Camera
Graflex
Graflex Speed Graphic
The Speed Graphic was the dominant press camera in America from the 1930s through the 1960s, used by newspaper photographers for its large 4×5 inch negatives, focal-plane shutter, and compatibility with flash synchronization. Its side-mounted rangefinder and rugged construction suited deadline-driven work in all conditions.
Artists who use this(3)
Weegee
Community note
“Weegee used a 4x5 Speed Graphic press camera with a flash for his nocturnal crime and street photography in New York. His camera setup is documented in "Naked City" (1945) and in his autobiography "Weegee by Weegee" (1961).”
Margaret Bourke-White
Community note
“Bourke-White used Speed Graphic press cameras for her industrial and war photography. Her camera equipment is documented in "Portrait of Myself" (1963), her autobiography.”
Harold Edgerton
Community note
“Edgerton used modified 4x5 cameras with his custom electronic stroboscope for high-speed photography. His apparatus is documented in "Stopping Time" (1987) and in the MIT Museum collection.”
Last updated March 7, 2026