About us

Speedotron Corporation, division of PromarkBRANDS

1939 brought the introduction of Speedotron’s first commercial flash system, a 300 watt-second power supply and light unit. From the beginning, Speedotron design, use of first rate components and manufacturing expertise gave this first unit and every Speedotron flash system that followed the reputation for being “bullet proof, built like a tank.” That first generation 300 ws system is still working alongside the hundreds of thousands of Speedotron power supplies and light units in use today.

In 1971, Speedotron’s reputation for power, dependability and durability continued to grow, and more sophisticated flash systems were added to the product line. Designated the Black Line, these units are noted for POWER, as much power as you will ever need up to a whopping 4800 watt-seconds. Power coupled with rapid recycle times make Black Line systems favorites among fast shooting fashion and sports photographers and commercial image makers who need to work at small apertures.

The original more affordable Brown Line remains geared to the requirements and resources of portraitists, emerging professional photographers and those who do not require Black Line power. More basic than the Black Line, the Brown Line proves that legendary Speedotron performance, dependability and versatility can be achieved at surprisingly reasonable prices.

1975: Another Speedotron milestone. Sports Illustrated chose Speedotron as the lighting system to photograph the greatest boxing event of all time – the Muhammad Ali v. Joe Frazier “Fight of the Century.” Speedotron performed flawlessly: No misfires, no botched exposures and no breakdowns. From that point forward, the Speedotron Black Line became the lighting leader among pro sports photographers across the country.

During the 1970’s and early 80’s, magazine, newspaper and NBA team photographers had to fly their Speedotron equipment to the game city, move it to the game site, set up, test the lights, shoot the game, pack up, rush to the airport, fly to the next city and repeat the process for the next game. Realizing the tremendous expense of travel, shipping, lost time and lost or damaged lights, the NBA owners solved these problems by permanently installing Speedotron lighting systems in all their pro basketball venues. Today, Speedotron equipment remains the lighting workhorse of the NBA, and continues to be installed in major sports arenas from New York to Los Angeles.

In addition to its leadership in sports imaging, Speedotron lighting systems are preferred by thousands of commercial, industri-al, architectural, scientific, fashion and portrait photographers. The reasons are simple and straight forward: For more than 70 years, Speedotron has embraced contemporary innovations like digital technology, variable power control and battery operat-ed studio power supplies, but never at the expense of its commitment to quality, performance, reliability and safety.

When it comes to defining the Speedotron Experience, Steve Ragland says it best: “As a native New York commercial fashion photographer, I have relied on Speedotron for its consistency, color fidelity, power and the durability I need on a daily basis. I highly recommend this brand as it has provided me with the same results time after time for more than 20 years.”

Steve is the owner of Ragland Studios. The demand for his photographic skill and lighting expertise has earned Steve an inter-national reputation that has taken him on fashion assignments to London, Paris and the Far East.