My Cameras : An Essay

Cameras and the notion of photography can be traced back further than the average person can guess. The first pinhole camera was described by Aristotle and Euclid in the 4th and 5th. Silver Nitrate was discovered in the 10th century, silver chloride int the 16th. The camera obscura and camera lucida were used to trace scenes as early as the 16th century. The first permanent photograph was an image produced in 1825 by the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. This photography used a monochrome process. This earliest surviving photograph can be seen below “View from the Window at Le Gras”

My own love of photography can be traced back to the act of looking at photographs, not necessarily with the handling of cameras. As a child I took great pleasure in looking in to the past of my family members. The time before I was born seemed magical and vast. The square grainy black and white photos that were hidden away in a cabinet. I would bring those photos out of their box and wonder why they were so different from more recent photos.

In my mind old cameras represent these forgotten lives. When the old were once young, the proof hidden away in each home across the world. I began collecting these cameras to feel closer to this part of life. To this hidden piece of the lives of strangers. How many hands have held these cameras I will never know, but a tiny bit of what we once were is locked inside the lens.

My first vintage camera that I obtained was from a Thrift store. It was marked as $4.24, but everything was half off that day. So for $2.12 I feel in love with vintage cameras. My Eastman Kodak No. 2 A Folding Hawk-Eye Special is also the oldest in my collection. I could not locate a photo or any information on my “Special” model. The most similar model is the No. 2 A Folding Cartridge Hawk-Eye Model B was made between 1926-1934. It used 116 film.

The Boston Camera Company was the original owner of the Hawk-Eye camera until the Blair Camera Company bought them in 1890. Hawk-Eye cameras then changed hands again in 1907 when Eastman Kodak bought Blair which was then changed into a division of Kodak called The Blair Camera Division after the plant was relocated to Rochester, NY. (Which you can clearly see printed on the plate.)

The second camera I acquired was in the same large thrift store. This one was in considerably better condition and was marked at $25. This was a little steep for me, but the sticker said it came in on March 2nd, my birthday.

Polariod Land Camera Model 95b

This is the first commercially-available instant camera. It was in the shops in time for Christmas 1948. On February 21 1947, Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid Corporation, demonstrated instant photography to the Optical Society of America. The first films were sepia-tone; black-and-white Polaroid film was introduced in 1950, but color film didn’t appear until 1963. The model 95b was made between 1957-1961.

I also came across two Twin Lens Reflex cameras. One was a gift and the other was a lucky find at Goodwill.

The Kodak Duraflex II with Kodet Lens
Made between 1950-1954. Also Eastman Kodak Co, Rochester NY. The thing I find most interesting is there are only 3 aperture settings. f8, f11 and f16. That is a vast difference from the f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, and f/22 that are standard on current cameras.

The Argoflex Seventy-Five
made between 1949-1953. I picked this up with the spool and with the case.

Both cameras use 620 film. They produce large 6in by 6in photos. This means that if your camera has a spool there is a change you can take original photos within it. You will need to respool 120 film onto smaller 620 spools. It seems to relatively simple, but more hassle than some people think its worth. The Duraflex, sadly, does not have a spool. But my Argoflex has a spool very much in tact.

These cameras are still a very useful addition to a collection even without film because of a technique called TTV or Through the View finder. Because of the mirror reflector lens you can use a modern camera and photograph the viewfinder. When you hold this camera in your hands and look through the viewfinder you can see the person you are looking at, but also, they can see you. Its a beautiful effect, made more beautiful my the grain and dust that have no doubt built up over the years in the lens. Your subject is framed by the black of the viewfinder.

It helps to build what is affectionately referred to as a “contraption” for your light blocking. This helps to eliminate glare and reflection.

The last addition to my modest collection is my General Electric Exposure meter. Its also in great condition and has its original small leather case. General Electric made many light meters because they made selenium cells and metering instruments for other equipment and merchandise.

I look forward to working with my cameras that are still very useful, as well has admiring the design of these little treasures. I will continue building my collection as I continue to learn and appreciate not only the art of photography but the stories that lie within the glass lens.

—Works Cited / Further reading—
Hawk-Eye

http://www.brownie-camera.com/hawkeye.shtml

Polaroid

http://www.redbubble.com/people/stevengeer/art/2859629-2-polaroid-land-camera-95b

http://www.cameramanuals.org/polaroid_pdf/polaroid_95a_95b_700.pdf

ArgoFlex

http://www.imagine-it-imaging.com/Vintage_monochrome/Vintage_monochrome.htm

TTV

http://www.russmorris.com/ttv/02.html

Duraflex

http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/kodak_duaflex2.html

General Electric Exposure Meter