top speed hits 1/500 s, and there is no built-in light meter. You meter separately or guess. The size alone changes how you shoot. This thing makes a Pentax 6x7 feel restrained.
The 100mm lens acts as a normal field of view for the format, and wide open, it has character without falling apart. Stopped down, it delivers sharp, dramatic black-and-white frames that feel close to 6x9 on 120. Filters play a big role here. A deep red filter darkens blue skies and adds weight to coastal scenes, while yellow keeps contrast strong without going surreal. Expired Tri-X responds well to extra light, especially in hard sun. Some frames show edge issues and light leaks, and the negative includes a mechanical frame counter imprint that intrudes into the corner. Scanning is its own battle. The curled 70 mm strips have to be flattened under glass and captured one frame at a time. Expect an evening gone.
Street work is possible, but stealth is not. The body is huge and loud. Fire the shutter near someone and they will look around. On a tripod, though, aimed at old cannons or a lighthouse at golden hour, the K-4 settles into its purpose. You start thinking less about speed and more about placement, about whether to shoot wide open at f/3.5 or close down for depth.
The video also gets into the real friction points: sourcing 70mm film today, the limits compared to 120, and whether the larger negative is worth the effort, along with a rare mention of the elusive wide angle that almost never appears on the market. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Barnes.
No comments yet