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100 Beautiful Vintage Camera Photographs

100 Beautiful Vintage Camera Photographs

Josh Johnson on Jan 18th 2011 with 36 comments
This entry is part 6 of 14 in the Film Photography Session
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It’s easy to forget that cameras weren’t always defined by megapixels and the quality of their digital sensors. Once upon a time, photographers had to pay for every photo that they took, and they couldn’t see them for hours or even days after the shoot.

Today we’ll pay homage to the countless cameras that have come and gone, paving the way for our beloved modern DSLRs. Below we’ll take a look at modern images of over a hundred beautiful vintage cameras (along with a quick history lesson!)

A Brief History Lesson

Before we dive into the images, it’s worth taking a minute to learn about the origins of the art/science of photography. How did it all begin and what are some terms that you should know as you peruse the images below? Let’s find out.

The idea of pushing light through a hole to create an image dates all the way back to the 6th century and beyond. However, it wasn’t until the invention of photographic plates in the 1700s that photography was really born in the sense that we now know it with the imagery actually being saved in some fashion. These early plates weren’t so different than modern day film, with a silver coating being mixed up with various other ingredients to create a surface that reacted when exposed to light.

Once we made the discoveries above, the rest was history. Photography gradually advanced with significant improvements being made in the areas of exposure control, lenses, focusing techniques, light metering and photographic film; the latter of these was originally developed by George Eastman of Eastman Kodak in the late 1800s.

Eastman manufactured his first camera, the “Kodak”, in 1888. By 1900, Eastman had advanced his simple box camera idea significantly and released a legendary product that would come to define the market of inexpensive personal cameras in a similar fashion to how the Model T defined automobiles. This camera was called the Brownie. The model shown below, a No. 2A Brownie Model C, is my own and was manufactured around 1924 (watch for my tutorial on how to use it!).

If you look closely, you’ll spot a number of Brownies in the images below. These iconic devices evolved and stayed in production until the late 1960s. You can read all about them at The Brownie Camera Page. With that brutally brief history in mind, let’s discuss some terms that you might find interesting while scanning the images below.

Box Camera – A box camera is one of the simplest cameras in existence and consists of little else than a box with a lens and one end that lets light in to expose the film on the other end. Most box cameras are fairly rudimentary and lack anything but very basic controls for focus, shutter speed and aperture. The Brownie shown above is a box camera.

Folding Camera – A folding camera uses a bellows (that weird accordion thing) to accomplish the feat of allowing the user to carry around a rather large camera in a fairly compact manner. When closed, the folding camera is very thin and easy to throw in a bag. It then expands to add focal length when unfolded.

Twin-lens Reflex Camera (TLR) – A TLR, as its name implies, is a camera with two lenses on the front. The lenses share the same focal length and are often connected to focus simultaneously. The reason for the additional lens is simply for the viewfinder system, which brought about several benefits (over single-lens reflex cameras) such as a continuous image on the finder screen, and a less-noticeable shutter lag. For our purposes today, TLRs are important because they make particularly attractive photographic subjects!

Instant Camera – An instant camera is one that has a self-developing mechanism so that your images are ready to view right away. Polaroid was obviously the most popular manufacturer of instant cameras and released the first commercial instant camera in 1948. This model was called the Polaroid Land Camera and can be seen in several variations in the collection below.

100 Photos of Vintage Cameras

Vintage cameras – in vintage colour

Agifold

Vintage Cameras

Exa Ihagee Dresden

27-05-10 Because I Have Something To Say

Old to someone, new to me

Self portrait, TLR girl

Kodak Brownie Starlet, 1957 – my first camera

yashicagt0032

I love my hair ornament

Polaroid Land Camera

Argus C3 Match-Matic

Imperial Mark 27

Zeiss Ikon Voigtlander Vitessa 500 AE Electronic

“New” toy

16-05-10 II Beirette

Ferrania Zeta Duplex

My Hassy

Argus Lady Carefree

Hi, Rolleiflex

Zorki 4K

trip 35.1

26-08-10 Just Don’t Make Me Choose

Olivia.

