What is the definition of a press camera?

Answer 1

Press photography is synonymous with Photojournalism, which is news photography - the telling of a news story primarily through pictures. The "press" refers to the printing press used to produce a newspaper. Other synonyms include news Photography and newspicture photography. Press photographers or photojournalists tend to travel light, with a couple of camera bodies, an assortment of lenses, a small flash and a notebook and pen to record captions and even write stories, since many photojournalists are also reporters.

Answer 2

Loose definition: a press camera is any camera used by the press.

In the old days, a "press camera" was a camera that took 4x5 film and could be used handheld. The Speed Graphic was the archetypal press camera. If you watch a movie set in the 1930s that has press photographers in it, they're all carrying this camera.

4x5 film is loaded into film holders for this camera, and each film holder holds two pieces of film. One of the men who photographed the Hindenburg disaster didn't want to chance taking two pictures on the same sheet of film, so he made a photo on one side of the holder, took it out of the camera, put it on the ground (they have locks to keep you from pulling the darkslide when the holder isn't in the camera) and put a new holder in the camera.

Now press cameras are mostly used for art photography.