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They say you should not mix business with pleasure, but this is precisely what our plan is all about.  Recently we fell in love with the magical world of mechanical cameras, the small spark of passion quickly turned into wildfire - and before we knew it, we were surrounded by cameras, lenses, photo magazines, bags, and rolls of film. Quickly we figured out not only that film is still alive, but that it never died, and passion for film is greater than ever. Like in any religion, and film is certainly a religion in itself, there is a promise to every follower - when you capture those very special moments in time and record it on film, you have earned the right to call yourself a ‘moment collector’. That moment captured on film, becomes immortal - what more can a mortal ask for.  The convenience of taking photos with a smartphone, the speed of the process and the quality of the result is something that film pioneers could have only dreamed about, but old fashioned mechanical cameras, and old fashion celluloid film help us to capture the moments in unmistakable ways. Unfortunately iconic mechanical cameras are disappearing fast - the only way to make them available for the next generation of artists is to preserve them, restore them, collect them and catalog them. Creating a Vintage camera boutique in the heart of Sydney is going to be a long term project, but today we are inviting you to visit us and check out our humble offering. If you see a camera that you like, we would be happy to help you; but what we really want is for you to go into your cupboard, dust off that vintage camera you already have, buy a few rolls of film and rejoin the movement.  Check out our website here: www.vintagecamera.com.au

If you haven't shot with film in a while then you'll be surprised and possibly overwhelmed with todays offerings - not sure which film is right for you? Send us an email and we will be happy to assist. Our ultimate goal is to offer you the best deal possible deal on film - not only will we match any Australian retailers price advertised, but this month we will ship film free of charge. Go to: https://www.vintagecamera.com.au/film/

Getting there, slowly, one camera at a time!

 

Our little "vintage camera project" is progressing just fine. The cabinet is half full and our excitement is growing with each newly acquired camera. Michael, who is in charge of acquisition is doing a good job; he has a keen eye for detail and knows his stuff. Our goal: to create a unique 'camera boutique' in the heart of Sydney's CBD.  Obviously, it will take months or perhaps even years to acquire the 'right' stock. We have set our goals fairly high: we would like to stock all original sets with boxes, documentation and as many accessories as possible, in the best condition we can find. In other words, collectable, vintage film cameras that will continue to attract both serious collectors as well as photographers, amateurs and pros. In a time when everyone is a photographer, and when millions of instant digital photos are taken every hour, classic old fashioned film cameras offer something different: a moment to pause and compose, capture with passion, delayed gratification rewarded with the timeless value of a precious moment, framed for the next generation. Values we firmly stand for, values which we promote. Similarities between mechanical watches and mechanical film cameras are too obvious. We also believe that learning more while sharing the little we already know would be of benefit to you, our subscriber. And if you are excited about cameras, feel free to drop us a line, when you have a minute or two.  Almost forgot: if you have a camera tucked away that you no longer have time for, then do let us know. We will do our best to make you a fair offer and promise to find a new home for it. Photography books wanted too!

Leica: The Patek Phillipe of cameras

 

A few weeks ago we put a poll in the newsletter. Usually this is just for a bit of fun, but this time there was a touch of seriousness to our question - “What brand is the Patek Philippe of cameras?” A question with intentions I’m sure have been made obvious in these past few days; we wanted to find out what you, our valued subscribers, consider to be the apex of camera manufacturers. With an overwhelming majority of 46%, Leica took the crown and it’s not hard to see why. If you’re unfamiliar with Leica as a brand - they pride themselves on their hand finishing and assembly, their limited batches, and their overall extreme meticulousness and attention to detail that goes into each of their camera models. It has been this way since their inception to the camera world in 1925, and has remained the core part of their business model, since. There are few brands still around today who have been making things of such a high quality for so long, and so consistently, most of whom reside in the watchmaking world. Despite being world famous for their cameras, the company now known as Leica did not produce their first camera until 65 years after their founding. In 1849, Carl Kellner founded the optical institute which produced precision microscopes; it was taken over in 1869 by Ernst Leitz, with the company’s name being changed to ‘The Ernst Leitz – Optische Werke’. The company continued being famous for the production of microscopes until 1914 when Oskar Barnack, the head of research and development at ‘Leitz’, decided to solve a problem he had. Barnack suffered from asthma, but he also had a passion for taking photos whilst travelling. He found it difficult to lug around the large format cameras and their equipment that were available at the time, so in his free time he started to develop a small format camera that would solve this issue. Barnack had the ingenious idea of using perforated 35mm ‘movie film’, readily available at the time, to shoot with in a landscape format, as opposed to movie cameras shooting with it in a portrait format. This allowed twice as much data to be stored. This would become the basis of what is now known as the 35mm film format, or ‘full frame’ for digital users.

Despite making this development in 1914, it wasn’t until 1920 when he was able to develop a set of 31 cameras as a pre-production prototype. These cameras are now the most expensive cameras that are offered at auctions. On March 10 in 2018, the museum of cameras in Vienna, Austria, known as Westlicht, sold one of these pre-production cameras for 2 million Euro, excluding auction fees. Finally in 1925, the Leica 1 (Leica being a combination of Leitz and Camera) was released to a roaring success, selling around 60,000 models, until selling their last Leica 1 in 1936. Leica has been famous for their iconic cameras ever since.  Leica has made a 7 minute video on Oskar Barnack which I highly recommend watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF1-XTx8nCI To celebrate this achievement, and the company’s rich history, in 1979 on the 100th anniversary of Oskar Barnack’s birthday, Leica released a special edition M4-2 plated in 24 karat gold with snake skin details. Only 1000 of these cameras were made and it is one of only a few Leica cameras ever released with a gold finish, making it a highly desirable and sort after model for collectors. The camera comes in a beautiful wooden box with a - unique to this model - 50mm f1.4 Summilux lens with gold detailing. The back of the camera comes engraved with Barnack’s signature as well as the 100 year anniversary. If you’re a Leica collector, then this is a ‘must have’ in your collection, or if you’re interested in getting started with collecting cameras, then this is an extremely fine example and a perfect way to start - at the top.

Leica M4-2 Gold Complete set with wooden box and papers, unused condition.