Voigtlander

New Toys {Explore}

Canon Demi EE17

#78 – OM1

Klasse (BLACK)

Polaroid Land Camera 1000

Kodak Brownie Target Six-20

Sears

08-05-10 You’ve Left Me Shimmering

Smena 8M

14/366 – Nikon FM2n

~Nameless~

camera shy

zorki-4 + industrar-61

The Go Getter

by my side

Certo Super Sport Dolly 1937

Kodak Brownie Hawkeye

Polaroid

canonet0069

himaticc0294

Voigtlander Vitoret DR

Monday, Monday

Day 6/50: a little girl’s love

crown graphic

chinon0296

reflection from the past

my new toy, thanks to e50e

Dualism

Six-20 Folding ‘Brownie’ w. ‘Dakon’ Shutter

Vintage bliss……

First Strobist Attempt

Old Cameras

My trusty old friend

thank you

Brownie Hawkeye

Smile

himatic0065

kodak signet_0936

CMEHA 8M

“P” mode, ON!

spotmatic

rolleiflex_0348

Canon / Bell & Howell Dial 35

indecision {31 of 365}

Braun Super II Rangefinder

autumn story.

kodak signit_0963

Canon AE-1 Program

Canonet QL-19

Camera Junkyard

There’s Nothing Quite Like Film

Praktically Ancient

Controlled Chaos

Olympus Trip 35

Vintage Camera

Olympus 35SP

voigtlander vitessa l773-74

128.365 – Swen

The Next Chapter

Lubitel

three cameras

3/52 – vintage 101010

38/52 : Focus

aus Dresden

Moments missed…

Love

Through the Viewfinder

museum mile

who needs a tardis?

Voigtlander

argus c-four

Will You Let Me Take A Picture?

Relegated

Agfa Karat IV

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex III

Cheese

Story without words

Daisies (.164/365)

contina_5103

Polaroid Land Camera 250

Show Us Yours!

Before I conclude, I should say that I’m admittedly not familiar with all of the cameras shown above. It’s highly possible that some are fairly modern cameras that just look vintage. If you spot any of these, feel free to point them out in the comments below.

Also, we want to see your vintage cameras! Post an image to Flickr and leave a comment below with the name of the camera model, when you think it was manufactured and whether or not you’ve ever taken any photos with it!

 
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By Josh Johnson

Rollover to read this author's bio or click through to see a full list of posts by this author.

Joshua Johnson is a Designer/Writer with over six years of experience working with a major international marketing agency. He is also the Editor of Design Shack, a web design and development blog. Check out his recent work and follow him on Twitter: @secondfret.  

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Discussion 36 Comments

  1. David Sidhom says:
    January 18, 2011 at 6:41 pm

    Heres mine! = D

    http://www.behance.net/gallery/Classic-Equipment-Shoot/794314

    Reply
  2. Trypode says:
    January 18, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    2 of mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/trypode/2937219225/ & http://www.flickr.com/photos/trypode/2937219227/

    Reply
  3. Giona says:
    January 18, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    Fujica ST 601 – 1976.
    This is my dad’s old SLR mounting Auto Petri 1:3.5 f200mm lens.. I’d like try to take some photos with it!! ;)
    http://flic.kr/p/97JyA6

    Reply
  4. Sérgio Galvão says:
    January 18, 2011 at 7:52 pm

    My Polaroid Colopack 80 http://www.flickr.com/photos/sergiogalvao/5150058396/

    Reply
  5. April says:
    January 18, 2011 at 9:27 pm

    I have a Canon FT and a Minolta SRT 201 that were given to me by an uncle last year before he died. I am in love with them – even though I have a DSLR, there’s just no comparison to what you can get from film.

    Reply
  6. Simone says:
    January 18, 2011 at 9:34 pm

    This is the Olympus OM-1 that belongs to my father but it’s mine. Actually i haven’t taken any shot with it by now but i’ve just bought a tri-x 400 in case of necessity :P

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/symo0/5311560489/

    Reply
  7. David says:
    January 18, 2011 at 9:56 pm

    aw, I have whole set dedicated to my old cine camera on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/flixel/sets/72157625647932862/ love old cameras.

