Give Us The Name of An Old Out Of Business Photography Company

[rybolt]

American companies controlling brands during the '60s and on was not unusual, SuperScope held the SONY trademark, EPOI, Nikon for instance.

I may be reading your comment incorrectly but Ehrenreich was the US importer of Nikon cameras but they didn't own the company. They did control distribution in the US and maybe ths is what you really said.
EPOI (Ehrenreich Photo Optical Inc.) had two divisions back in the late 70's. They had the Red Line and the Blue LIne. One was Nikon and the other was a mishmash of things like Fuji, Kinderman, Capro, and several others. They had separate sales forces for each line.
My favorite, as a dealer back in these days, was Berkey Marketing. They had Konica, Omega enlargers and a bunch of other cool stuff.
Speaking of Altman's in Chicago, Ralph stopped into my store once back in the late 70's after he had closed his store. One of my employees was showing him around and making sure he knew we had 10,000 sq feet of space and a lot of merchandise. After awhile I filled him in the fact that Ralph's store had that much space on each of three floors and and ESCALATOR to connect them. Ralph was a good man and a great dealer.

 

[pgk]

Reid and Sigrist - high quality Leica copies - eventually bought up by Decca it seems.

Topcon still exists though and is in business (my optician uses their equipment) but no longer builds cameras

 

[Bill Clark]

My first 35mm SLR was a Minolta SRT-101 I bought at Target. Back in the 1960's.

Back in the 1950's I bought a used Sears Tower TLR from Natinal Camera. It used 127 film. Nice slides with it!

Neither make is around anymore!

 

[charjohncarter]

no Topcon now

my Unirex
by
t a i p e i metro
nikon dslr, nikon 18-55

I have one of these, got it for my dad in 1970-71. Now I have it, I still use it. I love the fact that it is synched to 1/500. I also bought (EBAY) a 28mm and a 135mm: I think $14.00 for both.

Kodak Gold100 Topcon Unirex VivitarMacroFlash5000 RingFlash by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[Mackinaw]

The company, Topcon, is still around, they just don't make cameras anymore.

Jim B.

 

[froyd]

So much fun to peruse the gimmicky photographic accessories from Spiratone. I hactually use a set of Rolleinar knock-off from Spiratone and I gotta say, they are pretty good!

 

[rybolt]

So much fun to peruse the gimmicky photographic accessories from Spiratone. I hactually use a set of Rolleinar knock-off from Spiratone and I gotta say, they are pretty good!

Spiratone was Fred Spira. He invented many of the accessories that Spiratone sold.

 

[x-ray]

Willoughby Peerless camera store.

 

[nasmformyzombie]

Yashica and Contax. The first absorbed by Kyocera the latter killed by the incompetents at Kyocera.

 

[Bill Clark]

Is Voigtlander still made?

 

[Bille]

Is Voigtlander still made?

Voigtländer closed 1982.

 

[zuiko85]

Leica!
Does anyone believe this is still the same company?

 

[Huss]

Leica!
Does anyone believe this is still the same company?

Yes I do! Three fantastic film cameras still in production, and some weird digital stuff.

 

[Huss]

no Topcon now

Hadn't seen that before. What a nice looking camera.

What about Ritz Camera? They used to be in every mall, now they have only 5 retail locations in the entire USA, with zero in California.

 

[lawrence]

What about Bronica? Also May & Baker, popularly known as M&B, their photographic chemicals included Promicrol developer which gave excellent film speed but mushy grain.

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

I may be reading your comment incorrectly but Ehrenreich was the US importer of Nikon cameras but they didn't own the company. They did control distribution in the US and maybe this is what you really said.

Nope not what I "really said." Like post-war Soviets, regarding Contax, there is sometimes confusion between trademark and branding, and control of manufacture.

Joseph Ehrenreich, owner and CEO of Ehrenreich Photo-Optical Industries acquired the import of Nikon products, and controlled entry of Nikon trademarks into the USA.

Wes Loder, member of the RFF, would be more familiar as the extent of that control (and US registration if any), in the case of Nikon. SONY lost control of their logo for instance, when they allowed Superscope to use the attached logo.

I do not know what exactly the relation between Honeywell and Pentax was, but the cameras carried both names in the US.

 

[hap]

Rolleiflex. Very classic.

I think 3.5F is a perfect medium format camera.

Burleigh Brooks, Spiratone, Zunow.

Plaubel Veriwide 100 is a perfect companion to any model of Rolleiflex. It was made for BUrleigh Brooks. 28/2 Spiratone by Mitake lens is pretty decent. I would really like to try that rare 50/1.1 Zunow lens.

Try a modern Miyazaki Sonnetar instead.

 

[rybolt]

Nope not what I "really said." Like post-war Soviets, regarding Contax, there is sometimes confusion between trademark and branding, and control of manufacture.

Joseph Ehrenreich, owner and CEO of Ehrenreich Photo-Optical Industries acquired the import of Nikon products, and controlled entry of Nikon trademarks into the USA.

Wes Loder, member of the RFF, would be more familiar as the extent of that control, in the case of Nikon. SONY lost control of their logo for instance, when they allowed Superscope to use the attached logo.

I do not know what exactly the relation between Honeywell and Pentax was, but the cameras carried both names in the US.

I wasn't presuming to tell you any Nikon history. I was a Nikon dealer back then and did a lot of business with EPOI though never with Joe Ehrenreich who died in 1973. I did know Jonathan and then the Nikon USA people after they made the changeover in 1981.

 

[Santtu Määttänen]

How about Etui, they made wonderful thin folders (6x9 and 9x12)

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

I wasn't presuming to tell you any Nikon history. I was a Nikon dealer back then and did a lot of business with EPOI though never with Joe Ehrenreich who died in 1973. I did know Jonathan and then the Nikon USA people after they made the changeover in 1981.

During the time that EPOi was active, the gray market was almost non existent other than companies who shipped Nikons from Hong Kong, with the logos ground off. I remember the changeover to "Nikon Incorporated, Garden City," and owned equipment with that Logo.

But of course you are right -- to be clear, EPOI never owned Nikon. Miranda was unusual in that respect.