Speed & Crown Graphic.
This Pacemaker Speed Graphic is equipped with a Kodak Ektar 127 mm in a
Super-matic M-F shutter controlled by an electric solenoid.
The Kalart Rangefinder was standard of the first generation Speed Graphics.
Its successor (see photo on bottom of this page) was equipped with the
Top Mounted rangefinder
a
device designed by Graflex.
The Pacemaker Speed Graphic has a long list of predecessors.
Basically
it was a design from the twenties to provide focal plane shutter efficiency in a
folding, large format camera.
The original early Speed Graphic was not yet equipped with a
rangefinder.
A folding Graphic sight finder as well as the carrying handle was placed on the camera top.
The rising lens board was the only adjustment. The focal plane shutter
speeds 1/10 to 1/100 second were achieved by 4 slits and 6 different spring
tensions.
Film format 3 ¼ x 5½ inch and 4 x 5 inch. Most of these cameras had
a spring back.
These early "Speeds" were followed by the 4x5
"Pre Anniversary" equipped with a stronger body and a bigger lensboard
to enable the use of a front shutter.
The camera was produced from 1928 to 1939.
During that period of time the Newton finder was replaced by a tubular optic
viewfinder.
As from 1939 the camera was equipped with a coupled Kalart
rangefinder invented by Morris Schwartz.
The Pre-Anniversaries were made in
several sizes and models up till 1940. From 1940 to 1946 the Anniversary was
produced in 3 ¼ x 4 ¼ and 4 x 5 inch.
These cameras were equipped with a rising
and shifting lens standard, drop bed of metal and dual focusing knobs.
The since1907
introduced Graflex Press Camera, up to the Pacemakers Speed Graphic in the
sixties, these cameras witnessed conflicts all over the world during the 20th
Century.
The reliable
cameras, precious instruments of famous press photographers such as Weegee, took pictures of G- men in Chicago,
armed conflicts, wars, student revolutions, and civil disturbances.
They covered the Nuremberg trial, the Korean war, and the
assassination
of Lee Harvey Oswald who killed president Kennedy.
At the end of the sixties,
Graflex cameras were still present on most of the theatres of historical events, but their number decreased as if it was as a last salute to the end of a photographic period of time, where Large Format cameras such as the Speed Graphic dominated the scene- there where the event took
place.
The end of its long successful era was around the late sixties.
The Pacemaker Speed and Crown are Graflex post war cameras,
launched in 1947 and remained in production till 1974.
The Pacemaker Speed as the successor of the
Anniversary Speed Graphic is equipped with a Focal Plane shutter
while the
Pacemaker Crown lacks the focal plane shutter and thus is lighter in weight.
Both cameras are equal in all the other features and equipment.
The missing focal plane shutter enables a smaller, less deep camera housing and
a lighter weight for the Crown.
Both types were introduced in 1947 in three different sizes: 4x5: 3 ¼ x 4 ¼ and 2 ¼ x 3 ¼.
The famous and very highly sophisticated
Graflok back
was introduced in 1949 and originally available on all sizes, albeit that the sales of the smaller sizes
were the reason for the discontinuation of the production of them in 1958.
The 4x5 Pacemaker Speed and Crown were very popular with the press those days.
The new features made of the lighter aluminium
were no doubt reason for the continuation of the popularity of its predecessor
the Anniversary.
A new designed front standard showing the shiny aluminium lens board and its
tilt, shift, rising and linkage
to the build in shutter
release knob which
can control the front as well as the
focal plane shutter on both camera types..
As for the Speed Graphic the above mentioned simple shift sliding knob controls the
choice for the
front or either the back shutter.
The multi speed back shutter is governed by a switch placed beneath the side
mounted control plate.
The switch makes it possible to reduce the high speeds from 1/60, 1/250 an
1/1000 into the half of them 1/30, 1/125 and 1/500.
