“Did you know some of these are busted and I didn't bust them?”
That is the very first text I sent to the wife, digging out her camera collection from right where she told me it would be. Last thing I want is to get in trouble for something I didn't do. Lord knows I get in enough trouble as it is for things that I actually do. I'm going to look into getting them repaired, mostly because it's the right thing to do. Unfortunately, I think it's going to cost more to repair them than they're actually worth. So maybe I'll let them sit for another 20 years or so before doing that. Price speculation is a stupid thing to get into when it comes to antiques, but hey, if you already own them, there's no harm in sitting on them (unless you develop a hoarding problem, then there is very real harm).
Edit: After looking up the values of these cameras, I will not be getting them fixed. No way. Too much money and these things are as common as dirt.
Anyhow, we both know you didn't click this link to check out some busted ass cameras. You wanna see the ones in somewhat okay shape. Well Hubski, have I got a treat for you!
Ta da! It's a Polaroid! Polaroid as a company has been around since just a bit before WWII and they have done so many things throughout their history. They're most well known for their instant film cameras though. Instant film cameras like this big ass thing . . .
This is a Polaroid Land Camera. It's named after Edwin Land, the owner of Polaroid and the Bill Gates/Steve Jobs/Elon Musk of his time. This particular model of plastic fantastic comes with a few extra bits and pieces here and there. There's of course the instruction manual, flash bulbs, a flash guard, and two tubes. I actually don't know what's in the tubes and I didn't open them up for fear of potentially damaging whatever's inside. If someone knows though, please tell me because I am a bit curious, especially since one of the tubes says “For Black & White Pictures Only.”
There's some instructions on the back cover, which isn't anything too exciting in and of itself. It is interesting to note though, how simple they were able to make consumer cameras as time went on.
Just as I thought. Empty.
This next camera is an Ansco Rediflex. These cameras are actually pretty common. You can usually find a decent one at an antiques shop for about $10-$30 depending on what shape it's in and the accessories it comes with. One of the things I find fascinating about Ansco, is the company itself while not as well known, really seems to embody the whole rise and fall storyline that is typical of so many American companies. It was created by an entrepreneur, merged and partnered with other businesses and also hit some roadblocks as it found its way through the business world, and then it ultimately died, a hollow husk of its once great self. There's a brief history of it on Wikipedia if you want to check it out.
So I'm pretty certain that this camera is supposed to come out of its case (otherwise I have no idea how you get the film in there). Unfortunately, I was unable to do so as the thing was stuck beyond comprehension. Not wanting to bust the thing, I left it as is. You'll see though, in the picture, that it looks like it has two lenses. That's not actually the case though. The bottom lens is the actual aperture, used for capturing photos. The top lens is what you would use to figure out what you're shooting.
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, “rd95, if you can't get the camera out of the case, how are you supposed to know what you're shooting at?” Well, this little nifty camera has the view finder at the very top of the box. You'd hold it about waist high and look down to see what you're shooting at. Through the magic of lights and mirrors, the image would be reversed of course, but your actual photograph would come out properly.
Here's a picture of some of my wife's and mine's craft supplies through the view finder. True story, there is a whole photography movement based around taking pictures through the viewfinders of other cameras. It has been creatively named Through the Viewfinder Photography and it's quite the popular method among people who like to experiment with photography in general.
This last camera had me stumped at first, partly because I didn't know she had it, let alone know what it was. It has to be special for her though, I mean, hell, she's trying to keep the crummy box for God's sake. At first I didn't know what I was looking at.
It's a brick.
It's a brick with a rusty plate that was probably once very decorative.
Wait a minute! What is this?
Huh, that's cool. I'ts a Kodak No. 2A Folding Camera.
I don't dare attempt to open this all the way because I don't know what kind of condition the leather is in and I don't know if any of the levers are broke. This is still pretty cool and I'm actually surprised that I didn't know we had this. I'll have to look into learning more about this thing sometime this weekend.