|
|
|
This basic "Primer" is intended for the Antique dealer, Pawn Shop owner, Thrift Shop Keeper, Junque dealer, or Garage Sailor who isn't a camera expert, but who, in the course of their everyday business, stumbles across cameras and other photographic items. Camprice.com feels that the Collectable Camera Marketplace owes much to such individuals. Many a bargain has been found sitting on a dusty shelf in the dark recesses of a cluttered shop. What sometimes seems to be the majority of cameras offered for sale in the non specialist marketplace, are either terribly over priced or remarkably under priced. I'm convinced that some antique dealers put the same price on a folding bellows camera, no matter what the model, condition, age or size. These dealers miss out on sales because they don't know the value of what they have. It is the aim of Camprice.com to offer interested Netizens the ability to judge the value of cameras on a level playing field. Whether selling over the Internet from your own web site, or placing cameras on eBay© auction, an informed seller is the best salesman. Camprice.com can help you make more money, without costing you an arm and a leg!
New comers to collecting might appreciate a fine article written in Photo Shopper by David Silver of the International Photographic Historical Organization. One thing he mentions, with which I agree very strongly. is his advice concerning McKeown's Price Guide. If you don't have it, get it! After all, it's the best source to use to compare the valuations you find in Camprice.com.......!
This Primer is divided into four parts, each aimed at introducing the potential camera seller or buyer to particular facet of collectable camera valuation.
*"Cameras" when used here mean photographic cameras, and NOT camera lucida or camera obscura type devices. Thanks to Bill Becker, director of the online American Museum of Photography for his email suggesting that "cameras" dated back as far as 1665, when "...The first published reference to a portable box-type camera used for drawing..." was made.
The earliest cameras were made of wood, and had no built-in shutters. Exposures were so long, that simple by uncovering the camera lens and waiting patiently (sometimes for several minutes) was what photographers did in order to take a picture. Daguerrean images, many of which you have seen or handled in your shops, or at estate sales or flea markets, are considered collectables in their own right. Even the fancy cases in which many Daguerrean photographs reside are themselves collectable. These wooden cameras were often rudimentary and made of local hard wood by cabinet makers.
Daguerrean era cameras are VERY valuable, and should you run across what you think might be one, you should consider contacting a local camera collector to help you with verification of authenticity. Be sure to offer them something for their efforts. You might even consider having the collector help you sell the camera, working some sort of commission arrangement out between you. I have personally seen non specialist dealers pick collector's brains and then walk away without so much as a thank you. The dealer will then make a sale for what the dealer thinks is a LOT of money, only to later find out that they could have doubled their selling price if they had just known a bit more. In these cases not only is the collector who cheerfully gives advice to the dealer unhappy, the dealer is herself missing out on a healthy portion of potential profit.
The introduction of Wet Glass Plates (referred to as "Wet Plates")followed not long afterwards. Many Wet Plate cameras resemble Daguerrean cameras, and to be truthful, some Daguerrean cameras were pressed into service as Wet Plate cameras, so the line between them can sometimes be indistinct. Because of the messy chemistry involved, and the fact that the photographic emulsion was really WET, the backs of these cameras often show staining marks. Though not as valuable as Daguerreotype Cameras, they are still Very valuable.
Dry Glass plates (referred to as "Glass Plates") followed next.* These cameras still required much setting up, and were heavy wooden contraptions, off limits to all but the most die hard enthusiast.
Just before the turn of the century, a flexible cellulose film base (in the form of roll film or sheet film) for cameras was becoming popular, thereby making photography easier. Not only was it possible to take more than one picture before reloading, but the exposure times needed for correct exposures were shortened considerably, thereby requiring many cameras to include some kind of shutter system, usually located in or just behind the lens. Camera manufacturers sprouted like mushrooms after a Spring rain. Some would thrive and continue to this day, Eastman Kodak, for instance. Others lasted a short time, and were never heard from again.
The advent of flexible film also allowed the design of cameras to evolve towards portability and compactness, Cameras could be found which folded up, and would spring open at the push of a button, ready for action. Others were made from exotic woods and rare leathers for use in Tropical climates. While Glass Plate cameras were still being made in abundance, and would be well into the 1920's, the ease and reliability of flexible film was silently bringing photography to the masses.
