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miket-nyc · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 39 Location: NYC

I recently bought two 101mm f. 4.5 Kodak Ektars (one was being sold cheap online "for parts" but it turned out to have a sticky shutter and excellent glass). I will probably combine bits from both, but they both come in Graphic Supermatic shutters with M or F synch, but no X synch, and I want to use electronic flash with the camera.

I read somewhere that electronic flash can work with F synch, but does it work WELL that way? F synch has a 5 millisecond delay between the time the shutter opens and the time the contacts close. That's better than the 20 millisecond delay of M synch, but the flash is still firing later than it would with X synch. So is this electronic flash with F synch limited to certain shutter speeds? And if it is, can these shutters be modified to give true X synch?

Also, on one of these Supermatic shutters, you have to unscrew the end of the sync knob to move it between M and F, but on the other the end of the knob is spring-loaded to unlock when you pull it up. Am I right to assume that the knob with the pull-up design is newer, and did these later shutters have any other internal improvements?

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2144 Location: New Jersey

I b'lieve that Supermatics have a synchronizer cocking lever. It is just clockwise from the press focus button. If you fire the shutter without cocking the synchronizer, it will give you "X" sync.

miket-nyc · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 39 Location: NYC

45PSS · Posted: Sat May 19, 2018 7:30 pm Post subject:

The Supermatic operation is described on page 12
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1sPJkp-MdghNEZZV1BLVndXbVk/view?usp=sharing
Some, I assume early versions, did not fire a flash unless the delay was cocked. On those shutters shorting the 10k ohm resistor made them X sync.
The procedure was to set the shutter then install the flash bulb and make the shot.

Supermatic shutters are not difficult to service and service manuals are available. A service manual was written for each lens version but the service manual for one will work for another except for the Meadalist and Monitor Six-20 cameras.
I can sell you a pdf copy for less than you can buy it on ebay if interested.

Date the lens here: https://graflex.org/speed-graphic/lenses.html#EktarLenses
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