Technically it is NOT really a museum, but the title is a conversation starter and that is what I have been calling it anyway, so “museum” it is!

This is the camera part of my old technology collection which includes other technology objects like computers, mobile phones, binoculars, movie cameras, telephones, networking equipment, gaming consoles and much more. But since this is a photography website and I have a love of camera gear anyway, I decided to showcase this part of the collection only.

I have been a collector for over 20 years and I can see that it is something in my DNA that makes me want to acquire old technology long after its useful life has ended. It feels like a tribute to objects (and their creators) that were considered state of the art at their prime but are now widely regarded as useless or even trash. It just seems unfair.

I have been sourcing them through ebay mainly with the invaluable help of McKeown’s Camera, which is considered the Bible of camera collectors. Others were given to me by friends who know that I have this habbit of turning other people’s trash into my treasure and for that I thank them; you know who you are;)

Of course there are various degrees of rarity and avant garde in this collection as in any other, but regardless their technologival or financial value, they are valuable to me for the reasons explained. One example of interest is a “lowly” Kodak Junior Six-16 c. 1935-1937 which I bought at an estate sale for a mere $35; the interesting bit is that it is brand spanking new, in its box with manual and even stickers! I don’t care if it is worth 35, 3.5 or 3500 dollars; the fact that I found it and I was able to get it makes it especially important to me. Another example is a Kiev 88 with an assortment of lenses and other equipment like adaptors and flashes. Kiev maybe a cheap knock-off of Hasselblad’s iconic 500 series, but this particular piece was my late father’s own camera and it was given to him as a present during a trip in the former USSR, so again, it is exceptionally near and dear to my heart. There are such stories for quite a few of these objects, but I will not bo further down that route.

The oldest object shown here is over 115 years old and the most recent one is 15 years old and there is quite a lot in between. As I acquire more cameras, I will be adding images to this page and keeping the little stories that unavoidable come along to myself🙂

Enjoy!

PS: There are tons of cameras I aspire to add to my collection in due time! Just to name a few: Hasselblad (500), Leica (M3 through M7, R4, R8), Nikon (any S rangefinder, F and F2, FM, FE, FA), Canon (AE1 Program, A1, F1, P), Contax (RTS III, G1 or G2, 645, NX digital, TVS, T2), Fujifilm (any medium format), Mamiya (7), Pentax (K1000, 645), Olympus (Pen F film, OM1, OM4), Rolleiflex (any TLR variant, Rollei 35) and oh so many more... As they say, so many cameras, so little time! What?!?! What do you mean they don't say that!