The period beginning just before the First World War up to the years just after the Second World War saw a literal explosion of camera types and manufacturers in both Europe and America. The Japanese camera manufacturing dominance as we know it today was non existent, therefore Japanese cameras from this time are few and far between. I would suggest that many if not most of the middle to upper value cameras which you might run across would be from this period. Innovation was commonplace, and models proliferated, even from the same manufacturer. It was not uncommon to find the same model Zeiss camera available with a choice of three different shutters and four different lenses, thereby making a total of twelve possible combinations! Some combinations were more popular than others, for example, expensive shutters were more likely to be sold with expensive lenses. Earlier roll film cameras required "ruby" windows on the camera back to allow the user to correctly position successive frames for exposure. 120 and 127 size roll film manufactured today still carry frame numbers printed on their paper backing for use in such cameras. Later and more expensive cameras offered mechanical devices which eliminated these windows. This rather foolproof method was still in use on inexpensive roll film cameras manufactured in the 1950's
In my opinion, by far the most important innovation of the past 50 years has been lens coating. One way to date a particular lens (and therefore the camera it is attached to) is to check to see if it is "anti reflection" coated. If you hold the lens at an angle to your eye and see a blue or green or pink or yellowish reflection coming from the surface of the lens, it is probably at least single coated (one coating only). This system of increasing the amount of light getting to the film, though invented a decade earlier, and became standard practice for many manufacturers in the years after WW II.
From the turn of the century to the present day, the kind of film used in cameras has not really changed much. Improvements in chemistry and manufacturing technology has meant that today's films are more sensitive to light, and have better keeping characteristics than those of the past, but other than that, today's cameras are using the sameCameras which use these "new" films cameras smaller, lighter and offer more bells and whistles that even those of a few years ago.
Cameras of the fifties, sixties and even into the seventies were mechanical marvels. Most had no automation, and required no batteries. Solidly built of real metal, these cameras were built to withstand the rigors of everyday use. (Some brands more than others, of course. Remember that I'm talking in generalities here.) During this time, cameras were still being made in the USA, Germany, France, England and western countries, while Japan was just getting it's foot in the door. Into the sixties the Japanese footknocked the door off it's hinges, and the world of camera manufacturing has not been the same since. Often when cameras from this period are found today, they still function, and with a little cleaning can be used for taking pictures. For this reason many Japanese cameras from the 1970's are bought by "users" rather than collectors. As the reserve of undiscovered wooden cameras, and other older cameras dries-up, I feel that more and more camera collectors will be looking for these well built wonders.
Most modern cameras require batteries, and are made from "Space Age" material (plastic of course...) Aside from a few name brands like Leica and Hasselblad, and the very top of the line models offered by Nikon, Contax, Minolta, Olympus, Pentax and so forth, today's cameras are not made with the same "built to last" feeling as were their older counterparts. They are very sophisticated in their functions, offer users as much or as little control. It will be many years before these cameras will be considered as collectables. An exception to this rule are the special gold plated or commemorative cameras sometimes offered by manufacturers. These cameras, however, would rarely make it into the hands of the non camera specialist.
(Photohistory experts, please note that I am aware of Ambrotype, Calotype and Ferrotype photography, but I feel for this abridged lesson, they can safely be omitted.)
1. Condition
2. Condition
3. Condition
Let me spell that out for you.......... C O N D I T I O N !
In the Camprice.com database you will find prices for cameras in "Mint" condition, "Excellent+" condition and "Excellent-" condition. These labels represent specific conditions of cameras. In the collecting world, one of the great stumbling blocks of consensus concern ways of describing the condition of a camera to the satisfaction of both the seller and the potential buyer. The virtual collecting world created by the internet will see this problem grow. I think that camprice.com can help smooth the way by choosing a single method of description and sticking to it. The "Shutterbug Ads" system of description standards has been chosen. Many camera collectors are already familiar with these standards, while a non specialist may not be aware such standards exist.
