Cameras

About Antique Cameras

Antique and vintage cameras are valued by collectors for many reasons, from the historical significance of 19th century wood cameras to the fine optics of classic vintage Leicas. Kodak and Polaroid are two other big names in camera collecting, as is Bolex in movie cameras.

The principles of the camera obscura - a simple light projection box - have been understood for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the late 18th century that Thomas Wedgwood discovered he could make simple prints using silver nitrate exposed to the sun. Over the next 100 years, a series of technical advances brought cameras into everyday life. ...

Nicephore Niepce and Louis Daguerre formed a partnership in 1829, and figured out a new chemical bath for prints, which shortened the exposure process to eight hours. Daguerre continued this research until he perfected the Daguerreotype, a print made on silver that was used up until the mid 1850s. Daguerreotypes and other formats (e.g. cyanotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes) were made with wood cameras, which were essentially camera obscuras with lenses, allowing for clearer image refraction.

It wasn't until George Eastman's 1885 invention of film that cameras got smaller - with his Kodak film loaded in, you would send the whole camera back to the factory to have it developed. Oskar Barnack began experimenting with 35 mm film in 1914 and built some prototypes of what eventually become the Leica I, the first practical 35 mm camera, released in 1925.

More improvements came when Kodak introduced the Retina I, the first camera to use a modern 135 film cartridge. Photography soon became affordable to all, even before the 1947 introduction of Polaroid's instant camera.

Development of movie cameras kept pace, building atop the basic slide projection technology (magic lantern) which had been in use since the 1500s. The first movie cameras were developed around 1888, and Thomas Edison produced the first copyrighted film in 1894. In 1895, the Lumiere brothers of France first showed off their 'Cinematographe,' a handheld combination projector and camera, in the first commercial public film screening.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Antique Wood Camera Collector Rob Niederman

How did I start collecting cameras? Actually, I had an interest in photography as a kid and owned a darkroom… [more]

An Interview With Vintage Bolex Movie Camera Collector Michael Tisdale

Collecting Paillard-Bolex cameras was something I started doing by accident. It was a combination of several… [more]

An Interview With Antique Photograph and Camera Collectors Jack and Beverly Wilgus

We both come from families that had collections and we both had collections as children. Jack lost his when h… [more]



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Cameras Videos



See all 20 videos


Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

Antique and 19th Century Cameras

Antique and 19th Century Cameras

Rob Niederman’s homage to (and collection of) late 19th century wood cameras. This site contains extensive galler… [read review or visit site]

Boxcameras.com

Boxcameras.com

If you're into box cameras, this site offers incredible detail on dozens of early models from 1880 to the 1920s. Al… [read review or visit site]

George Eastman House

George Eastman House

This showcase of vintage cameras and photography is plainly designed, but the camera collection and related referen… [read review or visit site]

Collection D'Appareils Photo

Collection D'Appareils Photo

While we couldn't read everthing - it's mostly in French - the images on this site speak for themselves. Its an ext… [read review or visit site]

Magic Mirror of Life

Magic Mirror of Life

Jack and Beverly Wilgus have put together a great trove of information and images of camera obscura-related photos … [read review or visit site]

Photography in Malaysia

Photography in Malaysia

With in-depth information on a variety of cameras and lenses from manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Lei… [read review or visit site]

Cameras and Co

Cameras and Co

An impressive collection of antique and vintage cameras, this site features high-resolution images of over 120 came… [read review or visit site]

Antique Cameras D. Tristram Ludwig

Antique Cameras D. Tristram Ludwig

David Tristram Ludwig shares high resolution images of his in-depth personal collection of antique cameras, includi… [read review or visit site]


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Clubs & Associations: Cameras


