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

[Bill Clark]

Roger,

Nice to read your posts again.

Welcome back.

Hope you're on the mend.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger,

Nice to read your posts again.

Welcome back.

Hope you're on the mend.

Dear Bill,

Thanks. Things are going very well except for one small hang up, the details of which are sufficiently disgusting that I won't go in to them here. Fortunately it will go away (fairly) soon, though it may entail another night or two in hospital before the second proper operation sorts things out once and for all. Well, as close to "once and for all" as you get at our age.

Cheers,

R.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

What is the purpose of this thread, other than an extensive list of dead businesses?

Indeed, the vast majority of companies that once manufactured or sold photographic items are no longer in business.

Chris

 

[pgk]

They no longer manufacture cameras in most European countries: France, Italy, UK

Well in the UK there are some still made: http://walkercameras.com

 

[Dwig]

... SONY lost control of their logo for instance, when they allowed Superscope to use the attached logo.

I believe Superscope's rights only involved audio tape machines.

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

It was common in North America (US & Canada) for the importer to rebrand their imports. Honeywell had importation trademark rights to Asahi's "Pentax" cameras. The ones they imported were labeled as "Honeywell Pentax" instead of "Asahi Pentax". Model numbers/names were occasionally slightly different. Beseler did the same with the Topcon brand cameras that they imported as well as with the Manfroto tripods.

 

[Dwig]

Folmer and Schwing...

http://www.historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=1133

There's a large gray area within this topic when it comes to such companies.

Folmer & Schwing didn't really go "out of business", but instead were absorbed by Eastman Kodak, who, like the Blob, absorbed a rather large number of smaller companies and only occasionally "spit out" a few when poked with a stick hard enoughj (e.g. Graphlex, ...).

In a similar way, Nicca (mentioned earlier) didn't go out of business directly. They were absorbed by Yashica when the latter needed to build their own focal plane shutters, something they couldn't buy off-the-shelf at the time the way they could with leaf shutters.

Also, there are quite a number of brand names that have vanished while their manufacturer has continued on with other brands and/or other fields of endeavor.

 

[MrFujicaman]

Thought of another one-Kowa.
For camera stores-

Webb Photo in Cherry Hill NJ. Strange location in the back of a suburban circle and strange hours (closing at noon on Saturdays?) closing at 5 weekdays doomed them.

Camera Care in Philadelphia-I knew the owner, the late Steve Sierota for over 20 years and even worked for him part time on Saturdays in 1992. About the best camera repairman in Philly. The store was always a messy, bustling place with the phones ringing off the hook on most days. Steve closed the shop when digital started taking over and he just couldn't compete with NYC camera stores and Best Buy, etc.

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

I believe Superscope's rights only involved audio tape machines.

That would have eventually included the walkman, I believe you are right -- I never saw the Superscope logo on a radio. Sony did buy back distribution rights to its line of tape recorders from Superscope in the '70s.

Seems so long ago, remember the SONY Discman in 84? I think "everyone" owned one. 🙂

 

[Darthfeeble]

I might have missed it but my first "Serious" camera was a GAF. Technically it was a rebranded Chinon. So there are two more names.

 

[Bill Clark]

One of the reasons for this thread is to show the numerous changes that have taken place with the photography industry. Thank You for those who posted here.

There are many other industries that have had as many if not more changes that have taken place. Some have died while other new industries have been born and blossomed.

I guess, at my age, I kind of wanted to look back and appreciate all of your thoughts and reporting on the names of photography businesses that have left us.

Change is a part of life. Years ago, a company I sold for had in the office of the VP of sales a framed ditty that said, "Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way." How true that is today especially how swiftly change can take place now.

 

[x-ray]

Perutz color film, Ritz camera, lens and Repro in NYC, Seymours in NYC, Minifilm, Wall St Camera, Bolex, sterling-Howard in NYC, Solar enlargers, Sunset Color lab, 3M film, Kling photo, Keystone and don't think Polaroid was mentioned.

 

[dmr]

The ones they imported were labeled as "Honeywell Pentax" instead of "Asahi Pentax".

My first Pentax, Spotmatic, 1970s, was indeed branded Honeywell. My second one, years later, K1000, was (and still is) 🙂 branded Asahi. I really didn't think much of the brands or the change.

I also remember some earlier ones branded Heiland (sp?) Pentax. Not sure what that one was.

 

[Mackinaw]

......I also remember some earlier ones branded Heiland (sp?) Pentax. Not sure what that one was.

From memory. Heiland (who primarily built flash units) was the U.S. importer of Pentax cameras back in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. Heiland was bought out by 3M in the mid-60’s which merged it with it’s Honeywell Division. From this point on U.S. Pentax cameras were labeled Honeywell.

Jim B.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Gnome. Honestly!

There are a couple I've never heard of in this issue of Simplicissimus magazine, too.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sevo]

From memory. Heiland (who primarily built flash units) was the U.S. importer of Pentax cameras back in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. Heiland was bought out by 3M in the mid-60’s

Heiland (Strobonar) were a Honeywell subsidiary from the mid fifties on, so 3M already bought them as part of Honeywell.

 

[dmr]

Here's one that some may remember, Fotron.

Sold mainly door to door by Midnight Auto Supply or something like that. It used a nonstandard proprietary film container, with the film and processing only available through the company. Needless to say they did not last very long.

 

[Rico]

The short-lived Yasuhara Co was maker of a couple of pretty strange film rangefinders. I recall problems with their use of Copal Square shutters leaking light because the shutters were designed for SLRs where the mirror shaded the blinds most of the time. Mr Yasuhara was the principal designer of the mighty Contax RTS III (SLR).

Tomioka was an independent (and big) manufacturer of lenses before being bought by Yashica. The Yashica name has been cast out of Kyocera like an old shoe, and is now a HK brand, but the Tomioka name seems to have slipped into the mist of history.

 

[mfunnell]

My father's history of cameras went from Kodak (box brownie) through Balda, Diax, Miranda (mentioned earlier in the thread), Olympus then on to Canon. So that has Balda and Diax as defunct camera companies not mentioned so far...

...Mike