Innovative cameras unrecognised ?

[Roger Hicks]

. . . Additionally, if innovative exterior design matters, I'd say: . . .

Ilford Advocate

Alpa 12-series (not just external innovation)

Mecaflex

Gandolfi Variant (again, not just external innovation)

Various "Art Deco" designs from Agfa, Pontiac and more

Early Periflex (pigskin cover)

Mick-a-Matic, especially the early ones where Micky's ear was the shutter release

The Leica Luxus is too well known to mention here.

Cheers,

R.

 

[tunalegs]

[My] «national pride»? Care to explain? To my ears, that's a really weird choice of words, and perhaps even a bizarre accusation, since I'm certainly not East German.

Try reading with your eyes instead of your ears.
It's very amusing that when presented with facts you don't like, you have to try a desperate ploy to change the subject. It was entertaining to see you try and make it personal at first, but now it's just boring. I'm out.

Cheers.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

Try reading with your eyes instead of your ears.
I'm seeing you never address anything directly, so I'm out of this childish game of desperately trying to change the topic when you have nothing productive or even remotely interesting to offer.

Look into your mirror, dear old chap: You're the one who's playing rhetorical tricks permanently. But then, I do have better things to do than spending my time with your annoying accusations.

 

[tunalegs]

Ilford Advocate

Alpa 12-series (not just external innovation)

Mecaflex

Gandolfi Variant (again, not just external innovation)

Various "Art Deco" designs from Agfa, Pontiac and more

Early Periflex (pigskin cover)

Mick-a-Matic, especially the early ones where Micky's ear was the shutter release

The Leica Luxus is too well known to mention here.

Cheers,

R.

Innovative? Or simply creative? If the latter, I would mention the Ansco Traveller, and the various other special edition folders they made in the 1920s with such coverings as ostrich skin or imitation silver fox.

As for innovative and forgotten, what was the first camera with an honest to goodness integral hand grip like most cameras today have? Canon Super Sure Shot maybe?

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

The trouble is a lot of little ideas came together to produce these wonder cameras. I can nominate the ideas but can't name the cameras...

So, aperture priority and the shutter speed chosen for you.

TTL but the CW version,

view-finder displays, especially the Yashica ME-35's that showed both aperture and shutter speed; there's a picture here:-
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/yashica/yashica_35-me/body09.jpg that's superior to all those graphs in books,

putting decent lenses in P&S's like the Olympus Trip 35,

built-in flash with a fill-in setting (and nothing else),

the Contax Tix a serious APS camera with a built in lens hood.

Now all we need is an innovator to design an ERC that works...

Regards, David

PS and when we get the thread about the worse things they put in cameras I'd like to nominate the menu system and the power on switch by the shutter button and the TTL average metering system.

 

[kuuan]

good presentation of the Praktina, the "first system camera", as the article says: http://www.pentax-slr.com/108413509

 

[Roger Hicks]

good presentation of the Praktina, the "first system camera", as the article says: http://www.pentax-slr.com/108413509

Also superb coverage here, right on RFF: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157286 or for a direct link https://tasmanianfilmphotography.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/kw-praktina-fx-35mm-slr-review/

Cheers,

R.

 

[Kent]

The Nikon 1 V1 had fewer parts than any previous digital camera as far as I know - Nikon pioneered low cost manufacturing with that camera. Then they massively over-priced it 😱

That's why I only bought it when I got it new for 1/3 of the original price. 😉
(Have sold it again, though. Too many systems, too many cameras.)

 

[Greyscale]

Koni-Omega had a 6x7 TLR with interchangeable lenses.... a beast which was at home in the studio and understandably didn't sell well....

Technically, the Koni-Omegaflex M is a twin-lens view camera, and only becomes a TLR when the accessory reflex finder is used.

 

[Greyscale]

Voigtlander Superb, with its unique take on parallax correction.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Voigtlander Superb, with its unique take on parallax correction.

aka Superdroop!

Cheers,

R.

 

[Dwig]

Konica C35 AF - Everyone remembers the reactionary models from other manufacturers (Canon Sure Shot, Nikon L35AF, ...) but few remember this lowly but innovative model that started it all.

I also second Tom's mention of the Foth Derbys. Building a 127 folder with a focal plane shutter isn't all that innovative, but shooting 16 exp on 127, which was not "blessed" by Kodak with its own set of numbers on the paper backing, certainly was. This was especially so in an era of scarce and expensive film.

 

[Lucadomi]

Dear Dee,

Innovations are not always successfull, though some are.

Periflex (Leica screw mount with reflex focusing but not full viewfinder, British)

Ensign Commando (focus by moving image plane, British)

Envoy Wide-Angle (65mm fixed lens on 6x9 cm, British.)

Alpa 35mm (combination reflex and RF, Swiss.)

Semflex (I think, but this is from memory: can't find confirmation -- first TLR with interchangeable lenses. French.)

Tessina (Swiss 35mm TLR)

More if I think of them.

Cheers,

R.

Roger, the old Mamiya six folding camera had a similar system that moved the film plane to achieve focus.
Another TLR with interchangeable lenses was one model of the Koniflex, if I remember properly.
Not sure who got there first, but those were great ideas.

 

[citizen99]

Roger, the old Mamiya six folding camera had a similar system that moved the film plane to achieve focus.
Another TLR with interchangeable lenses was one model of the Koniflex, if I remember properly.
Not sure who got there first, but those were great ideas.

It seems that the Ensign Commando and Mamiya Six were conceived at around the same time, the Mamiya being earlier into serious production.

According to information relayed here
http://photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00HckQ?start=10 (Peter Naylor ,Aug 12, 2006; 10:58 p.m)

"...Ensign had made the first military-spec Commando around 1938..."

I wonder if this will prompt the emergence of analogous information about the Mamiya ? ...

 

[Dwig]

While the brand isn't forgotten, the innovations in the early models generally are: the Bronica. The original models had a two part reflex mirror system where the rear part swung upwards and the front swung downwards. This allowed for significant protrusion of the lens rearward eliminating the need for bulky retrofocus designs in common wide angle lenses. It also balanced the mirror shock to a large degree.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

While the brand isn't forgotten, the innovations in the early models generally are: the Bronica. The original models had a two part reflex mirror system […]

Was this really Bronica's innovation? — cf. Exakta 66, made in GDR before 1954.

 

[Dwig]

Was this really Bronica's innovation? — cf. Exakta 66, made in GDR before 1954.

Yes, I was unaware that the second Exakta 66 (the vertical one) used the same trick.

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

The very first still camera that used a mercury-free battery for the TTL meter?

I think I've read about it recently, but apparently it fits the «unrecognised» category, and/or my brain is a sieve … 😱

 

[radi(c)al_cam]

The very first still camera that used a mercury-free battery for the TTL meter?

I think I've read about it recently, but apparently it fits the «unrecognised» category, and/or my brain is a sieve … 😱

Found it! 😀

It's the Yashica TL-Super 😀

 

[Jake Mongey]

Guys how can we not have mentioned the Box Brownie - The camera that made photography available to the masses.

I would also credit it for introducing rollfilm but that was introduced by George Eastman in an earlier 1880s ish patent for a brownie design.