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Le Coultre Lecoultre Compass Subminiature Spy Camera.$1,950 Ends Monday 1 bid 26 watchers
Black Leica Iiic Camera Equipment ?? Camera Mfg In 1943 $1,390 Ends Tuesday 2 bids 11 watchers
Reid Iii With F/2 50mm Taylor Hobson. Nr Mint Condition$1,239 Ends Sunday 13 bids 44 watchers
P.angenieux F.25/ 1:0,95,type M1 C Mount Chrome Lens$935.75 Ends in 19 hours 3 bids 33 watchers
Rare Vintage B&l Super Baltar 3 In F2 Lens 3" Nice!$799.78 Ends Saturday 16 bids 40 watchers
Pentax 67 Mkii Mirror Up Model + Ae Pentaprism Finder$764.57 Ends Sunday 18 bids 98 watchers
Leica Iiig - The Best L39 Screw Mount Rangefinder Model$754.59 Ends Sunday 10 bids 54 watchers
Wide Rolleiflex 4/55 -model K7w- 55mm F/4 Distagon Rare$708.05 Ends Sunday 6 bids 60 watchers
Vintage Alpa Camera With Additional Lenses$686.00 Ends Tuesday 9 bids 45 watchers
Beautiful E & T Underwood Stereo Field Camera, Nr$624.00 Ends Sunday 14 bids 40 watchers
Wonder Photo Cannon Ferrotype Camera Patd 1908-w/extras$622.99 Ends Sunday 16 bids 29 watchers
Vintage Leica M3 Camera/leitz Wetzlar Summicron 1:2/50 $621.00 Ends Saturday 13 bids 57 watchers
Tele Rolleiflex 4/135 - Model K7s - 135mm F/4 Sonnar$570.10 Ends Sunday 8 bids 40 watchers
Vintage Leica M2 Camera With Additional Lenses$568.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 24 watchers
Rare Stasi Spy Camera Concealment - From 1984 Olympics$548.57 Ends in 16 hours 3 bids 7 watchers
Vintage Leica Cl Camera/leitz Wetzlar Summicron-c $530.00 Ends Saturday 16 bids 26 watchers
Rare Mint Minolta Autocord Cds Iii W Case & More $499.00 Ends Sunday 8 bids 50 watchers
Schneider Super Angulon 120mm Lens 4x5 5x7 8x10 Camera$497.22 Ends Saturday 1 bid 10 watchers
Minox Riga Miniature Camera Serial No. 07391 $469.99 Ends Sunday 8 bids 40 watchers
'33 Leica Standard Outfit+fodis+rare Literature, Mint-$456.00 Ends Tuesday 7 bids 32 watchers
1964 Leitz Leica M3 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body!$455.00 Ends Saturday 18 bids 63 watchers
Goerz A.m. Rectagon 75mm Wide Angle 6x7 6x9 4x5 Lens$411.30 Ends Saturday 2 bids 11 watchers
Wollensak Cine Raptar 50mm C Mount Lens Lumix G1 Gh1$361.03 Ends in 3 hours 1 bid 5 watchers
Fugi (fugica) Gw690$349.95 Ends Thursday 1 bid 8 watchers
Beautiful Antique Stereo Brownie Camera$336.88 Ends Friday 4 bids 26 watchers
Leitz Summaron 35mm F/2.8 Lens For Leica Screw Mount!$315.00 Ends Saturday 5 bids 38 watchers
Vintage Voigtlander Prominent I Camera 3 Lenses & More$313.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 58 watchers
Leitz Wetziar Leica Summarit 50mm F1.5 Screw Mount Lens$305.00 Ends in 21 mins 16 bids 47 watchers
Zeiss Ikon Contax Iia & Case, Filters, Manual...nice!$297.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 14 watchers
1956 Leitz Leica Iiig 35mm Rangefinder Camera Body!$290.00 Ends Saturday 11 bids 63 watchers
Vintage Bolex Paillard H16 Reflex 16mm Movie Camera$284.99 Ends Saturday 21 bids 48 watchers
Minox Wetzler Iii$284.85 Ends Thursday 4 bids 5 watchers
Leitz Summicron 50mm F/2 Dr Lens For Leica M Series!$278.00 Ends Saturday 9 bids 33 watchers
35mm Format Astro Berlin Pan Tachar 75mm F2.3 Lens L@@k$261.01 Ends in 3 hours 8 bids 42 watchers
Nice Leitz Elmarit-r 35mm F2.8 Lens - Leica Leicaflex$260.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 14 watchers
Leica "sbloo" 35mm Accessory Wide-angle Viewfinder!$260.00 Ends Saturday 12 bids 10 watchers
Leitz Leica Iiif Black Dial Body 1952 + Original Box$259.29 Ends Sunday 8 bids 63 watchers
Bell & Howell 70 Dr Filmo 16mm 3 Lenses Case Vintage$255.00 Ends Thursday 2 bids 3 watchers
1956 Era Leica Iiif Camera With Extra Lenses And Extras$255.00 Ends Friday 2 bids 13 watchers
Leica Iiif Red Dial - 35mm Rangefinder By Leitz 1952$250.98 Ends Sunday 7 bids 52 watchers
(46) Vintage Magazines - Linhof Technik - 1963-1975 $250.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 4 watchers
Semflex Studio Medium Format Camera,rare.$247.32 Ends Sunday 8 bids 46 watchers
Leica Summicron-m 5cm F2 - Sharp Lens By Leitz (1955)$236.02 Ends Sunday 41 bids 61 watchers
Wollensak Stereo 10, W/amaton F/2.7 Lenses! Plus Case!$225.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 3 watchers
Zeiss Ikon 6x9 Super Ikonta C W/ Tessar Cla'd Buy it Now$224.50 Ends Saturday 6 bids 43 watchers
Konica Minolta Dynax 9 Maxxum 9 - Professional Af Slr$219.40 Ends Sunday 21 bids 69 watchers
Shew Shewgraph Mahogany Folding Strut Plate Camera 1885$219.40 Ends Sunday 17 bids 74 watchers
Antique Zeiss Protar Viia Brass Lens 6x7 6x9 4x5 Camera$214.79 Ends Saturday 1 bid 8 watchers
Leica Minilux Zoom 35mm Film Camera Mint$211.09 Ends Sunday 2 bids 24 watchers
Voigtlander Prominent Ii Rangefinder Outfit 3 Lenses &$207.50 Ends Monday 2 bids 21 watchers
Antique Silent 35mm Movie Projector Camera Kinetoscope$204.72 Ends Friday 7 bids 43 watchers
Gami 16 Spy Camera , Leather Case, Cassettes - 1950's$204.05 Ends Sunday 2 bids 15 watchers
Leitz Elmar 50mm F/2.8 Lens For Leica Screw Mount!$202.45 Ends Saturday 9 bids 27 watchers
Late Model Rolleicord Vb In Nice Condition.$200.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 13 watchers
Teriffic Old Rolleiflex Synchro-compur Camera W/extra's$200.00 Ends in 1 hour 10 bids 31 watchers
Vintage Nikonos I Mint In Box Unused! 1960's$200.00 Ends Sunday 10 bids 25 watchers
Summar 5cm F2 - Leica L39 Screw Lens By Leitz Wetzlar$199.45 Ends Sunday 7 bids 40 watchers
Zeiss Ikon Contax Ii Rangefinder Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F2$189.99 Ends in 19 hours 1 bid 16 watchers
Near Mint! Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 6x9 With Tessar Lens$182.50 Ends Sunday 12 bids 55 watchers