According to Shutterbug Ads standards, a camera in "Mint" condition must be "...100% original finish. Just like factory new, but may not contain original packing material or instruction books...." The prices you find under the "Mint" heading in the Camprice.com database are based on cameras meeting the above criteria. In real life, very very few cameras you handle will be truly "Mint." I would estimate less than 2% on the open collectors' marketplace are "MInt." This is one reason that collectors are willing to pay substantially more for "Mint" cameras. Non specialist sellers and specialist sellers alike are cautioned not to throw the word "Mint" around when describing cameras. It can only lead to disappointment......
I figure about 90% of cameras that you will handle will fall into one of the two following categories.
In my opinion about 50% of all collectable cameras which change hands from knowledgeable seller to knowledgeable buyer fall into into the "Excellent+" category.Such cameras should have/be "...90- 99% original finish. Used very little, but obviously used. No major marring of finish or brassing. Optics perfect. Mechanically Perfect..."
Another 40% would be classified as "Excellent " In Shutterbug terms "...80-89% original finish. May have a finish flaw or two which detracts from the appearance, but must be optically and mechanically perfect..."
The remaining roughly, (remember, I'm not counting the "MINT" cameras...) 10% of collectable cameras would be "Excellent-" and "Good" and Fair" conditions. Camprice.com only estimates prices for cameras in the first three categories, that is to say "MINT",Excellent+" and "Excellent" Many collectors would only be interested in lesser quality cameras if they needed parts, or were keen to refurbish a particularly rare example.
Scratches, dents, dings, "bright marks," brassing, cracks, chips, fungus, "cleaning marks," haze, separation and "light leaks" are all things which can lower the value of a camera.
Light leaks are usually caused by deterioration of the sealing material where the camera back joins the body, or from holes (some incredibly small) developing in the bellows of folding cameras. Replacing light seals on a 35 mm camera from the 1960's is not difficult, but is something that most non specialists might prefer not to do. Light leaks in bellows cameras present another problem entirely. Bellows are expensive to have replaced. Many collectors prefer to live with the imperfect bellows, rather than incur the cost of having them replaced. Ambitious collectors attempt to make their own replacement bellows. A folding camera may look perfect on display, and still have a bellows which leaks light like a sieve. On the other hand, a user camera may have the bellows patched in obvious places, and look terrible on display.
It's always best to handle a camera is over and not too high above nor too close to the edge of a soft flat surface, like a (non glass) counter top or table covered with an old blanket. In a pinch, several layers of old newspaper is better than nothing. It can happen that an excited customer or a fumble fingered employee can ruin a fine camera by not paying attention to what they are doing.
If you're not sure of what something does, then don't try to do it...! The same goes for potential customers. I wish I had a nickel for every meat fisted person who strolled up to my table at a camera show and proceeded to put his paw through a delicate shutter curtain and then say..."But look at this, the shutter doesn't work...!"
No attempt beyond rudimentary superficial cleaning of an old camera should be attempted. Believe me, improper cleaning by an inexperienced person the quickest way to turn an "Excellent+" camera into an "Excellent" camera. However, removing surface dust with a soft brush and wiping down bodies with a damp cloth should do little damage to most cameras, and might help you to identify any hidden cosmetic damage.
If you really need to clean a camera lens, be sure to use a soft clean brush and blower to dislodge all the loose particles ofdirt before wiping the surface gently with a lint free tissue pre moistened with lens cleaner, or at the very least distilled water. In a crunch breathe on the lens and gently wipe away the condensation. Never never never dry wipe any optical glass, and never put any cleaning liquid directly onto the lens!
The majority of camera shutters, especially simple shutters used on inexpensive cameras, are usually robust, and will function well even though the camera is well over 50 years old. At fast speeds, those above 1/15th of a second, the shutter should make a crisp "click" and if visible, the shutter leaves on a between the lens shutter should open and close without binding. Slower speeds, 1/15th of a second and below will have a definite beginning and ending sound. You might even hear the whir of the clockwork mechanism which regulates the timing for the shutter. If you find that the shutter sticks open, DO NOT try to force it closed. It's much better to offer the camera for sale with this known defect than to ruin any possibility of repair by breaking delicate internal parts just trying to get it to close.
If you think that you will be handling many cameras in your business, it may be useful to invest in a few books to have as reference on your bookshelf. Your credibility with a potential customer goes up 100% if you can talk intelligently about simple camera concepts.
