A Visit to the Camera Heritage Museum

There are not many museums devoted entirely to cameras, and I have only been to less than a handful of photographic history museums: Eastman House in Rochester, NY; The Argus Museum in Ann Arbor, MI; The American Photographic History Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, and now, the Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton,VA. Two of these museums are dedicated primarily to products of a single manufacturer - Kodak  (and of course, so much more) for Eastman House, and Argus, of course, at the Argus Museum - which has the distinction of being also at the site where the cameras were made.  The latter two museums are of wider representation, and of these, the Camera Heritage Museum by far, has the most diverse and comprehensive collection of cameras that I have seen.  

I stopped in Staunton last year, unaware of there being a camera museum there, and because we arrived late in the day, it was closed.  However, I knew that I would be passing by Staunton again, as it is off Interstate 81, not far from Lexington, VA, and on my way to the Film Photography Project HQ in New Jersey. On May 2, I was able to stop and spend a good deal of time before I had to hop back on the highway to NJ.  I met David Schwartz, the curator, and the person who has amassed a mind-blowing collection of cameras starting in 1968.  Located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Staunton is a charming place to visit with a lovely downtown with lots of shopping and dining options.  The Museum, which started out as a camera store, is open to the public, and a small fee gets you a self guided tour of the collection, and an Andrew Jackson gets you the curator-led tour, by Mr. Schwartz.  I opted for that, which also comes with a packet of information.  At the outset, I informed David of my experience with the world of vintage photography and intentions of doing a review.

David Schwartz, curator

The Camera Heritage Museum houses close to 7,000 cameras as well as photographs, advertising materials, vintage products and supplies, and other ephemera. There are numbered stations that feature items of importance in the history of photography, and David was of course, well-versed in all of them.  I did learn some things that I was unaware of that had to do with local involvement in the growth of photographic technology, and to see certain cameras that were previously owned by famous photographers was a treat.   While initially overwhelmed by the sheer number of cameras, I soon saw the organization by type and era, and amid all the glittering chrome, I found many wonderful examples of cameras that I had never previously seen in person.  The whole gamut of the history of analog  photography is represented -- from Daguerreotype cameras and images to the end of the development of film cameras.  

My images show - every case is chock-a-block with cameras.  Among those I saw a beautiful, mint-condition Kodak Ektra - the most complex and expensive 35mm camera made by Kodak. American manufacturers were represented by Argus, Kodak, Conley, Ansco, Univex, Perfex, Graphlex, Ciro, Falcon, etc. The German camera makers -- Leitz, Zeiss Ikon, Rollei, Ihagee, and lesser-known firms was well represented, as well as the Japanese Nikon, Canon, Miranda, Topcon, Minolta,Pentax, Ricoh, Olympus, and others.  Stereo cameras from 16mm to 5x7, spy cameras of all sorts, miniature cameras, large format, medium format, wet-plate, dry-plate, Polaroid, folders, box, underwater, and toy cameras. About the only aspect that was under-represented was cine cameras.  However, aside from the Kodak Brownie 8mm cameras, they had an Arriflex that was used by Leni Riefenstahl to shoot movies of the 1938 Olympics and Nazi propaganda films.

Exhibit 13 - Arriflex

It was interesting to see how many different models of the same Kodak camera, such as the Holiday Brownie, were made in the USA, Canada, Brazil, England, France, and Spain. Of course, the many colorful examples of the Art Deco Kodak Beau Brownie were on display, as were the multitudes of Kodak folders, box cameras, Instamatics, and two examples of the fantastic Kodak Ektra 35mm rangefinder.  If you are interested in Twins Lens Reflex - there are plenty to see.  I really got a thrill at seeing an actual Graflex KE-4 combat camera, which took 70mm cassettes.  It looks much like a GIANT Contax II camera, and was sometimes referred to as "Gulliver's Contax."  A Folmer Graflex "Big Bertha" is on display - and at 40 inches long and over 30 pounds, it's hard to imagine using it to photograph baseball games, but it did.  I could go on - there are many examples of famous cameras, and anyone with a love for things photographic will find their favorites at the Camera Heritage Museum.  

