Camera History

The Leica Luxus II is one of the rarest cameras in the world, a gold-plated 1932 Leica that an owner kept unrecognized for years before it surfaced on television. Here is the full story, from a £5,000 valuation on Antiques Roadshow to a...

Quick Facts: Product: Hasselblad 500C "Space Camera" Owner: Astronaut Walter "Wally" Schirra Flew: Mercury-Atlas 8 (Sigma 7), October 1962 Lens: 80mm Carl Zeiss Planar f/2.8 Modifications: Leatherette stripped, metal painted matte black Bought: Off the shelf at a Houston camera shop Significance: Began...

Quick Facts: Product: Leica M for (RED) Designers: Jony Ive and Marc Newson Created: 2013, for the (RED) charity auction Base camera: Leica M (Typ 240), 24MP full-frame CMOS Body: Laser-machined aluminum with more than 21,000 dimples Lens: Reworked APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2 ASPH ...

Quick Facts: Product: Nikon F2 Titan (model code F2/T) Released: 1976, based on the 1971 Nikon F2 Type: Professional 35mm SLR Titanium parts: Shutter blades plus titanium-clad top, bottom, back, and prism Finish: Distinctive mottled black Variants: "Titan" nameplate, no-name, and a high-speed...

Quick Facts: Product: Rolleiflex 2.8GX Royal Urushi Gold Released: Around 1995, a special edition of the Rolleiflex 2.8GX Type: 6x6 medium format twin-lens reflex Lens: Carl Zeiss...

Quick Facts: Product: Plaubel Makina W67 Released: 1981 Type: Folding 6x7 medium format rangefinder Lens: Fixed 55mm f/4.5 Wide-Nikkor, about 28mm equivalent Film: 120 roll film, 6x7 frames Design: Collapsible bellows folds the camera flat Production: Reportedly about 3,500 units Best for: Collectors...

Quick Facts: Product: Kodak DCS 100 Released: 1991 Claim to fame: The first commercially available DSLR Camera body: Nikon F3 with a Kodak digital back Sensor: 1.3-megapixel CCD Storage: Tethered Digital Storage Unit, 200MB drive, worn on the shoulder Price: Around $20,000 for...

Quick Facts: Product: Alpa Reflex Model I Introduced: 1944, at the Swiss Industries Fair in Basel Type: 35mm SLR with a coupled rangefinder Designer: Jacques Bolsey, creator of the original Bolex cine camera Maker: Pignons S.A., a Swiss precision and watch firm Lenses:...

Quick Facts: Product: Leica S1 (1996); upgraded Leica S1 Pro followed in 1998 Released: Shown 1996, marketed from late 1997 Type: Studio scanner camera, the first Leica digital camera Sensor: 36x36mm square CCD, triple-linear scanning Resolution: 26.4 megapixels, 5140 x 5140 pixels (Leica...

Quick Facts: Topic: 12 strangest cameras ever made Eras covered: 1900 to 2018 Rarest pick: Leica 0-Series prototype No. 105 ($15.04M auction sale) Biggest pick: Goerz "Mammoth" Camera, 1,400 pounds Smallest pick: KMZ F-21 Ajax, hidden in a coat button Off-world pick: Hasselblad...