If you’ve ever watched a movie set in the 1930s or 40s, that had a news photographer in a scene, then you’ve seen a Speed Graphic. They were large, heavy – typically weighing 7 pounds or 3kg – but very well-built cameras that were often seen with a huge flash attached to the side.
The Speed Graphic (and its simpler cousins, the Pacemaker and Crown Graphic) was the quintessential “press” camera until well into the 1950s, though they remained in production for over 60 years, from 1912 until 1973!
