August
1998
Introduction.
It has always been the case that some cameras cost less
than others. Lower-priced cameras may not have the
features and finish of more expensive cameras, but for
their purchasers they did the essential thing - they
captured the moment. Most purchasers were not interested
in "art" but in family pictures, sometimes disparagingly
called "happy snaps".
I take happy-snaps.
For me, the family snapshot market is
one of the two most important markets there is (the other
being photo-journalism), not because of the revenue it
generates but because it is family snapshots that give a
real window on the way life used to be. As a family
historian, my collection of family photographs is very
precious, and I know of countless other family historians
who feel the same.
Yet many of these low-priced cameras
were not, and should not be called, "cheap". In terms of
the working time required to pay for one, even the
ubiquitous Box Brownie represented a considerable
investment for many families, which is why cameras were
usually looked after carefully.
So if anyone can suggest a good
substitute for "cheap" or "low-priced" (another relative
term), I would be very grateful. Meanwhile, here is a
look at some of the cameras, still and cine, which were
very popular in their day so surely deserve a second look
from camera enthusiasts today.
It would be impossible to write about
popular cameras without mentioning Kodak at least once,
so this entire column is devoted to products of Kodak.
They, more than anyone else, have brought photography to
everyone, and we should be grateful. I cannot possibly do
justice to their entire output, so I have picked a few
post-war items, starting with the Kodak Brownie
127.
Kodak
Brownie 127. This is a simple
Bakelite camera which is usually black (white ones were
made but proved to look "grubby" after some use) with a
decorative front plate. It was made in the UK from about
1952 until about 1963, an important time in Britain as
wartime shortages (rationing finally ended in 1954) were
replaced by post-war boom.
The first model has horizontal moulded lines in the
body and a plain front plate. In about 1956 the face plate was ornamented
with a diamond-pattern. (Picture)
Both of these versions have a meniscus f/14 65 mm. lens and a single
speed shutter (one-fiftieth of a second). In 1959 the horizontal pattern
was replaced by moulded vertical ribs and the diamond patterning was
replaced by horizontal lines. This model has a plastic Dakon f/11
lens and rotary shutter. Also in about 1959, an experimental white
bodied 127 was made and test-marketed for a short time. Unfortunately,
the white soon looked "grubby" and proved unpopular for this reason
so the cameras were never put into full production. They are therefore
more valuable now, but they contributed nothing towards making photography
more accessible.
In about 1965 a third version of the
Brownie 127 was made, with completely different styling
and a dark grey plastic body. This camera has a plastic
f/14 50.6 mm. lens and a single speed shutter
(one-fortieth of a second), and a hot shoe for
flash.
In 1954 the Brownie 127 cost £1
4s. 6d. (£1.23) and it was one of the cheapest
cameras available in the UK. The price remained
relatively stable for some time, although purchase tax
rates may have changed, which may hide underlying changes
in the price of the camera. In 1962 the second model cost
£1 5s. (£1.25), while the third and final model
cost £1 10s. 5d. (£1.52) in 1967.
Instamatic
50. One of the factors which
undoubtedly hastened the end of the Brownie 127 line of
cameras was the arrival of the Instamatic cartridge. The
simplest and cheapest of the Instamatic cameras was the
Instamatic 50. This had a fixed focus meniscus f/11 43
mm. lens, a two-speed shutter (one-fortieth and
one-ninetieth of a second), lever wind and a hot shoe. In
1963 it cost £2 15s. 3d. (£2.76). By this time,
these cameras were being marketed as "junior" cameras,
suitable for children, although popular with adults as
well. They sold in uncounted millions
world-wide.
Kodak also had an impact on the
cinematography market. Standard-8 (Regular 8) was widely
seen as "fiddly".
Kodak
Electric 8 Automatic camera. Kodak
made an effort to simplify loading with the Kodak
Electric 8 Automatic camera. This has a fixed focus
Ektanar f/1.9 lens, automatic exposure with manual
half-stop correction, and an electric drive offering 16
f.p.s. only. The "Duex" cassette has to be pre-loaded
with a spool of standard-8 film, but then the cassette
just drops in. The camera has an indicator showing which
side of the film is being exposed. In 1963, the camera
cost £43 9s. (£43.45), the case was an
additional £7 19s. 10d. (£7.98) and a spare
Duex cassette was £2 14s. 3d.
(£2.71).
Despite efforts like this, and Kodak
was by no means the only company to try a user-loaded
cassette system, all that threading the film and turning
it over was a disincentive to many people. When Kodak
introduced the Super-8 cartridge, all this changed. Now
loading a cine camera was as easy as loading an
Instamatic 126 camera, and by 1965, when Super-8 was
introduced, the Instamatic cartridge was already
well-established.
Kodak
Instamatic M2. The Instamatic M2
was the cheapest of a range of Instamatic cine cameras.
Introduced in 1965, together with the new film, it was
very much an entry-level camera with a simple fixed focus
f/1.8 lens, manual exposure and single filming speed (18
f.p.s.). It cost £22 5s. (£22.25) in
1966.
Kodak
Instamatic M12. The Instamatic M2
was superseded a few years later by the M12, still a
useful camera for its small size; it is described in one
1968 report as "palm-sized". It has a similar
specification to the M2, but with an f/2.7 fixed-focus
lens, and in 1968 it cost £16 1s. 10d.
(£16.09). The M14 was the same as the M12 but with a
built-in CdS meter giving fully automatic exposure. The
M14 cost £23 11s. 6d. (£23.58).