Somewhere on most cameras you will be able to find the country of Manufacture indicated, along with the name of the Manufacturing Company. Many cameras also have an obvious Model name engraved on the top or front. Some have model names or numbers embossed in their black body covering (often called "leather" but more often than not actually "leatherette.") In these cases searching in the Camprice.com database is very straightforward.
Lens names are often engraved on the inside edge of the front of the lens, and might or might not be from the same manufacturer as the camera body itself. Between the lens shutters, that is to say shutters which form part of the lens assembly and have glass components both in front of and behind the actual lens elements,usually have their names conspicuously displayed.
The type of film used by a camera is usually obvious at first glance. Sometimes it is even marked by the use of advertising inside the back of many folding cameras. The Frame Size can be easily measured with a simple ruler. The vast majority of cameras have common frame sizes, and fall very nicely into place. Be sure to take your measurements in both inches and centimeters. Camprice.com uses both methods, and cameras are listed using the most common reference for their frame size. Therefore if you measure and discover that the frame of the camera is 6x6cm, you might also want to search under 2 1/4 x 2 1/4inches in the Frame Size search field. Many cameras will require film that is no longer readily available. Collectors looking to use their cameras might find such obsolete films available from Film for Classics.
Subscribers at Camprice.com will probably find that the search fields for Manufacturer and Camera Model are the most useful and therefore the most used. When the model name is known, the Lens and Shutter fields will be helpful in narrowing down a particular camera.
When the Model name is not known, the Lens and Shutter fields become invaluable, and with the addition of the Place of Manufacture, the Frame Size and Film type used by the camera, search results can be narrowed down surprisingly well.
Dating a camera can be either very easy or extremely hard. Here are some steps you can take to help you date a camera. One thing that can help is the process of elimination.
The first thing to look for on any folding camera is red leather bellows. This would indicate that the camera was made sometime just before the First World War. Cameras made before the turn of the century rarely had this feature. Square cornered bellows, as contrasted by truncated corner bellows, were much more common before 1900 than after. The lack of red bellows or the occurrence of truncated corner bellows, however, is not absolute proof of camera age. Bellows were often replaced, thereby making bellows based chronology a hit and miss affair.
Disregarding somecommercially minor, but historically significant exceptions, 35mm film cameras didn't really appear until after the Leica of 1926, though 35mm film was the standard for the moving picture industry. It is interesting to note that motion pictures use frames of 18mm x 24mm, now called "half frame", though logically the 24mm x 36mm "full frame" used by the vast majority of 35mm cameras should really be called "double frame." Kodak introduced the "135" film designation, still used today, in 1935.
Camera shutters offer another area of dating possibility. Cameras which have shutters made by the German company Friedrich Deckel, can actually come from Germany, France, England the USA or even Japan! The popularity of Deckel shutters is only exceeded by their reliability. Many are still within factory tolerances even more than fifty years later.
The first Deckel shutter to find massive commercial appeal was the "Compound" shutter. It is a friction delay shutter and "Compound" appears on the shutter face plate. It is thought that Compound shutters first hit the market in about 1905. It's major identification points are the small tube at 12 o'clock on top of the shutter and the shutter action switch at 6 o'clock. It's possible to still find this shutter in use today. The 360mm lens for my modern Linhof uses one. This shutter is referred to as the "Compound" shutter in Camprice.com listings.
"Compur" was the next shutter to appear from Deckel, and arrived on the scene about 1912. Please note that the Compur name appears on several shutter variations. Careful examination is necessary for accurate identification
The first model Compur has a small shutter speed setting dial at the 12 o'clock position, much like the Compound, but it lacks the small tube above which is found on all Compound shutters. Thesmall dial for setting the shutter action type ( IBT forInstantaneous Bulb or Timeor ZBT or even TBM) is located at 9 o'clock position with the arming lever at 3 o'clock. This shutter is sometimes referred to as the "Dial set Compur" in Camprice.com listings.
The second variation of the Compur shutter saw the shutter speed dial and the shutter action type dial were combined and replaced by a ring on the outside edge of the shutter controlling both functions. The shutter arming lever was also moved to the top of the shutter housing, and in some cases automatic shutter cocking was possible through mechanical interface of the film transport mechanism with the shutter. This shutter is often called the "Rim set Compur" and dates from about 1929. It is usually referred to in Camprice.com simply as "Compur."
