From film sets to spacecraft, the Widelux panoramic camera left its mark on photography history, and it’s coming back. Learn about its models, notable users, and modern revival.
A 120 roll film Rolleiflex camera from the estate of Henry Weisenberg will be available for viewing and sale at Photographica 93 on Saturday, April 25th.
Explore the history of the Nikon F, its modular SLR system, lenses, meters, and accessories, and see this iconic camera at Photographica 93.
Explore the Univex Mercury II, a half-frame 35mm camera with a unique movie-camera-derived shutter and interchangeable lenses, surprisingly sophisticated for its age.
Explore the history and design of the 1927 Ansco Memo, a pioneering American 35mm camera known for its compact build and clever film advance.
Discover the Polaroid Big Shot, the simple 1970s portrait camera made famous by Andy Warhol and still sought after by collectors today.
PHSNE Board Secretary Larry Woods explains the challenges of mercury batteries in vintage cameras and explores modern replacement solutions.
Explore the Olympus 35 SP, a classic 1970s compact rangefinder celebrated for its sharp lens, spot metering, and timeless design.
Take a look at the rugged Topcon Super D, a cult-classic 35mm SLR once used by the U.S. military and prized by collectors.
An $81 antique find became a $27,000 sale when Paul Laidlaw discovered a rare 19th-century Chambre Automatique, the first sub-miniature camera
The Leica MDa, originally used for biomedical, industrial, and government applications, is a street photographer’s dream when paired with a wide angle lens.
Purma brand cameras were 127 roll film viewfinder cameras with innovative gravity-controlled shutters. Learn more about the different models.
In 1902, Konishi (now Konica) introduced the “Cherry Portable Camera,” the first Japanese-produced end-user-oriented camera. Later, in 1931, the company would release the first of its Sakura series.
Produced from 1954 to 1959, the Hasselblad Superwide is described as an extremely effective tool for industrial, architectural, and press photographers needing to produce top-quality images that do not look like ‘wide-angle’ pictures.
Learn more about the two of German camera-maker Eho-Altissa’s models: Eho Stereo Box the Eho Altiflex.
PHSNE member Ryck Lent tests the LomoGraflok 4×5 Instant Back, sharing his results and some tips for using it.
Manufactured by Zeiss Ikon of Germany from 1948 to 1953, the Ikonta 521/16 is a folding camera that produces twelve images, 6x6cm, on 120 roll film.
Introduced in 1980, the Minolta CLE featured aperture priority automation with an electronic shutter based on the Minolta XG-E/XG-7 circuit design.
For a change of pace, the featured camera is not an antique film camera but a near-contemporary digital camera, a Fujifilm X-T2, donated to PHSNE. It will be auctioned on eBay as of March 1st, 2024. The eBay seller ID is phsneusa.
Manufactured by Daiichi Kogaku of Japan, the Zenobia C is a 6 x 4.5 folding camera. It has an uncommon rapid shutter copied from the German Compur.
(UPDATED) One important function of PHSNE is to help find good homes for items people donate, many of which are valuable and/or have interesting histories. The Pony Premo 6 is…
This month’s featured auction at phsneusa on eBay is a serious piece of photo history: an 8×10 Deardorff view camera with a Symmar-S 5.6/300mm lens
The Reflex Korelle was an early 6×6 SLR with interchangeable lenses. It was widely-copied and spawned the Praktisix, Pentacon Six, and the Pentax 6×7.
Most commonly known as the Stirn Vest Pocket Camera, it can occasionally appear as Gray’s Vest Camera or under other names. Describing it as “a rigid, disc-like camera, to be…
In 1936, Agfa introduced the Agfa Karat 6.3, first in a long series of models. Reflecting the times, it was of an Art Deco design. It had a collapsible front…
In or about 1840, designer/manufacturer Charles Chevalier of Paris produced Le Photographe, a similar but smaller, collapsible camera modeled after the Daguerre camera. Daguerre’s was soon tagged “whole plate” and Chevalier’s,…
The year 1888 saw the introduction of the original Kodak camera. In the same year, Albert Darier was granted the first Swiss patent for photography, number 17, for a light-weight,…
PHSNE’s Camera of the Month section features a lot more than just one camera this month. In fact, there are over 90 cameras, lenses and photography accessories listed in the…
The Linhof Technika 70 “is an exceptional, beautifully-made, and very expensive combination of the rollfilm camera and the technical camera.” (Collecting and Using Classic Cameras, Ivor Matanle, 1986, p.10) “Designed…
Introduced in 1963, the Olympus Pen F* was a small, beautifully designed camera that achieved rapid market success. “The concept of a camera that could be carried and used as…