Press camera

News photographers in Washington D.C. ca. 1941, with classic press cameras

Press camera is a byname given to certain medium to large-format film cameras, of which their use primarily by print journalists has given them their name. A type of view camera developed from the beginning of the 20th century and in use until the 1980s until displaced by smaller 35mm SLR cameras, they are still in use by photographers for their superior image quality.

History

The first camera - or rather, a camera part - that is considered an ancestor was developed in 1888 in Germany by Ottomar Anschütz, and 4 years later launched into mass production by the camera making firm C.P. Goerz. Unlike the rest of the equipment of those years, which at best was supplied with added frontal photo shutters, this item was a focal shutter that worked out short exposures that were inaccessible to other types installed in cameras up to 1/1000 second. The speed made it possible to instantly shoot moving objects that were inaccessible to previous types of photographic equipment. Portability came from the introduction of a hinged frame view, making these cameras suitable for shooting without a tripod. In the early 1930s, the film cameras Leica and Contax appeared, changing the ideas and limits of photojournalism.

The quality of photographic film made it possible to obtain on a small format negative an image quality sufficient for newspapers, but for magazines the resolution was just not sufficient. Large-format view cameras had retained their positions in this field, having not lost the possibilities and advantages of direct sighting through the frosted glass back. At the same time, a telescopic viewfinder and a range finder appeared in smaller view cameras for precise focusing and framing without removing the cassette containing the film. The only drawback was the low efficiency of reloading; these cameras generally had cassettes containing film for two shots, which had to be removed and reversed to take the second shot, then removed and replaced with a fresh cassette fresh for the next two pictures. Over time, there appeared a "filmpack" for 8 or 10 shots with a fast frame change. For several decades, improvements to the film chamber have made a great contribution to the development of the concept of systematic photographic equipment.

Press camera described

1940 Speed Graphic press camera, Folmer Graflex Corporation, Rochester, New York

What came to be called the press camera was the result of several modifications to the then-current line of large-format view cameras. An additional rangefinder system was added, which made it possible to focus and crop with a telescopic viewfinder. This increased the efficiency of shooting, allowing one to photograph without a tripod when the film cassette is installed. At the same time, the possibility of direct sighting on frosted glass made the cameras versatile and suitable for most tasks, including ordinary pavilion shooting, technical photography and reproduction. For the latter, the cameras were equipped with a focusing mechanism which allowed for macro photography at a scale of 1:1. In addition, the lenses were removable, making it possible to use interchangeable lenses.

A characteristic feature of most press chambers was the presence of two shutters: front and focal. The necessary one was turned on by the choice of the photographer, while the second one was transferred to the non-working mode, remaining constantly open. The focal shutter expanded the possibilities of using interchangeable lenses, including high-aperture lenses, which were unsuitable for the installation of a central shutter. At the same time, shutter speeds became shorter than 1/500 of a second, not available in front shutters. When shooting with flash, front shutters were more advantageous, providing an unlimited range of synchronization. Typical examples of press cameras with two closures are the "Speed ​​Graphic" line of American Graflex cameras and the "Zweiverschluss" ("two closure") of the German company Bülter & Stammer. With the appearance in the early 1930s of disposable flash units, the traditional addition of a press camera has become a flash unit with a large round reflector and a grip handle. So equipped, the press camera with flash unit - helped also as a result of popular film noir detective films - became the de facto symbol of photojournalism of the 1940s through the 1950s.

The most common frame size for American press cameras was 4×5 inches. Before World War II, the 5×7 inch format was popular before becoming obsolete in the 1940s. European manufacturers Goerz and Van Neck at the same time produced a press camera with a frame of 9×12 centimeters, slightly reduced compared to the "American format" of 4×5 inches. Photographic plates or sheet film of this format were used primarily as photographic materials. After the war, the market began to dominate the plate camera chamber of 6×8 and 8.5×11 centimeters, and, to a greater extent, calculated on a roll with a frame from 6×6 to 6×12 centimeters. With the distribution of snapshots for most press cameras, the release of backdrops for sheet or roller photo sets of the single-stage Polaroid process was adjusted.

Decline

Compared with single lens reflex cameras, medium format press cameras surpass similar SLR cameras in functionality due to the available perspective correction. Press cameras of a larger format give a very high quality image with almost imperceptible grain and rich semitones. Yet, by the mid-1960s it was the lighter and more versatile SLRs which were replacing them, and due to the increasing quality and resolution of photographic materials, editors of newspapers and magazines eventually recognized the use of 35-mm film. The new SLRs allowed the use of high-aperture optics, and the compactness and lightness of the equipment facilitated its transportation in terms of business trips and expeditions.

Currently, press cameras continue to be used by street photography and snapshot enthusiasts, as well as by photo artists, as a cheaper alternative to stationary and portable large format cameras.