If you’ve ever watched a movie set in the 1930s or 40s, that had a news photographer in a scene, then you’ve seen a Speed Graphic. They were large, heavy – typically weighing 7 pounds or 3kg – but very well-built cameras that were often seen with a huge flash attached to the side.
The Speed Graphic (and its simpler cousins, the Pacemaker and Crown Graphic) was the quintessential “press” camera until well into the 1950s, though they remained in production for over 60 years, from 1912 until 1973!
It all started 1n 1896 when the Folmer & Schwing Bicycle and Camera Company first offers its “Cycle Graphic,” a 4 x 5 sheet film camera with a Victor Shutter in a Rapid Rectilinear lens for $25.
Article continues belowBy 1912, it had evolved into the famous “Speed Graphic” camera which added a focal plane shutter, with speeds to 1/1000sec in order to “freeze” action shots. Thus the word “Speed” being added to the name. The Speed Graphic also kept the between-the-lens leaf shutter of previous Graphic cameras for flash synchronization up to 1/400 or 1/500sec, depending on the shutter.
This 1912 Speed Graphic was available in various sizes like 4x5in and 3¼x4¼in, but the 4x5 was, by far, the most common. All authentic Speed Graphics up to 1970 retained this dual setup, unlike Crown Graphics, which lacked the focal plane shutter.
Production of the Cycle Graphic spanned eight decades until 1973, evolving through multiple models. The “top handle” Speed Graphic of 1912 added the dual-shutter. The handle moved to the side, to allow a rangefinder on top in 1940. A flash solenoid and the ability to drop the lens board below 90º (for use with wide-angle lenses) were also added at that time.
Pacemaker Crown and Speed Graphics, both introduced by Graflex in 1947, shared postwar upgrades like coated lenses, body releases, and folding infinity stops but diverged mainly in shutter systems. The Speed Graphic retained the focal plane shutter for high speeds and barrel lens use, while the Crown Graphic omitted it for simplicity. Both were produced until around 1970 in 4x5 and smaller formats.
The Graphic’s last hurrah was the Super Graphic, made from 1958 to 1973, which offered a metal body, and a revolving back, for easier vertical shots. However some versions lacked the focal plane shutter.
The Graphic’s became known for their rugged build quality, versatility with many lenses available and, of course, their use by any number of famous photographers.
Speed Graphics captured Pulitzer-winning images, from the 1945 Iwo Jima flag-raising by Joe Rosenthal to Weegee's New York crime-scene photos of the 1930s and 1940s.
Photographers like Barbara Morgan and David Burnett used them well into the 2000s for high-quality work.
Likely the most famous user was Arthur Fellig, who’s nom de guerre was “Weegee”.. a nickname given to him by other news photographers because he he was often on the scene before even the police, as if he'd gotten a tip from a Ouija board that foretold the future. The reality was that he had a police radio scanner in his car!
When asked about his photo technique, Weegee famously answered “f/8 and be there”, a phrase that has gone on to become one of the greatest clichés in the photographic world. He was said to have always carried a jug of water with him which, if he had the chance, he would splash around a body, as it looked like blood in his black and white photos. He was famous for developing his photos in the back of an old ambulance, which had been kitted out with a darkroom, as it raced through the streets to his newspaper with its siren wailing!
As Fellig said, “If you are puzzled about the kind of camera to buy, get a Speed Graphic – for two reasons. It is a good camera, and moreover, with a camera like that the cops will assume that you belong on the scene and will let you get behind police lines.”
In 1947 Graflex introduced the Graflok back, enabling seamless swaps between roll film and sheet holders. Later models, such as the 1958 Century Graphic, integrated Graflok permanently into their Bakelite bodies.
The Speed Graphic is also famous for one other thing. Star Wars set decorator Roger Christian fashioned his light sabres from the flash guns from Speed Graphic cameras. Special effects guru, John Stears, then inserted a wooden dowel coated with a special paint to provide a weak glow for animators to add onto during post-production. And, in 2008, one of the light sabres used by Mark Hamill will sell at auction for $240,000!
Over the years, ownership and company names changed multiple times, but the cameras remain prized even today, for commercial, portrait, and documentary photography due to their manual operation, high precision and Graflok back compatibility.
Read more of David Young's ongoing series on classic cameras
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