The introduction of the Compur Rapid in 1935 saw an increase in speed from 1/250 second to 1/500 sec. Compur Rapid shutters are referred to as such in Camprice.com
A later Compurshutter based the earlier Compur design is the Synchro Compur.
A few camera and lens manufacturers used hidden codes to indicate year of manufacture. The following two codes will help you identify some Kodak products, and most Hasselblad items.
The Kodak code is:
C A M E R O S I T Y
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
The serial number around the lens of many Kodak products from the 1940's, 50's, and early 60's often begin with two letters. If, for example, your lens serial number begins with 'EE' the lens was made in 1944. Now find these two letters on your lens and the numbers with which they correspond. Voila! You have the date of manufacture of the lens, and more than likely the camera it is attached to.
Hasselblad uses a similar system onits camera bodies and its film magazines. The early Kodak lenses supplied with Hasselblad cameras sold in the USA follow the Kodak code given just above.
The Hasselblad code is:
V H P I C T U R E S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Consequently, a Hasselblad body with TU in the serial number was manufactured in 1967.
Some Chinese cameras have the date indicated as the number of years since "liberation" that the camera was produced. (That is to say the number of years since the communists took over from the Kuomintong in 1949) . A Chinese camera which has a serial number such as 2395567 would indicate a camera made in 49+23=72) 1972.
Just like Deckel shutters, Zeiss lenses appeared on cameras from many different manufacturers. The following list should aid in dating your Zeiss lens to within a year of manufacture.
Zeiss Lens Serial Numbers:
1912...173400-200500
1913...208500-249350
1914...249900-252700
1915...282800-284500
1916...285200-288100
1917...289000-298150
1918...298200-322750
1919...322800-351600
1920...375200-419800
1921...433250-438350
1922...438900-498000
1923...561250-578300
1924...631850-648500
1925...652200-681751
1926...686800-703200
1927...722200-798250
1928...903100-908150
1929...919800-1016900
1930...1020500-1239700
1931...1239701-1365600
1932...1365601-1389300
1933...1436650-1456000
1934...1500450-1590000
1935...1615750-1752300
1936...1774800-1942800
1937...1950100-2220000
1938...2268000-2528000
1939...2528001-2651200
1940...2652000-2678000
1941...2678001-2790350
1942...2799600- ?
By knowing when a camera was NOT made, you can more easily decide when it might have been made.
Patent dates can be useful for this purpose. When a patent date appears on a camera, you can be positive that the camera was not made prior to the date indicated. However, the camera could have been made three years or eightyears after the patent was granted. It is quite common for patents to be granted, and not be used in manufacturing until years later. (The US Patent office has a very interesting site.)
You might find the following list of patent numbers helpful.
United States Patent indicating first number of the year:
In addition you might eliminate dates when a camera was NOT made by the introduction of the film used by the camera, if it is known. Cameras which use roll film often have a film type of size indicated somewhere on the inside of the body, or there may even be an old roll of film inside the camera..
The following American Roll Films are listed by date of introduction:
#101-1895
#102-1895
#103-1896
#104-1897
#105-1898
#106-1898
#107-1898
#108-1898
#109-1898
#110-1898
#111-1898
#112-1898
#110 1898
#110-1973 (also known as Pocket Instamatic, or 110 Instamatic,not to be confused with the #110 of 1898)
#113-1898
#114-1898
#115-1898
#116-1899
#117-1900
#118-1900
#119-1900
#120-1901
#121-1902
#122-1903
#123-1904
#124-1905
#126-1906
#126-1963 (also known as 126 Instamatic, not to be confused with #126 of 1906)
#127-1912
#128-1912
#129-1912
#130-1916
#135-1935 (today's 35mm file)
#616-1932
#620-1932
#828-1935 (also known as Bantam, a paper backed competitor for 35mm film)
Many Russian cameras from the 1950's to the 1990's indicate the year of manufacture as the first two digits of the serial number: a Zorki 2-S camera with a serial number of 57092868 was made in 1957. It is sometimes possible to tell if a Russian camera has its original lens simply by comparing the serial numbers on the lens and the camera body. A 1954 camera with a 1972 lens should make you suspicious that the combination is not original.
