I collect Time Machines. Okay, they're cameras. But they're like time machines. Cameras take photos and photos take you on a journey to the past in the blink of an eye! My sister was in town this weekend for a family party and we were looking at old photos and laughing. Mostly at our hair and clothes. But it brought back a lot of good memories. :)Most of my older cameras are Kodak cameras. I really like the cameras from the art deco period. They have a beauty all their own. Don't get me wrong, I love my Nikon. But it doesn't have the intricate, folding parts that the older ones had. My oldest one is the top photo from around 1900 or so. You can see it's no bigger than the tinkerbell ornament. You know, they were sold for $1 when they first came out.
It really isn't about the "owning" of them. I like the idea of having a camera that has been places and taken photos of things I'll never know. What adventures have they been on? How many smiles did they generate? How many memories were saved because of them? I feel like they deserve a good retirement home after all their work.They don't all work, but that's okay. I still like to fold and unfold them, look thru their viewfinders, click their buttons.
My Yashicamat 124G TLR (twin lens reflex) camera still works. It was made in the 60s & 70s. The top lid opens and you look down thru the viewfinder (which is reversed) to take the picture. Makes me look at things in a whole new way. It has a quirk in that it doesn't always advance the first frame until it's been exposed twice. But it still takes sharp, colorful photos. The bottom photo is a photo I took outside of Bryce Camera with it. You know, when my "new" 35mm didn't work because it was like 30 degrees outside and the battery went kaput, the Yashica performed like an old trooper. 
7 comments:
my first camera was a 'brownie' that only took black and white shots...
i still have the shots, but, not the camera -- wish i did.
you're making me very interested in photography again... this, is going to cost me.
fascinating! probably stupid ?, but oh well - what kind of film did a camera use in 1900?
Bolder - If you need advice, I'll be glad to help!
Trijack - It used roll film. It was on a spool and you had to thread it on another spool. I don't think it had a name like "35mm" or anything. The Yashica uses roll film too.
i still think TLR's are the pest for portriates.
I have a camera like the one in the first picture (except I think its bigger)! I salvaged it from a bunch of "junk" a relative was throwing away. It's a "Shur-Shot" Made by the AGFA Ansco Corporation in Binghamton, NY. I couldn't find a date on it.
Anyway... great post! I always wondered what was shot on my old camera.
I'm glad you rescued it! I have an Agfa too...an Agfa Isolette. I didn't post a photo of it but it's a folding camera too.
Check out this page for some info on your camera.
http://www.merrillphoto.com/AnscoShurShot.htm
It even has a few photos on it so you can see what they were like!
This was one of the more touching posts for me. It was fantastic to hear you say, "It really isn't about the "owning" of them. I like the idea of having a camera that has been places and taken photos of things I'll never know. What adventures have they been on? How many smiles did they generate? How many memories were saved because of them? I feel like they deserve a good retirement home after all their work.
They don't all work, but that's okay. I still like to fold and unfold them, look thru their viewfinders, click their buttons." It's a little like our grandparents and other things that have a wisdom or history that may otherwise go unnoticed. I loved it. Thank you for sharing these.
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