What is it? This is a Minolta Hi-Matic 7s rangefinder camera built by Minolta Camera K.K around 1966. The Hi-Matic 7s is an evolution of the original Hi-Matic from 1962 which was one of the very first Japanese cameras with full auto exposure. The 7s added several important features like full…
What is it? This is a Univex Mercury Model CC camera made by the Universal Camera Company out of New York, NY in 1938. The Mercury was a historically significant camera in that it was the first time a US camera maker produced a camera capable of speeds of 1/1000…
This the Bell & Howell Electric Eye 127 camera made in the United States around 1958. As the name implies, it uses 127 roll film and takes twelve 4cm x 4cm exposures. Although a simple box camera with a fixed focus, a single speed shutter, and very little manual control,…
This is a Pentax ES II Single Lens Reflex camera made in Japan by Asahi Pentax. It is one of the very few M42 screw mount cameras that is capable of auto exposure, and was the very last screw mount camera made by Asahi Pentax before they switched to K-Mount…
This is the Konica AiBORG super-zoom point and shoot camera. It was introduced in September 1991 as the world’s first moving frame auto focus camera. Loaded with many buttons, a large LCD screen, and a joystick, it was a very ambitious camera boasting a wide array of features and shooting modes…
What is it? This is an AGFA Billy-Clack No. 74 folding camera built in Germany from 1934 – 1940. It makes eight 6cm x 9cm exposures on a roll of AGFA B2 or 120 roll film. There was also a Billy-Clack No. 51 that took 6cm x 4.5cm exposures. The…
I made my first old camera post in August 2014. At that time, I had no idea where this hobby would take me. I already had an interest in digital photography, but acquiring 100 year old film cameras wasn’t something I had ever considered. I was on my third Nikon…
What is it? This is a Kodak Retina IIc rangefinder camera built by Kodak AG, the German subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak company. The IIc was the successor to the Retina IIa and while on the surface is a very similar model, there are many cosmetic and functional improvements that…
What is it? This is a Super Sport Dolly medium format camera made by Certo Camera Werk out of Dresden, Germany. Certo was a maker of medium to high end folding cameras who saw it’s greatest success prior to World War II. They had a long line of medium format…
This is a Zenobia C a compact folding camera made by Daiichi Kōgaku in Tokyo, Japan around 1954. It is a compact folding camera that uses 120 roll film and makes 4.5cm x 6cm exposures. The history of Daiichi Kōgaku and the Zenobia is a bit confusing, but what is…
What is it? This is a Kodak Monitor Six-20 folding camera made in the USA by the Eastman-Kodak company. This was one of the last medium format folding cameras made by Kodak, and is loaded with features including a 9-speed shutter and well built lens. It is the spiritual successor to the…
What is it? This is an Argoflex EF twin lens reflex camera made by Argus, which was based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This Argoflex is the same as the Argoflex EM, except it has a flash synchronized shutter and a flash hotshoe on the side of the camera. The…