Russian cameras also offer a peculiar identification problem. The Cyrillic alphabet is very foreign to most of us. The Zorki "2-C" camera is referred to by some as the Zorki "2-S". because the transliteration for the Cyrillic "C" is the Roman block letter "S".
Some Chinese cameras also have an indication of the year of production contained in the serial number, both of the lens and of the camera body. Sometimes this is seen simply as the first two digits being the year itself. 770020 on a Red Flag 20 camera shows that this camera was made in 1977. Incidentally, this was the last year when the Red Flag 20 camera was produced.
Many thanks to Jean Loup Princelle for the following list of serial numbers which will help you date a FED camera (Leica II copy):
1934 31 - 4000
1935 4000 - 16000
1936 16000 - 31000
1937 31000 - 53000
1938 53000 - 82000
1939 82000 - 116000
1940 116000 - 148000
1941 148000 - 175000
1942-45 No Camera Production
1946 175000 - 176000
1947 176000 - 186000
1948 186000 - 203000
1949 203000 - 221000
1950 221000 - 248000
1951 248000 - 289000
1952 289000 - 341000
1953 341000 - 424000
1954 424000 - 560000
1955 560000 - 700000
Schneider lenses have been around for a long long time and have been available on many types and sizes of cameras. The following list of serial numbers and dates is also available on the Schneider Optics pages. Check out their Vintage Lens data for information on Schneider large format, small format and enlarger lens history.
Serial......NumberDate
30,000......December, 1919
40,000......May, 1920
50,000......January, 1922
100,000.....January, 1925
200,000.....June, 1928
300,000.....February, 1929
400,000.....April, 1931
500,000.....June, 1932
600,000.....August, 1933
700,000.....October, 1934
800,000.....September, 1935
900,000.....May, 1936
1,000,000...November, 1936
1,200,000...December, 1937
1,400,000...November, 1938
1,600,000...September, 1939
1,800,000...June, 1942
2,000,000...September, 1948
2,200,000...July, 1949
2,400,000...October, 1950
2,600,000...May, 1951
2,800,000...November, 1951
3,000,000...May, 1952
4,000,000...October, 1954
5,000,000...February, 1957
6,000,000...May, 1959
7,000,000...February, 1961
8,000,000...March, 1963
8,500,000...February, 1964
9,000,000...February, 1965
9,500,000...September, 1965
10,000,000...January, 1967
10,500,000...October, 1967
11,000,000...November, 1968
11,500,000...July, 1970
12,000,000...September15,1972
12,500,000...March, , 1974
13,000,000...December, 1976
13,200,000...September, 1977
13,400,000...October, 1978
13,600,000...October, 1979
13,800,000..January, 1981
14,000,000..October, 1983
14,100,000..January, 1985
14,200,000..August, 1986
14,300,000..November, 1988
14,400,000..January, 1991
14,460,000..February, 1992
14,480,000..January, 1993
14,500,000..November, 1993
14,510,000..January, 1994
14,520,000 May, 1994
14,540,000 January, 1995
14,560,000 April, 1995
14,590,000 January, 1996
14,600,000 April, 1996
14,620,000 November, 1996
14,730,000 April, 2000
In your travels you might find cameras which have what appear to be a bizarre combination of lens and shutter. Many cameras, originally sold with one lens and shutter, were at some later time updated, with newer lenses and or shutters. Many cameras were also offered with a dazzling selection of lens and shutter combinations. I've noted as many as 16 possible combinations were available with four lenses and four shutters. It is usual to find a less expensive lens along with a less expensive shutter, but there was always the chance that someone would order the top of the line lens with the bottom of the line shutter..Many simply made wooden cameras from the decades just before 1900 and just after, known as "Tourist" cameras because of their popularity with traveling photographers, were sold without a fitted lens. The Buyer was required to choose a lens, and possibly a shutter from the camera seller's stock. In Camprice.com, you will find some cameras listed with "various" under lenses, and "none built- in" under shutter when they fit this criteria.
|