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Recent News: Cameras

Source: Google News

The weather brings Parveen back home
Tampa Tribune, November 19th

Discovery uses vintage cameras and lights to illustrate minute-by-minute who was standing where and why. At 11 pm, Discovery shows "Did the Mob Kill JFK?...Read more

Music Card MP3 Player Makes Mobile Music Listening A Snap!
Inventorspot, November 19th

One of the 6 available styles actually IS a gold credit card, with the others being a vintage camera, an old-style audio cassette tape, and three different...Read more

Top 55 TV Programs for Nov. 22-28, 2009
NewsOK.com, November 19th

The same vintage cameras and lights will be used to illustrate minute-by-minute who was standing where and why. ?“Meet the Natives USA” (10 pm on Travel...Read more

Casio Exilim EX-FH25 Superzoom Camera Announced [Casio Exilim EX-FH25 With ...
TFTS (blog), November 16th

Today, Casio has added to their superzoom camera collection by taking the wraps off the new Exilim EX-FH2 model that focuses on improving the low-light...Read more

Say "cheers" to the beautiful life
Sin Chew Jit Poh, November 12th

So far, Chen has nearly 30 antique cameras in his collection, each with its own historical values from different eras. Chen, 53, talked about his...Read more

Break-in at the courthouse
Craig Daily Press, November 12th

The box of antique cameras alone was large enough to take some time to carry out of the building, she added. “I almost came to work yesterday because I had...Read more

Largest movie camera collection-Richard LaRiviere sets world record
World Records Academy, November 10th

The former New England developer and businessman, who now lives in Land O'Lakes, is making plans for a museum large enough to house 35000 movie artifacts,...Read more

Instant cameras lend old-time feel to new photos
UNR The Nevada Sagebrush (registration), November 9th

Megan Matthers, a 21-year-old photography major, collects antique cameras and films that she finds online and at local thrift stores. Photo by Brian Bolton...Read more

Cameras

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