This series consists of original and duplicate early cameras from the beginning of the history of photography. Based on the basic design of the camera obscura and produced between about 1820 and 1870, these simple devices were usually solid or sliding box cameras with uncomplicated lenses. The shutter was normally outside of the lens, in the form of a lens cap that was simple removed and replaced for exposure, or a rotating metal plate on the front of the lens, which held the aperture. These cameras mainly predated dry plate and flexible film photography, and were used to take Daguerreotype, wet-plate and salted paper photographs.
To browse the individual items in this series, click on the "View the list" link under the "File and item records are available for this series" title (to the right of the page).
Item is an early folding plate camera with a Rulex triple anastigmat F13, 1:4 lens and an unmarked compound shutter. Includes both a brilliant viewfinder and optical direct finder.
For 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. exposure on 620 film Acromatic lens, 2 aperture settings, rotary shutter. Metal and leatherette case. Case will not separate to open camera.
Item is a leatherette covered box camera for exposures on 120 film. Originally designed and produced by the Boston Camera Company, Hawk-Eye camera production changed hands twice, once in 1890 when sold to the Blair Camera Company, then again in 1907, when Eastman Kodak purchased the company. Simple lens and rotary shutter.
Item is a small, Bakelite camera for 8 exposures on 828 format roll film (developed by Kodak in 1935 and similar in size to 135 film, without sprocket holes). The camera features a simple viewfinder, 51mm f 4.5 lens and a 4 speed Flash 200 shutter.
Item is a mock twin lens reflex camera with Bakelite body and metal fittings, for use with 620 roll film. Designed to mimic the look of a twin lens camera, the topmost "lens" is in fact a brilliant viewfinder; it is a simple box camera design. The f8 lens has a 3 aperture settings.
Item is an instant load 126 cartridge film camera with an 44 mm Argus Cintar lens. The camera features fixes shutter speed, auto exposure using a selenium cell and has a flashcube socket, tripod socket, and automatic film speed sensing.
Item is a small box camera for 4 x 6.5 cm (1.57" x 2.55") exposures on 127 format roll film. Manufactured in England circa 1936, the camera is an all-metal box with a unidentified lens and a simple Kodak shutter. It has a simple wire viewfinder.
Item is a mock twin lens reflex camera with Bakelite body and metal fittings, for use with 120 roll film. Designed to mimic the look of a twin lens camera, the topmost "lens" is in fact a brilliant viewfinder used only to frame the view and not to focus.
Item is a wooden box camera with leatherette covering for large 8.25 x 10.8 cm (3.25 x 4.25") exposures on 124 film. The design is simple, with a fixed focus and shutter speed. The roll film was advanced past the lens manually with a small crank. The original sales price was $4.00.
Item is an inexpensive box camera made of fiberboard and covered with imitation leather. The camera has a Gallileo-type viewfinder only (no brilliant viewfinder), flash contacts, and a single speed shutter that is fast enough to accommodate bulb flashes. It used 120 size roll film.
Item is an all-metal camera designed by Raymond Loewy for 6 x 6 cm (2.36" x 2.36") exposures on 620 film. Designed to mimic the look of a twin lens camera, the topmost "lens" is in fact a brilliant viewfinder, it is a simple box camera design with a two element Meniscus F11 lens and fixed 1/60th shutter speed. The front panel slides up to reveal the lens and viewfinder.
Item is a small, Bakelite camera with a frame viewfinder. This was a proprietary camera design, which used No.00, 6 exposure film only made by the Universal Camera Corporation. Norton Camera filed a patent lawsuit filed against the Universal company after the product was released. Norton had been in talks with Universal to produce the camera originally. Universal eventually won the case and purchased the Norton Camera company. The camera originally sold for 39 cents.
Item is a silver subminiature camera, for 10 x 14 mm exposures on 16mm film. In original box, includes Minolta brand colour print film, camera case, strap and tripod mount.
