My collection

[MikeBcos]

I can't help it, I just love cameras, I started collecting them when I was about 12, unfortunately I don't have any of my early collection any more, they vanished somewhere along the line whilst growing up and moving multiple times as a young adult but I have managed to amass a reasonable collection in the last few years.

I love collecting old cameras partly because they are so cheap, people look at my collection and they always ask "what are they worth?" The answer is "not much". I think the most I ever paid for a camera was $12, but I love them, value means nothing to me.

When I started collecting I use to run a roll of film through every camera, back then you could still buy the exotic films, like Kodak 616, these days the vast majority of the film for these cameras is unobtainable.

As well as the cameras I like to collect periferals, you will notice several flash guns, including a folding one from the 60s, a few light meters, a couple of old camera batteries, film and flash cubes, many of them unused. I realise the film is useless, I did try having one roll I found in a camera processed but nothing came out. The flash cubes and bulbs would probably work fine, if I ever put film through some of these cameras I will probably use one or two just to get some flash photographs.

Anyway, here's some of my collection, I also have a few 70s and 80s 35mm not shown here:

A little more about the last photo, the Polaroid kit on the left was given to me by my father-in-law, it belonged to his father. He owned a metal-shop and bought the camera to record all his projects as he built them (he built grain elevators and similar stuff). The following picture shows the kit, and the first photograph ever taken with that camera, it was one that was taken right after he bought the camera, a view across the street from the camera store.

When I first met my wife she was working in the same building shown in the photograph, although it was a museum by then, not a store. A nice story to go with the camera.

 

[rubbertree]

I have that same Polaroid camera! The one your father in law gave you there with the first picture. My grandfather gave it to me, he bought it at auction just for me because he new I loved photography and I had started collecting old cameras.
Also, the Kodak in the very front of the first picture? That was my very first camera ever. My dad gave it to me when I was 8.
Thanks for sharing!

 

[rom4n301]

that sure is a lot of camera, you ever think of restoring them and making them look brand new

 

[MikeBcos]

that sure is a lot of camera, you ever think of restoring them and making them look brand new

No, I don't, the wear on them shows they were once used by someone, it's part of their history, I clean them and try to make them functional but I'll probably never start replacing parts to make them better.

 

[Mitica100]

Nice. One thing though, once you start collecting you never stop. Be prepared, my friend... You have been warned! :lmao:

 

[alexkerhead]

Lookin' good so far!

Every land camera I run by has the ugly grey leatherette, I wish i could find one with the brown. Classy lookin camera.