Name some cameras from 1932

[Creagerj]

My girlfriend has a school project about camera history that needs doing. However, she needs some suggestions. What would be some cameras from the year 1932 that would be good to research. Also if possible, are there any cameras from that same manufacturer in 1947? I was hoping may you guys would have some suggestions.

 

[RML]

Zeiss, Voigtlander, Leica.

IIRC, of course. 🙂

 

[akalai]

1932: Zeiss Ikon Contax I
http://www.cameraquest.com/zconrf1.htm

1947: ...a little bit too early, the Zeiss Ikon Contax IIa came out in 1950 as mentioned on the cameraquest website:
http://www.cameraquest.com/conrf.htm

...also Robert Capa famously used a Contax II, perhaps a good starting point for a project on the rise of photojournalism in the 1930's and it's use during the second world war and the period of recovery/rebuilding just after the war...

 

[Oldprof]

The Braunmeister Zelomat Sixty-Four ... known for its excellent Primotar f/6.3 lens, but crippled by a poorly-designed film advance mechanism and dodgy rubber band shutter mechanism. Still, the chrome work on the body was magnificent! This was the favorite camera of the Prince of Wales, although he never actually took any pictures with it. But he was seen with it!

 

[jaapv]

TryTHIS
site. It should have some information you need.

 

[bmattock]

On the US side, Kodak and Folmer-Graflex come to mind. Both were making cameras in 1932 and were still in business in 1947. Graflex even had the same models, including the famous Speed Graphic (press camera) as used by photographers such as Weegee.

The German photographic industry was in shreds in 1947 for the most part, although all those who could reconstitute were doing as as quickly as they could. It would really be 1950 before they got back on top again. An exception was Leica, which was fortunately located to the West and was not as heavily damaged during the war as poor Zeiss Ikon.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[BrianShaw]

Rollei TLR,
Rollei TLR,
Rollei TLR,
Rollei TLR.

One interesting thing, research-wise, is to go to the US or European Patent Office website and search for the old camera patents. The USPTO provides an index upon search and makes users pay $3 to download the patent; the Euproean Patent Office provides PDF of the original patent free of charge.

 

[derevaun]

My current favorite camera was introduced in 1931, although the particular specimen I'm holding was made in 1934. Zeiss Ikon Baby Box. It takes up about as much room as my Canon Powershot A60 digital camera, circa 2004. The Kodak/Nagel Vollenda 127 folding bellows camera, from 1931, folds up smaller than a typical digital point & shoot.

 

[je2a3]

Leica II

Joseph

 

[raid]

My Standard Leica could have been made around that time.

 

[RJBender]

1932 The Sonnar® lens (f/2 and f/1.5) considerably extends the range of applications for the 35 mm camera

source: http://www.zeiss.com/c12567a100537ab9/Contents-Frame/4820c26bc60dbe8a41256a79003c4dc5

R.J.

 

[RJBender]

Finally, in 1932, Zeiss Ikon produced the Contax. A product that graced the top of the Zeiss Ikon line. This philosophy was different from Leica, who produced only Leica cameras. There were simple Leicas and very sophisticated ones, but the Contax represented the top of the Zeiss Ikon line.

The Contax of 1932 exhibited a feature set very little different from what we would find today in a top rangefinder camera, including a black body. It had the longest rangefinder base (100mm) ever. The first Contax had a vertical travel, eleven blade, metal, focal plane shutter. Shutter speeds could be set, all from the same dial, up to 1/1000 second. An extraordinary bayonet mount for attachment of interchangeable lenses. Interchangeable lenses were available with speeds up to fl.5. The Contax also had a detachable back to accommodate the changing of film. The Contax I was in production from 1932 to 1938, and by 1934 there were 12 lenses from 28mm to 500mm in the Carl Zeiss lens line.

source: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/htmls/contax_history/history2.htm

R.J.

 

[JeffGreene]

Don't forget the Nagel Vollenda, a nice old medium format folder from 1932 with the developer's name plastered all over the camera. Nagel was acquired by Kodak, and provided many of the resources which later developed into the Retina line of cameras. Here's what it looks like.

 

[Kim Coxon]

At that time, even Britain had a camera industry. Names like Reid, Ensign and others spring to mind. Indeed, several British firms were pioneering new lens design which later became adopted by the german manufacturers and are generally attributed to them.

Kim

 

[bsdunek]

Some good ones have been named. A couple of my favorites are Alpa, Bolsey (related), Exa & Ihagee. These all were still around in the 50's. 😎

 

[drmatthes]

Joe,

if this project is more into history than into special camera gear, one of the most interesting fields might be the one of the Zeiss Ikon Contax.

Originally released in 1932, then re-designed and modernized until 1942, the production line was then completely transferred to Kiev as a war reparation. Production was taken up there at the Arsenal Zavod plant in 1947 with the "Kiev 2", a Contax II copy, whereas in West Germany a smaller clone was designed, the Contax IIa.

It might be an idea for your girlfriend to follow the line from Dresden to Kiev, covering an interesting period (from the Weimar Republic over Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union, plus East and West Germany of the Cold War) - all from the viewpoint of a single series of rangefinder models.

http://www.zeisshistorica.org/sample.html
http://www.contaxcameras.co.uk/history.asp
http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/zeiss/contax/contax.htm

The persons connected to the story might be of interest, too:

Hubert Nerwin went to the U.S.

http://www.zeisshistorica.org/Nerwin.html

Heinz Küppenbender re-organized Zeiss Ikon in West Germany.

http://www.zeisshistorica.org/Keup.html

Emanuel Goldberg was deliberately forgotten due to his Jewish origin.

http://chemheritage.org/events/asist2002/03-buckland.pdf

Sounds like history teachers would simply love that, and it's not too much of the purely technical stuff. I think history comes alive with the stories of the people.

Jesko

____________

2006 AD
800 yrs Dresden
80 yrs Zeiss Ikon