    Reply
  8. skink74 says:
    January 18, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    Lots of lovely cameras up there, but I can’t believe you have no Bronicas, so here’s mine.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/skink74/3427020002/

    Reply
  9. Paul WooHoo says:
    January 18, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    My granddad’s Agfa Isolette III

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoohoo/5367394211/

    and the test roll I shot last week to see the picture quality after 70+ years since originally manufactured.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulwoohoo/sets/72157625728991039/

    Reply
  10. the666bbq says:
    January 19, 2011 at 3:09 am

    Yashica Super TL, 1966 Japan, needle sharp ;-)

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4297786386_9e9e859e79_o.jpg

    Found it in a terrible state in a second hand shop and gave him a second life …

    Reply
  11. Nathan says:
    January 19, 2011 at 3:19 am

    Awesome cameras! I wish had my hands on a few of them so I could use them on a few shoots.

    Reply
  12. Lanthus says:
    January 19, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    Some of mine:

    http://thephotophile.blogspot.com/2010/03/olympus-trip-35-cult.html

    http://thephotophile.blogspot.com/2010/08/whoohoo-new-camera.html

    http://thephotophile.blogspot.com/2010/10/yay-yashica-tlrs.html

    Reply
  13. Ilya says:
    January 19, 2011 at 3:29 pm

    Kiev-15 TTL
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilavrovsky/3400132465/in/set-72157608287403022/

    Reply
  14. Dave says:
    January 19, 2011 at 3:55 pm

    Awesome!

    So glad to see the Canon AE-1 Program make several appearances!

    I love that camera.

    Reply
  15. Luke Stanton says:
    January 20, 2011 at 1:53 am

    Wow! so many cameras, and I want them al!!!! I have a few vintage cameras but I was wondering if anyone can tell me whether there is a good filter to use on an slr to give a vintage look to your photographs?

    Reply
  16. Chad says:
    January 20, 2011 at 7:30 am

    Great list. Especially the Canonet!

    Reply
  17. Forrest Tanaka says:
    January 20, 2011 at 11:29 am

    This is my grandfather’s 1957 (I think) Polaroid Land 95A instant camera.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/forrest-tanaka/5371682435/

    Reply
  18. Forrest Tanaka says:
    January 20, 2011 at 12:10 pm

    I should have combined this with my previous post — sorry! This is my dad’s Minox B. The mechanical film advance and shutter mechanism are powered by sliding the case closed and then open again. The selenium light meter gets its power from ambient light, so this camera needs no battery at all. The plug on the right connects to an external flash, and the knurled strip above the viewfinder lets you slide a built-in ND filter in front of the lens. It’s an amazing piece of machinery.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/forrest-tanaka/5371717257

    Reply
  19. Deborah says:
    January 24, 2011 at 8:29 am

    Mamiya C220 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5124609775
    So far I’ve only used one roll. Haven’t developed it yet. LOVE this camera! (:

    Canon AE-1 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5097815436
    developed 2 rolls so far. my third was a B&W 36exp roll…none developed at all. very saddening):
    all in all a good camera to have.

    Polaroid SX70 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5017593281
    I went through 3 and half cartridges before my camera broke. ):
    I also had a Model 3.

    Lomography Fisheye 2 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/4995811293
    i love this camera. I use this mostly for to capture random crazy angles.

    iPhone 4 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5172084174
    My most used camera. I have over 60 camera apps. no lie.

    Kodak Retina Reflex S — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5383532158
    Sadly, this camera is broken. guy i bought it from failed to mention it. all sales final -__-

    Ninoka NK-700 and Holga 120 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5383544670
    haven’t used the Ninoka yet.
    i’ve gone through 4 rolls (two 120mm and two 35mm) before the shutter broke. haven’t developed my 120 rolls. i’m so anxious to see how they turned out! (:

    Polaroid 250 — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5382938949
    i have used the FP-100C film pack. pictures came out fine!

