Combination cameras were manufactured in Boston by the Blair Tourograph & Dry Plate Company from 1882 to 1894 and “are traditional field designs offered with a unique [patented] accessory plate-holder extension mounted at the rear” (https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/226546-blaircombination-camera-1882). In an 1882 pamphlet, the company claimed that with the extension, “the camera is

The Canon EF (1973-1976) is a high-quality 35mm SLR which blended elements of Canon’s professional F-1 (1971-1981) system (FD breech-lock lens mount, all-metal body in black enamel) with many innovative features. While the EF did not have a removable prism, interchangeable focusing screens, or motor drive capabilities, its ergonomics and

Closely tied to the German photographic industry, Czech cameras were popular from 1885 to WW I, and production continued until competition from Japan and Germany in the 1960’s delivered a crushing blow. Earlier Flexette models gave way to the Flexaret line after WW II, produced by Meopta until 1970. All

The Tenax name dates back to 1907. It appeared on folding plate cameras manufactured by the C. P. Goerz company in Berlin. It’s easy to be confused by the chronology of the Tenax cameras since “the advanced 1938 model is known as mark II, or just Tenax II, while the

The PHSNE warehouse team recently discovered an original 1959 Canonflex (https://global.canon/en/c-museum/product/film38.html) —minus its lens. While members are searching for a lens that would complete the camera, a substitute is in place temporarily. Acknowledging its relatively brief run, Cameraquest’s Stephen Gandy noted: “Nice camera, but blown away by the Nikon F.” 

The Utility Manufacturing Co. of New York (1934-1941) manufactured a variety of cameras including folding cameras, box cameras, and its main camera line of Falcon cameras, a name associated with half-frame, sixteen exposure 3x4cm cameras utilizing 127 film. The Falcon F, c.1938, is a good quality camera, with a Bakelite

To appreciate the Universal Vitar, one must first know how it came to be. Universal Camera Corp., with headquarters in New York City, was founded in 1932 by Otto Githens and Jacob Shapiro. The company produced several cameras during the 1930’s and 1940’s starting out with less expensive plastic cameras and moving

Although the Mercury CC-1500 camera appears identical to the standard Mercury CC model (CC stands for Candid Camera), there is a significant difference between the two. What separates this model from the standard Mercury CC is its top shutter speed of 1/1500 second, unheard of at the time. Let’s see

As they sift through donated cameras, preparing for the next PHSNE Auction at Photographica 89 (April 23, 2022 at Newton North High School in Newtonville, MA), the warehouse crew occasionally finds a rare or unusual camera. In this case, one previously unknown to several of the collectors in the room:

From time-to-time, PHSNE’s warehouse crew comes across an unusual camera as they sift through donations and prepare for auctions. One recent find was a Minolta Maxxum 7000, destined for Photographica 89, PHSNE’s one-day dealer show, sale, and auction for everything photographic on April 23, 2022—so long as COVID-19 doesn’t interfere.

The Ur-Leica, generally referred to as the original Leica, should actually be called Ur-Leitz since the Leica name wasn’t in use until 1925. The word Ur has German roots; English and German dictionaries define Ur as primeval, primitive, original, earliest. It is considered to be “a mechanical masterpiece that is