I think their exhibit of miniature cameras -spy cameras, such as the various Minoxes, Ricoh 16, Riken Steky, Secam Stylophot, Suzuki Optical Echo-8 (KGB spy camera), Minolta-16s, and a Tessina - is quite comprehensive, as is their collection of stereo cameras.  Whether your interest is in large wooden bellows cameras or the smallest spy camera, or anything in between, you'll enjoy the Camera Heritage Museum.

The Camera Heritage Museum is a 501 C3 non-profit corporation, and while the collection has been growing since the late 1960s, it became a non-profit museum in 2011.  Its location in Staunton, VA meshes with the local history of photography, which goes back to 1847.  There are a number of other historical museums in the area, and of course, the Shenandoah Valley is full of history.  The current building certainly is filled to the brim with photographica, and as a former museum professional, I can see that it will take some money to make the exhibits more attractive to a wider range of visitors.  I really enjoyed talking with David Schwartz, and hope that the museum is able to secure funds to ensure its perpetuity.  It's more than a small regional museum, as it encompasses the history of photography, and has a world-wide collection.  If you have any interest in photography, the museum is definitely worth the visit. The museum accepts donations of photographic items as well as monetary donations. Excess inventory, duplicates, and items that don't fit with their mission are sold on their eBay store - camera-and-palette, which is definitely worth looking up.

The Camera Heritage Museum is located at 1 West Beverley St., Staunton, VA. Take exit 222 off I-81 into the historic downtown. Museum hours are M-F, 9-5, and Saturdays, 9-2.  Phone number is 540-886-8535. Its web address is  www.cameraheritagemuseum.com  Admission is $5 - $20, depending on whether you want a self-guided tour, or a curator-led tour.   

500th Post!

I never expected to have 500 blog posts. Ever. A blog is a way to express one's self, and when I am feeling creative, the post come easily.  When Iam not, or too busy, it does not get written.  I don't have a schedule or a plan for blog posts. They happen when I feel like writing.  When I started this blog in 2006, I really had no idea where I would be going with it, but I knew that I loved photography and using cameras of all sorts, hence the name Random Camera Blog. RCB has been a fun outlet for me, and has kept me writing about photography.  Sometimes I put out 4 or 5 posts in a months, sometimes only one. I try to keep them interesting, and I thought you might be interested in the stats. Here is a capture of stats from over the past weekend:

The average monthly pages views hovers around 5000, which I think is pretty good.  The all-time most viewed post is the one about the Argus 75, and the second is a review of the Gakken-Flex.  Wow.  Who knew that the Argus 75 post would be so popular?  It's the first thing that shows up in searches on that camera, too.  So, I am quite pleased to have a lot of followers as well as many visitors. I hope that viewers find my information useful and that a post has inspired them to try something new.

Only one thing bugs the hell out of me regarding the blog -- I really dislike when someone looks like they are making a comment about a post, but it is really an advertisement for their web site. Do you really think I want a link to some half-assed web store selling digital stuff?  Nope.  You get deleted.  I appreciate real comments and am always willing to reply if you have a question.

I don't want to just write a bout the blog.  I didn't get to 500 posts without writing SOMETHING about cameras.  As you can tell from my posts, I have had a lot of them pass through my hands over the years.  Some I keep, others I use for a while, and then sell, give-away, or trade for something else.  Recently, I have written quite a bit about the cameras that I have been selling for someone else.  I also have a soft spot for camera bargains.  Here is one such bargain...  