    Lomography Fisheye One Hello Kitty Edition — http://www.flickr.com/photos/31658621@N05/5383541814
    this baby is still in the box. i LOVE anything hello kitty. i;m almost afraid to use it haha.

    I also have a Canon Rebel XSi and a Sony HD camera (it’s mostly video but it takes pics too. so it’s legit)

    yes. i’m in the process of building a camera empire.

    Reply
  20. Bárbara Porto says:
    January 24, 2011 at 5:49 pm

    http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/inspiration/100-beautiful-vintage-camera-photographs/

    This is my beautiful and beloved Canon A1. madde in 1979, just like me.

    Reply
  21. Dave says:
    January 26, 2011 at 7:25 am

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/davedunne/5228514149

    Leica M2 – my main camera these days.

    Also, the Polaroid Automatic 230 in the “Instant Camera” introduction section is mine. I still use it regularly.

    Reply
  22. Howard Owens says:
    February 10, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    Here’s mine:

    http://vufindr.com/2011/01/31/nikkormat-and-press-pass/

    Reply
  23. Jon Damaschke says:
    February 10, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jondamaschke/5433550485/

    Reply
  24. Jamie Powell Sheppard says:
    February 11, 2011 at 6:11 am

    Cool! What a great post!

    Got a small collection of my own going, as well as a new project combining my lust+photo geeky-ness regarding vintage cameras:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/chatoyancy76/sets/72157625765568544/with/5411608148/

    Reply
  25. Jamie says:
    February 11, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Here’s mine, an old Bilora Bella 44
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jammyegg/5433993631

    Not managed to take any photos with it yet, I think there’s only one company in the world that still makes film for it, and I’ve not got round to buying any yet.

    Reply
  26. Start Photography says:
    February 12, 2011 at 5:31 am

    Very Great.
    i like oldies too.
    sometime oldies can make better image.
    nothing is imposible.
    in addition, this vintage camera is suitable for lomography i think. :D

    Reply
  27. Erica says:
    February 15, 2011 at 1:53 am

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/riccy_wings/5282089107/in/set-72157625529476579/

    This is a Kodak Jiffy. My grand-dad brought it in 1942 when he was training to be a pilot. I have got some film (620 or actually really re-rolled 120) for it and have taken a few photos, yet to be developed!!

    Reply
  28. patrick says:
    February 27, 2011 at 5:34 pm

    that Fuji Klasse is not a vintage camera.
    film does not mean vintage.

    Reply
  29. Bethan says:
    October 2, 2011 at 4:59 pm

    Thank you for featuring quite a few of my gorgeous cameras! There are more here if any one is interested! http://www.flickr.com/photos/beth19/sets/72157624773955070/

    Reply
  30. Sue says:
    October 11, 2011 at 11:58 am

    This is mine! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150408931805090&set=a.202298985089.171776.689760089&type=1&theater

    Reply
  31. Farhad says:
    October 14, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    Thanks for sharing this page. I can look at these priceless cameras for hours.

    Reply
  32. Sofi Anne says:
    November 30, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/_sofiane/5506355172/in/set-72157615925374266 BAM!
    My collection has grown since this picture was taken though :)

    Reply
  33. Miikka Skaffari says:
    December 6, 2011 at 10:11 am

    http://skaffari.smugmug.com/Objects/My-cameras/17996925_jHTfSp#1378905747_pzXWFqg

    Still got a trunk full of other cameras at my parents.

    Reply
  34. antonella says:
    December 6, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    Here is my Polaroid Pronto 600. I’ve used it twice but I’d use it more if the cost of the film would be cheaper.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/antorra/6466755271/in/photostream

    Reply
  35. Anny says:
    December 7, 2011 at 4:48 am

    Wow, people,you’re great! These vintage cameras are adorable. Some of them are so old that I can hardly imagine how it works! Many many thanks for the author! I’ve also seen the illustrated cameras history with unbelievable pics of cameras, here they are – http://www.photogallerycms.com/blog/inspiration/camera-history-timeline/

    Reply

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