classic cameras

Latest about classic cameras

Line drawing of Argus C3
This American-made camera was known as The Brick – but still some two million photographers bought one!

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras The legendary American camera brand you probably forgot ever existed

3 Comments
Classic cameras
Line drawing of Mamiya C220 camera
The clever engineering trick that made Mamiya's cameras twice as good as its twin-lens reflex rivals

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras Mamiya failed at 35mm cameras, but then it built a legend with this twin-lens reflex range

3 Comments
Classic cameras
Sony Mavica. This camera doesn't use an ordinary film but a magnetic cassette, the Mavipak, which can record 50 shots, but also erase them and be used over again. New York, 26 October 1981. (Photo by Owen Franken/Sygma via Getty Images)
This "utterly awful" analog camera recorded photos to floppy discs but somehow paved the way for modern digital photography

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras Sony called it the "Magnetic Video Camera" but it didn't actually record video!

Classic cameras
35mm film
The most expensive part of a 35mm film cassette is the part that photographers don't even think about

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras The simple 1934 invention that finally made photography convenient for everyone

Classic cameras
Polaroid Land Model 95 instant camera
A 3-year-old girl asked a simple question – and sparked a US$600 million camera revolution

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras Meet the original Steve Jobs: the man who invented the "impossible" decades before the iPhone

4 Comments
Classic cameras
Line drawing of Konica Autorex on red background
You could squeeze 72 shots from a 36-exposure roll or any number in between with this weird twin-format SLR, but one false move with the lever and your photos were ruined!

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras The "dual-format" trick that Konica abandoned because it was too confusing

Classic cameras
Line drawing of Zenza Bronica D medium format film camera
This "Japanese Hasselblad" does things that the original Swedish camera simply can't

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras How a self-taught Japanese craftsman created the "Japanese Hasselblad" – which ended up being owned by Tamron

4 Comments
Classic cameras
LIne drawing of Topcon RE Super 35mm SLR camera on a blue background
This is the secret reason that the US Navy ditched Nikon for this "American" camera

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras This 1960s US Navy SLR is built like a tank – and is still a masterpiece of engineering

Classic cameras
Line drawing of Salyut-S camera on a USSR flag
Why Russia tried to clone the world's most famous camera (and got it hilariously wrong!)

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras Meet the Hasselbladski: Russia's strange, noisy attempt to steal Swedish perfection

2 Comments
Classic cameras
Line drawing of Minolta SR-2 SLR camera
The secret meaning behind the name Minolta (and how the camera brand evolved before disappearing forever)

By David S Young Published

Classic cameras This is why photographers fell in love with Minolta’s “fully-automatic” SR series of classic cameras

Classic cameras
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