Graflex
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Graflex was a manufacturer, a brand name and several models of cameras. William F. Folmer, an inventor, built the first Graflex camera in 1898, when his company was called Folmer and Schwing. Founded originally in New York as a bicycle company, it had branched into making cameras, which then became its main business. That firm in 1905 was purchased by George Eastman. In 1907, the company became the Folmer and Schwing Division of Eastman Kodak. After a few more interim changes of status and name, it finally became simply "Graflex, Inc." in 1945. [sources: Kingslake; Hendersonville Camera Club].
Most sports photography in the early 20th century was done with Graflex and similar cameras with a cloth focal plane shutter. To get shutter speeds high enough to stop fast motion they had to use a narrow slit, which exposed different parts of the film at different times.
The Graflex was an SLR that was viewed through a tall leather hood from above--not through a pentaprism. They came in sizes from 2 1/4" X 3 1/4" (6x9 cm) up to 8" x 10".
To set the shutter speed, you wound up the shutter to one of a series of tensions with a key. Then you selected the slit width with another control. A table on the side of the box gave the shutter speed for each combination.
Graflex Speed Graphic folding cameras, produced from 1912 to 1973, also have a focal plane shutter, although they are often used with a between-the-lens shutter mounted to the lensboard. Crown Graphic cameras are similar to their corresponding Speed Graphic cousins; however they are an inch thinner and about one pound lighter because they lack the focal plane shutter. However, because of the shorter lens-to-film plane distance, the Crown Graphic can use shorter lens focal lengths, allowing a wider field of view.
So, many photographers made pictures with the wheels of cars leaning forward, because a top-to-bottom shutter motion exposed the bottom first. This feature became a conventional indication of speed. Cartoonists drew wheels the same way to indicate fast motion.
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[edit] Graflex manufacturing history[1]
The company name changed several times over the years as it was absorbed and then released by the Kodak empire, finally becoming a division of the Singer Corporation and then dissolved in 1973. The award winning Graflex plant in suburban Pittsford, New York is still standing and is home to the MOSCOM Corporation.
| Years | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| 188?-1904 | Folmer & Schwing Manufacturing Co., NY, NY |
| 1905-1927 | Folmer & Schwing Div., Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY |
| 1928-1946 | Folmer Graflex Corp., Rochester, NY |
| 1946-1955 | Graflex Inc., Rochester, NY |
| 1956-1968 | Graflex Inc., Div. General Precision Equipment, Rochester, NY |
| 1968-1973 | Graflex Inc., Div. SINGER CORPORATION |
| 1973 | Tooling bought by Toyo Co. |
[edit] Pop culture
The 3-cell Graflex flashgun was modified and used as the prop for Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
[edit] See also
- Fairchild K-20 (a WWII-era aerial camera made by Folmer Graflex Corp., which became Graflex Inc. in 1945)
- Press camera
- Speed Graphic (well-known "classic" Graflex press camera)
[edit] References
- ^ Speed Graphic FAQ file, section 23. R.I.T. Photo Forum. Retrieved on 2007-02-27.
- Kingslake, Rudolf, The Rochester Camera and Lens Companies (Rochester NY, Photographic Historical Society, 1974) OCLC 3335854
[edit] External links
- Homepage of Graflex.Org: "Dedicated to promoting the use and preservation of Graflex Speed Graphics and other classic and large-format cameras."
- The Graflex Speed Graphic FAQ on Graflex.org
- Graflex.org: Kingslake historical essay
- Information on the Graflex Press Camera (at a website run by a collector named Jo Lommen)
- Hendersonville Camera Club page on history of photography.