Until the late fifties the Pacemakers were equiped with a
Kalart rangefinder, the
same rangefinder that was used on all the pre war Graflex -non-reflex- cameras
such as the Anniversary Speed Graphic. The disadvantage of the Kalart was its
complicated fine tuning when changing lenses.
The Kalart rangefinder should be
re-adjusted thoroughly and
in fact only to be done at the Graflex factory.
Re-adjusting is a very precise and difficult job that can easily take several hours of
fine tuning.
In the fifties this Kalart rangefinder was replaced by a
build in coupled rangefinder
designed, developed and manufactured by Graflex.
The new rangefinder was not only more reliable, due to its simple design, but
the main advantage was the fact that exchanging a simple cam was sufficient when
changing lenses.
The rangefinder's position on top of the housing was the reason that the new
cameras were named: "Top Mounted" .
It distinguished between the earlier Kalart side-mounted rangefinder and the
late style top-mounted Graphic rangefinder.
This particular Pacemaker Speed Graphic with top mounted
Graphic rangefinder is
equiped with a front Graphic (Kodak) leaf shutter, fitted with the 90 mm No. 32 Kodak
Anastigmat f=4,5 - 6 3/8 inch.
The original Graflex Chrome flash and black finished JoLo lens board in perfect
technical working condition makes this camera
with its striking design a special appearance.
Loved by collectors and professional photographers.
History
The new Pacemaker Speed Graphic.
From 1947-1973.
Comparing to its predecessors as described above, the
Pacemaker cameras including the Crown, were equipped with new desirable
features.
To start with it has a build in release knob which could control the
front as well as the focal plane shutter.
Further more: Metal front with
stainless steel U support with metal light trapping.
Precision made magnesium
backs and focusing panels. Four sided metal folding focusing hood. Hinged
Infinity stops allowing free forward movement of front standard.
Optical
viewfinder with vertical and horizontal parallax correction.
Build in focal
plane flash synchronization. Sealed window shows shutter speeds.
Tilting
front. Stainless steel open sports frame finder with parallax
adjustment. Interchangeable aluminum lens boards.
Provision for use of focusing scales with wide angle lenses. Last but not least:
In 1947 the horizontal Graphic or Graflex back were changed into the International Graflok back.
This international back became world wide standard in the next decennia for all
4x5 film cassettes.
Side Mounted and Top mounted
The Pacemakers were the last
Graphics build along the familiar lines.
There were two types: The Pacemaker
Speed "Side Mounted" and "Top Mounted".
Originally like all the pre-war predecessors, the Pacemaker Speed Graphic was
equipped with a Kalart Rangefinder, mounted on the side of the camera next to
the winding key.
There was no feature to match the rangefinder with the lens
when changing lenses. For focusing with a different lens than the standard one.
The photographer should focus on the ground glass or even on a lens related
focusing scale next to the track.
Its successor, introduced in the
late 1950's was the so-called
"Top Mounted" Speed Graphic.
It had a Graphic Rangefinder especially
designed for the Graphic cameras (Speed and... Crown) placed on top of the
housing.
The principal feature of the new rangefinder is that it is instantly
adaptable to any of the 9 standard lenses of different focal length.
Each
interchangeable cam is matched at the factory to the lens with which it will be
used.
Changing cams was relatively easy by exchanging the cam in the tube that
couples the interchangeable lens to the rangefinder.
Never the less in both
cases the lens standard should be placed against the infinity stops of the
related lens.
Some cameras had more than one distance scale to enable working
with different lenses.
Beside the interchangeable cam, one would need for each
lens a matching distance scale.
Further more for each lens a couple of infinity stops
which should be fixed on the right spot of the focusing track.
The camera below is a 4x5 inch Pacemaker Speed Graphic with Top Mounted
Rangefinder.
The Flash is the well known Chrome Graflex Flash - the best known prop in Star
wars: Luke's Lightsaber.
The Top Mounted Pacemaker Speed Graphic Camera
Maintenance
Repair
and how to speed up your lazy focal plane shutter.
Back to Graflex
Cameras
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Schwing
the early Graflex company.
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