What do you, would you collect?

[GerryDavid]

I dont really have a collection yet, but I just got an old video camera today in a yard sale. Its a Cine-Kodak Reliant video camera, I believe from 1949. No idea if it works or not, but it does wind and when I press a button it rotats the one part inside to spin the film.

 

[darin3200]

You can always start with the Russian Leica copies, they're very cheap and always to be found on E-bay.

Are the russian copies any good?

EDIT: Oh, this is nice

The serial production of the Soviet FED camera started in 1934 at a plant in a children labor commune in the city of Kharkov

 

[usayit]

russian copies are easy to find.... finding the good ones in good condition is a completely different story. Quality control was a problem. Leica and contax copies are especially popular to collectors. Some of the Leica copies have the same thread mount as true leicas which opens up a world to excellent Leica lenses. The url I posted has tons of info to get you started.

Oh btw... during that time, most if not all the feds and keivs were made with child labor. There were many products throughout the world made with child labor... US products included.

 

[Don Simon]

If you're looking for older cameras, all I'll say is this - do not look on Ebay. Actually do, if you have lots of money, lots of storage space, and a very patient family. :mrgreen: There is an infinite number of old cameras on Ebay selling for less than the cost of developing one roll of film. Many of these look really nice, and take great photos - but after you've collected more German (East and West), Russian and Kyrgyzstani classics than you'll ever use, you'll realise you don't have anywhere to keep them, and the cost has run surprisingly high (mainly thanks to postage costs) when you realise just how many you've got.

The question to ask when collecting is probably this - will you ever use it? If the camera is so aesthetically impressive that you just want to display it, then it probably doesn't matter. If on the other hand you're buying an old camera for no reason other than it's cheap, ask yourself what that camera offers that will cause you to pack that in your bag rather than any of your other cameras. I've learned this the hard way, having bought a "Minolta Hi-Matic AF" which turned out not to be a quality rangefinder but a plastic p&s the size of a brick. It's still sitting in the box, a complete waste of £10. Ditto the Olympus Trip 35, which is nice enough to look at but does nothing the smaller and even nicer XA2 can't do - in fact, sometimes it just does nothing; refusing to shoot when it decides there's not enough available light (of which it wants an unreasonable amount). Another £10 of my not-especially-hard-earned cash gone. I tell myself that the seller used the money to help pay for a vital operation; it makes me feel better about the whole thing .

 

[usayit]

What ZaphodB refers to is true with when collecting anything.. .not just cameras. My advise is to really decide what appeals to your interests and why do you want to collect those particular cameras. Define "rules". They can be as specific as "Pentax, Screwmounts, bodies costing less than $100" or loosely defined as "Any camera that has film readily available". By defining your collection prior, you will have focus and more attractive collection. This will also give you a reason not to buy every good deal on all makes of cameras on ebay...

I did break my own rules though.... "Pentax screwmount only" turned into Pentax/Asahi K and screwmount, must be in working condition, under $200 ( most are under 150 ), all lenses must be of Pentax or Takumar. You can tell I broke my own rules just by looking at my display cabinet. I have a couple canon A-1's and about 5 canonet rangefinders.... oh well...

 

[Xmetal]

ksmattfish hasn't discovered this thread....yet.

I'm not really a collector as such but i've got 2 other cameras in my 'stash', one is my Dad's old Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR with 3 lenses, a speedlite, 'Paprazzi' flash (I call it that because of its size and resemblence to Paparazzo equipment) and heaps of other things

One camera that I love and someday hope to have back in a working state is my little Kodak Box Brownie that was passed down from my grandparents. I've got no idea of what kind of film it takes but i've got a good grasp of how it works.