I periodically receive announcements from the OstLicht Camera Auction site. The most recent features 244 lots of antique and classic photographic equipment. The big names are always well represented -- Leica, Contax, etc. There are also many unique and obscure offerings. This latest auction includes, unexpectedly, some Soviet-made cameras; Zorki, FED and Kiev which in the past have not often attracted the attention of the collector class
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| A. Rebora, Genova | Handcrafted 6x17cm Panorama Camera | Starting price: 2.400 € |
I don't personally know anyone I would consider to be a serious collector of cameras. My assumption is that bidders in the OstLicht auctions are not primarily motivated by the idea of making pictures with their acquisitions. That perception is the basis for my claim that I am not a collector.
That claim by me likely leads to some skepticism when I admit to ownership of around a hundred cameras. Still, I maintain my position with the thought that my primary goal is doing photography, along of course, with some curiosity and admiration for craftsmanship and history. And, all of the cameras I have accumulated over the past quarter century have made pictures for me.
Aside from those personal inclinations, what got me started was mostly the appearance of digital photographic technology around the end of the previous century. Near that same time, the launch of the Ebay auction site attracted the attention of people who discovered that their nearly forgotten old film cameras could be sold easily on a world-wide market to people like me who still valued analog techniques. Many fine photographic instruments thus became available at prices that represented only a very small percentage of their original sale prices.
A small sample of my accumulated cameras occupies one end of my desk. Many of those cost me less than $40, with the exception of a couple Nikons and Leicas.
While I appreciate the build quality and the picture making capacities of the rangefinder and slr cameras in that corner, I think that in terms of actual satisfaction my experience with very simple cameras has really been more significant. Box cameras like the
Kodak Hawkeye Flash and the
Ansco Panda along with some point-and-shoots like the
Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim have accounted for the majority of images which I offer up on my blog and
my Flickr account.
I must admit I still look in at the offerings on Ebay, Craigs List and Facebook Marketplace. The bargains have become a little more rare, but it is interesting to see what prices are commanded for models I have in my collection, and nostalgia for some unwise past sacrifices is sometimes a source of temptation. For instance, I sold a Bentzin Primarflex in the late 1960s for a pittance and have thought of replacing it many times.
What reigns in those acquisitive inclinations is mostly the fact that actually practicing my peripatetic style of photography requires more mobility than I can often muster these days. Walking the dog a couple blocks is close to my upper limit.
So, that's my story. What's yours?