Item is a small, plastic novelty camera that shoots four consecutive photos on one frame of 35 mm film. The rotating shutter exposes them in sequence, at intervals of about 0.22 sec.The result is four images on a single negative that show the movement of a subject in phases. The process uses the same concepts as the stop-motion animation used by Eadweard Muybridge in his Animal Locomotion series of the late 1800's. The camera is a very simple design and has no focusing or aperture control and a simple sports style viewfinder. The shutters are fixed at 1/100 of a second.
Item is an 35mm reflex camera with a waist-level viewfinder and a non auto-return mirror. Manufactured in Soviet controlled East Germany, the company and the Desden factory closed after reunification. The lens is a Meyer Gorlitz Domiplan 1:2.8/50mm.
Item is a medium format twin lens reflex camera for 6 x 6 cm exposures on 120 roll film. Marketed as a professional camera, lenses are interchangeable (both the upper and lower lenses are removed together) without exposing the film. Extra lens included (Mamiya-Secor f4.5, 65 - 135 mm with a Seikosha - S shutter 1 - 1/500 sec.)
Item is a knob-advance twin lens reflex camera for 4 x 4 cm exposures on 127 format film. More compact than other twin lens reflex cameras, with a smaller negatives, the Grey Body has a Xenar f3.5 lens with a Syncrho compur shutter. The camera comes in a gray leather case and is equipped with an ultra violet Waltz filter and a lens hood.
Item is a 35 mm camera with a 4 second - 1/1000th of a second vertical shutter and interchangeable lenses with aperture priority auto-exposure. Attached lens is a 1:3.2 18mm accura/sigma.
Item is a 35mm camera stamped "Made in Occupied Japan", which began a long history of Konica cameras made for export. The shutter was mounted on the top of a fixed tube.
Item is the first Japanese 35mm SLR camera. The "T" model has automatic TTL shutter-priority metering. It has a Konica Hexanon 1:4 f=21mm lens, serial #7028597, and also includes a Konica Hexanon 1:2.8 100mm lens serial #7230688.
Item is a 35mm camera with a built in electric 3 frames per second motor winder powered by four AA batteries that also run the metering and shutter timing. The camera has modes for aperture priority and manual.
Item is a 35mm camera, similar to the Olympus OM-1 MD, but fully automatic aperture-priority metering. World's first camera with OTF (off-the-film) metering. Chrome. Item comes with 2 manuals.
Item is a 35 mm rangefinder camera with a smaller and more sensitive exposure meter than the Kiev-3 and 3A. This was an imitation of the CONTAX II, it was built after the original tools had been removed from the Zeiss factory at Jena. The lens is a Jupiter-8M, f=2/50mm.
Item is a leather covered wooden box camera. The Ansco Memo is a single frame, fixed focus which takes landscape oriented images. Film is advanced by pushing down on a lever in the back of the camera. While not the first American camera made for 35mm film, it is the first to sell in abundant quantities.
Item is a 35 mm rangefinder camera manufactured in Munich, Germany. Exposure indicator in the viewfinder shows a green light for correct exposure and a red light for underexposed scenes.
Item is a simple camera for 50 exposures ( 24x24mm ) on regular 35mm film . It was built 1939 t0 1941, the low serial No indicates a small production of this camera , possibly because of the war. The foldable lever transported the film and cocked the Compur shutter. The lens is a non exchangeable Zeiss Novar Anastigmat 1:3.5 with a focal length of 35mm. The Viewfinder is a simple Newton finder , it is folded onto the body Focusing by front lens in a simple helical mounting.
Item is a small 35mm automatic camera with builit-in electronic flash. New in box and loaded with unexposed film, batteries have been removed. Also comes with spare roll of 12 exposure 35mm Kodacolor Gold 100 film.
Series contains hand-held, shoulder-mounted, or structurally-attached cameras that use electronic components to record moving images and sound. Most items in this series are for home use. For cameras that record moving images using digital components, see the Digital and Pre-digital cameras series.
To browse the individual items in this series, click on the "View the list" link under the "File and item records are available for this series" title (to the right of the page).