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Message |
    
Stufromcheshire
Tinkerer
Username: Stufromcheshire
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 24, 2009 - 02:38 pm: | 
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Hi everyone, I've just started to collect vintage cameras to add to a tiny collection I inherited. I'm interested in 'interesting' and 'different' cameras and have just purchased a mint condition Whittaker Micro 16 as well as a couple of green covered box Brownies.
Using your more expert opinion than my own, what else would you suggest I look out for.
Any suggestions will be very gratefully received. |
Finnegan
Tinkerer
Username: Finnegan
Post Number: 5
Registered: 09-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 24, 2009 - 04:50 pm: |
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You should like the Mercury II from Universal or the Argus C3. It all really depends on what you want to collect or consider "interesting". Oh, look for a Spartus box camera with the flash built in. |
Barnum
Tinkerer
Username: Barnum
Post Number: 138
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 04:36 am: |
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It really does depend upon personal preference. I am assuming here that the fiscal value of a given type, will not be your primary motive for collecting.
Personally I have a great liking for the oddball types. A recent addition to my collection being a Corfield Periflex Gold Star, which along with other Corfield models has a nifty little periscope which pops up and down between the rear of the lens & the film. If your interest takes you down this route, then consider the Purma range with its eccentric shutter mechanism.
Personally the Special and the earlier Speed are my favourites here. Mind you, you could wait an age for a Speed to come along, and/or be prepared to pay a considerable amount for one. Miniatures also make for interesting additions to any collection. |
Marty
Tinkerer
Username: Marty
Post Number: 37
Registered: 11-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 06:26 am: |
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Interesting topic. As others have suggested, collect what you enjoy. While all of us like to find something valuable cheap, I don't collect to "make money." I work for that, and consider money spent on my collections as entertainment dollars. However, while one does have to collect within his financial limits, at least you have something to keep for your money, and you or your heirs have a chance of getting your money back.
Myself? I've been accumulating old cameras since about 1967, and personally enjoy the older stuff, and stay at least before 1920. Brass, nickel plating, wood, red bellows... 
Marty |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 707
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 03:18 pm: |
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Collecting can go down various paths:- Collect a complete mish-mash, concentrate on a particular manufacturer, camera type, format or era. Another consideration is whether you wish to actually use your collection, or at least have them all in operable condition - cosmetically restored or not.
The mish-mash approach is the cheapest - charity shops, car boot sales and even skips can supply a vast variety of cameras. I agree with Marty and his pre 1920 approach, although this and specific manufacturer collecting can become expensive if you start chasing down some manufactures/types.
I have a cupboard full of 35mm and med format kit from the 1950s onward that I use on a very regular basis; however, I actually collect pre 1910 plate cameras. |
Stufromcheshire
Tinkerer
Username: Stufromcheshire
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 25, 2009 - 03:25 pm: |
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Thanks guys... interesting suggestions, I'll get out and have a look for some. At a car boot sale this morning (my god it was windy!!!) I bought a Kodak Brownie Model F (£5.00), Start 35K (£2.00), Kodak Jiffy VP with box and instructions (£25.00), a beautiful Eljy Lumiere (£29.00) and a HIT Sub-mini (£4.50).
A great bit of booty!
Collecting anything is 'just fun' for me and I'm aiming to simply enjoy myself with these fantastic creations.
A Graflex Speed is my dream camera but with prices starting at around £275 for poor condition, I think I'll have to start saving.
Any further suggestions are really welcome (I'm compiling a list of 'must haves' and 'would like to have') |
Barnum
Tinkerer
Username: Barnum
Post Number: 139
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 26, 2009 - 11:08 am: |
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You did well with the Lumiere, & the HIT. Was the latter a Mycro?
Barnum |
Adrian
Tinkerer
Username: Adrian
Post Number: 261
Registered: 08-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 08:30 am: |
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If you use 100 film and in bright light, so you can use the smallest stop (about f30), the Brownie will take some very nice pics. Here's one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gray1720/3074439713/in/set-72157615691762252/
I'm not familiar with any of the others, but what you paid for the Jiffy looks a good price for an unusual camera, especially with the extras. |
Fred_the_oyster
Tinkerer
Username: Fred_the_oyster
Post Number: 26
Registered: 11-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - 05:51 am: |
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From my own experiences I would just say forget about book values, buy what takes your fancy and if you do see an avenue to specialise in, do it early! (I ended up with many cameras that I later couldn't work out why I bought.)
Don't forget to publicise with friends and family that you're starting to collect old cameras. The results might surprise you ;)
Marty pointed out about having to collect within financial limits. This is where learning repair came in for me - it enabled me to have quite a few now working cameras that I wouldn't have been able to afford if they'd not been broken when I bought them!
All the best
Jim |
David_nebenzahl
Tinkerer
Username: David_nebenzahl
Post Number: 72
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - 10:31 am: |
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While it's fun and often cheap to find interesting cameras in secondhand stores and yard sales, not all of us have access to such amenities. I don't love eBay--in fact, I hate a lot of things about it--but it is a potential source for inexpensive collectible cameras.
If one has any repair skills at all, the trick is to look for non-working cameras that are otherwise in good condition. For example, I just picked up a very nice looking Bolsey B2 (li'l American-made 35mm rangefinder) for $6 that only needed a near-complete overhaul to give me a completely working, usable camera. (For that price, it would have been worth it even if it turned out to be a "shelf queen".) Be sure to avoid cameras with too many missing parts, badly scratched lenses, etc.
But of course, it's even more enjoyable to track down wild cameras "in the field", like the now-working Minolta SRT-101 I got for $5 at a junk store recently ... |
Bill_alexander
Tinkerer
Username: Bill_alexander
Post Number: 26
Registered: 12-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 19, 2010 - 08:16 pm: |
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Its hard to limit your collection, unless you try to collect one type..like 35mm, box TLR etc
after many years of random collecting, you will find your nitch,and settledown.I know when I started,I grabbed everything I could afford..Later I keep just the nice examples.of each group..Now its all about shooting the working ones.Good luck Hunting its always exciting coming across something you only ever see.pictures of.... |
Athurart09
Tinkerer
Username: Athurart09
Post Number: 1
Registered: 09-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 - 09:05 pm: |
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I am Athur. I came across this forum and surf with this forum. I like it much and looks informative. I would like to say hello to all the forum members. Hope have a good time with you all.
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