What is it? This is a Kodak Medalist rangefinder camera made in 1944 by the Eastman Kodak company out of Rochester, NY. This camera is considered by many to be the pinnacle of American camera manufacturing. Other highly regarded Kodak cameras were actually made in Germany, but not this one.…
What is it? This is a Leidolf Lordomat interchangeable lens 35mm rangefinder camera made by the Leidolf company out of Wetzlar, Germany around 1953. Wetzlar was home to Leitz who made the famous Leica camera. Leidolf originally started as a subcontractor of Leitz making microscopes and binoculars. Their foray into…
This is an Argus A2F, a 35mm scale focus camera made by the Argus Corporation of Ann Arbor, MI. It was part of the Argus A-series which were the very first American made cameras to use the new 135 format 35mm film. The A2F was the top of the line…
What is it? The AGFA Karat was a series of strut folding compact cameras made from the mid 1930s through the mid 50s. The earlier models used a unique type of Rapid film made by AGFA for this camera. It differed from Kodak’s 135 format 35mm in that the cassettes…
What is it? This is a Zorki 4 rangefinder made by Krasnogorsk Mechanical Factory (KMZ) in Moscow, Russia. The first Zorkis were built by KMZ in 1947 after the FED factory in Ukraine was damaged in WWII. These first Zorkis were near identical copies of the original FED rangefinder which itself was a…
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…
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…
