What is it? This is a Nikon EM 35mm SLR camera, which is the Rodney Dangerfield of Nikon SLRs. It came out at a time when the amateur market was exploding and various companies were designing cameras catering to them. Nikon was known for high end pro-level cameras, and when this…
What is it? This an Argus Seventy-Five (originally called the Argoflex Seventy-Five) which is an inexpensive plastic bodied box camera made by Argus out of Ann Arbor, MI. Although it resembles a Twin Lens Reflex, it is still a box camera in that the camera has a fixed focus, and…
What is it? This is a Ciro-Flex Model D TLR made by the Ciro Corporation in Delaware, Ohio in the late 1940s. Originally based out of Detroit, MI, Ciro was a maker of low to mid level American made cameras that offered basic cameras at prices within reach of the average…
It is hard to believe, but I have been collecting old cameras for only 18 months and in that time, it has grown pretty big! Perhaps even more impressive is that I’ve found the time to write nearly 30 reviews for these cameras on this site. Edit 9/15/2017: Holy cow, its…
What is it? This is a No.1 Autographic Special made by the Eastman Kodak company between 1915 and 1920. While Kodak was not known as a maker of high end cameras with top of the line specs, this camera was the exception to that rule. Costing upwards of $50 (over $1300…
This is a Watson 35mm scale focus folding pocket camera made by Welta-Kamera-Werk based out of Freital, Germany. The Watson was an export variant of the Welta Welti which is a very similar camera. Although the Welti/Watson line of cameras were not high end, they were not low end either.…
This is an Exakta VX 35mm SLR made in 1954 by Ihagee Kamerawerk based out of Dresden, Germany. The Exakta was in production from 1933 through 1970. The Exakta was notable as being the first ever Single Lens Reflex camera for both 127 roll film (1933), and 135 format 35mm…
What is it? This is a Wirgin Edinex II from 1951, built in Wiesbaden, West Germany. It is a scale focus 35mm camera with a relatively simple 3 speed + bulb shutter, and a relatively fast f/2.8 50mm lens. The Wirgin camera company has a confusing, but fascinating history that is…
This is an Aires 35-III L fixed lens rangefinder camera made by the Aires Camera Works corporation out of Tokyo, Japan. The design loosely resembles the Leica M series of the same era. This model was very popular in Japan and received glowing reviews from the media. The “L” in…
This is a Canon AV-1 35mm SLR camera which was the fourth in the family of Canon A-series film SLRs released in the late 1970s. The A-series was one of the most popular line of cameras in the world and helped cement Canon as one of the top camera makers…
What is it? This is a Miranda Sensomat 35mm SLR camera made by the Japanese Miranda Camera corporation. Although marketed as a budget model, the Sensomat line of cameras featured several features found in much more expensive cameras such as an interchangeable prism and stop down TTL metering. The Miranda…
What is it? This is a Kodak Retina IIa rangefinder camera built by Kodak AG, the German subsidiary of the Eastman Kodak company. Kodak released a series of German built Retina cameras starting with the original Retina in 1934, all the way through the non-folding Retina S2 in 1969. Throughout…
