STORIES

Speed Graphic cameras were manufactured in Rochester, NY beginning in 1912. It gained wide usage during and after WWII because it was able to achieve the fastest shutter speed (1/1000 of second) available. It used large format glass plates for negatives that were ideal for newspaper printing. It was widely used

In 1931 Kodak bought the Nagel Camera Werks AG. Their goal was to make high-end cameras. They kept August Nagel on, leaving design and production in Stuttgart. He created the Kodak Retina series. The first cameras to use 35mm still film. It was a huge success and the Retina series of cameras were

The Kodak 35 Rangefinder was launched by the Eastman Kodak Company in 1940 as one of their first 35mm cameras. This model and the original Kodak 35 were developed in Rochester, New York when it became clear imports from the Kodak AG factory in Germany would be disrupted by war. The camera is iconic for its conspicuously placed

The Keystone Equipment and Toy Company originated in Boston, MA in 1910. The company began making movie cameras and projectors ten years later. In the 1930s it released easy to use color movie cameras and its iconic R8 projector. The R8 was revolutionary because it made threading 8mm film easier, all

In the photo archives there are numerous shots with actors and filmmakers shooting with a Bolex H-series movie camera.  Big and stylish, it offered the tools one needed. It weighed about five pounds. The standard H-series was made from 1935 to 1947. The 16 mm spring-wound Bolex is a popular introductory camera in film schools.

The Keystone Equipment and Toy Company originated in Boston, MA in 1910. The company began making movie cameras and projectors ten years later. It’s K- series 8mm cameras were made from the late 1940’s through the 1960’s. They were easy to use with it’s “Electric-Eye” meter and simple settings. The modern

The Argus C-3 camera used by Colin Creevey in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Colin's camera is an Argus C3 “Brick”, a type of camera produced from 1939 to 1966 that helped popularize the 35mm format. A Classic. This camera is an old-fashioned camera that Muggle-born student Colin

This is the camera that popularized the 35mm film format. Released in October 1939 with easy to use range focusing gears it became one of the most popular cameras of all time. It was used extensively during WWII. Quick to focus and rugged, made of Bakelite and metal. The new 35mm

This camera was a major technology leap forward in 35mm photography in 1966.The Electro-35 was the first electronically controlled camera and first to offer a fully automatic mode. Light levels are measured using cadmium sulphide photoresistor powered by a mercury battery. The company marketed these advancements using the space-age atomic symbol on the face of

In 1962, Friendship 7 astronaut John Glenn, took the first human-shot, color still photographs of the Earth during his three orbit mission. He used a version* of this camera, modified by NASA for use in space. * NASA used the Minolta made Ansco Autoset which is the same as the Hi-Matic.

This camera was hawked at Disneyland in the late 50s and 60s. TV ads showed the new theme park in California. This popular home movie camera first sold to the public in 1953. It’s often remembered from family gatherings throughout the mid-century. Many stars and filmmakers remember stealing their father’s

Every family seemed to have one of these - even the Kennedy’s. Pictured below is a young Ted Kennedy holding his first camera, a Six-20. Broadway and film actress Mary Martin was known to sneak up on people with the Six-20. It was a fun, versatile camera that was

The Hawkeye was produced from 1949 to 1961 by The Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. It eventually replaced the Brownie box camera but used the same 620 film format. The bakelite camera was iconic with its large bell flash unit. This flash popularized indoor shooting with the safety of the P25 blue-dot daylight-type

Spielberg’s work spans four decades and includes some of Hollywood’s most successful and cherished movies. Born in 1946 he began making home movies when he was 12 using his dad’s 8mm movie camera and his own model trains. He gradually got other kids to act in his short movies. A

Ted Briskin, son of company founder Samuel Briskin, began managing the Revere Camera Company in 1938. He became one of Chicago’s most successful young businessmen by 1948. He utilized that success to mix it up in Hollywood. Over two decades he married three starlets including Betty Hutton, Joan Dixon and Colleen