I was in the local thrift shop a few weeks ago and picked up this nice Canon EOS Rebel X 35mm SLR with the 35-80 kit lens for the sum of 10 dollars.  A decent pizza costs more than that.  Three bottles of wine can cost that at Trader Joe's.  A six-pack of beer can cost that.  Hell, a roll of film can cost $10.  Now, I have gone through my Canon EOS phase a while back, and sold off all the Canon gear that I had acquired.  However, seeing that lonely camera in the case for $10 made me buy it.  It was pretty clean, and only needed a fresh set of batteries (CR123)  and film.  The Rebel X (or at least THIS rebel X) does not have a built-in pop-up flash.  From the Canon Museum web site: "Based on the popular EOS Kiss marketed in October 1993, the Rebel X was for the North American market. The Rebel X did not have a built-in flash, auto date back, and metered manual like the Kiss. The Rebel X was 55 g lighter than the Kiss.." So, the camera is 21 years old. Wow. It still takes great photos, and weighs less than 500 grams. In fact, it is so light that it can be carried in the hand without fatigue. I have shot one roll with it, and am working on another. If you are a mostly digital user, and want to experiment with film, find yourself a cheap Rebel and use the lenses that you already have (except for the lenses that are only for APS-C DSLRs). So, for less than a dinner, you can find yourself a decent modern film camera with features that you are probably already used to on your DSLR.

Some images from the first roll, shot on Kodak B&W C-41 400 film.

The camera just plain works, and remember, yes, it's not the camera, but the person using it--however, some cameras do make it easier to "get the picture." The EOS Rebel was a fantastic entry into using modern SLRs, and certainly still holds its own against later Rebels that appeared.

Thanks for viewing the 500th post of Random Camera Blog, and USE FILM!

NW Ohio Road Trip -- Part 2

After we left Findlay, we took route 68 towards Kenton. I had heard that there was a major haul of photographic gear and images, books etc. there, and that the place might be open. But first, I decided we would go S to Mt. Victory, and check that town out, as I had photographed the mill there in 2005. We eventually got there, as I had forgotten that route 68 went to the SW, and we had to cross over to 31 from another road, bringing us into Mt. Victory from the South-- which was actually a good way to go, as the countryside there is quite scenic. Like I said, I last shot there in 2005, and got some great shots of the grain elevators there, as the light was perfect (June vs September!):

This time, the light was not there for good shots of the elevators, but there was more to see than that. It's a great place to go antique shopping, as there are many antique stores there with some pretty cool stuff. On the way N on 31 to Kenton, we stopped at a restored Gulf service station, owned by Mike Trout. He gave us a tour of the inside, and it was fantastic -- he has collected Gulf memorabilia for years, and he bought the dilapidated service station and fixed it up to store and exhibit his collections. It's based on a late 1930s station, and it is worth a stop.

Finally, we got into Kenton around 3:30 or so, and quite by accident, found the building where the camera stuff was located. Abby asked two teens on the stoop of a building if they were from the area, and if they knew anything about a lot of camera gear.. it so turned out the the boy's father was the person with all the stuff, and he just happened to be behind the door in front of us! Serendipity rears its head once again. The story is that Dan Hausman and Tim Carrig bought out a large photographic collection from an estate in Pennsylvania. It filled an 18 ft truck and a van, which they, and others have been picking through in this building in Kenton. It's all in various states of condition, and of course, like many such "finds" - much of it is in untold boxes of stuff that could be nothing more than cheap plastic premium cameras, or maybe something quite desirable, such as a Leica. So, it's hard to look at anything without having to look through an entire box. Tim and Dan have been through most of it, and despite the apparent disarray of things, seemed to know what was there to some degree, and have probably already weeded out the real gems already. This reminded me somewhat of the John Naslanic estate that I helped with back in 2007, but even then, the Kenton stuff was small compared to Naslanic's hoard of photographica. I didn't go with any intent of buying anything -- I was just curious to see what was there. I did end up buying a Yashica J-P SLR (made in 1964) for $10, thus having something to show for the trip down there. A few shots of some of the stuff there...

If you are interested in having a look, contact Tim via email at tim@golden-graphics.com - you'll need to let him know in advance, because he is not at the place every day, and it's not exactly a store. Well, that's all for now. I'll have a separate article on the Yashica J-P.