I'm sorry. It was probably of sentimental value plus they
are very good cameras. Fires are pretty awful as the world had
demonstrated to it yesterday.
Folmer and Schwing, who originated the cameras, has an
interesting history as do the cameras. They began as a
manufacturer of gas lighting fixtures, then with the coming of
electricity, switched to bicycles which had become very popular.
Because bicycles were popular for touring F&S began selling light
weight folding cameras suitable for carrying on them and, after a
time, making the cameras. In fact, they were called bicycle
cameras. After the bicycle craze wound down F&S continued in the
camera business. They were bought by Eastman Kodak and moved from
NYC to Rochester. Kodak was forced to divest F&S but it remained
close and continued to build both its own cameras and various
folding and view cameras for Kodak.
The first widely used press cameras were Graflex SLR types
but after the Speed Graphic became available, c.1928, more and
more press photographers adopted them in place of the larger and
heavier Graflex. The Speed Graphic also works at eye level, an
advantage for press work.
On 4/17/2019 1:11 PM, Speedy wrote:
That is the camera that got me started in Large Format it was a Folmer Speedgraphic. Unfortunately it got consumed in a house fire about three years ago...dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Speedy
