Universal 35mm motion picture cameras were very popular in the silent
film days. They were rugged and were taken on location because of
their reliability. They were quickly and easily loaded so they were
often used for action shots. Universals were commonly used as newsreel
cameras and there were lots of them all over the United States being
used by freelance newsreel cinematographers. A good cameraman could
be set up on a tripod and shooting in less than a minute with a Universal.
Reloading can be done in under thirty seconds.