The Looka The Lens

The early days of aviation, automobiles, and railways all had several things in common; the look of the first airplanes, cars, and steam engines was unusual. Unusual in that the devices had not been seen before, and unusual in that they do not resemble anything that we see now. They were cutting-edge technologies for their times and claimed the right to be that new sight in the land. No-one knew what the standard shape should be - as a result, there were some odd-bods... Cameras were no exception. Here's a few from history that may appear strange in your eyes. They came off the drawing boards of people who had different ideas of beauty from you, and different materials to work with. In most cases they are less complex than the modern digital offerings, but only because the use of films and plates removed the processing from the camera and dropped it in at the chemist's. The stainless steel speed lines in the body of the camera are 1930's style. They make it go faster - in this case to 1/500 of a second. When you clapped the cover to, it became a fashion statement. The camera is a stereo but the style is reminiscent of the trenches....right down to the bleu d'horizon colour. Presumably someone wanted stereo cards of Verdun... Even camera straps were subject to the diktat of modern brutality. Actually, I think that chain might have been a user-addition, but it does beg the question of what the user was like. Chrome and leatherette. Sleek with the occasional sharp corner. Salable in Europe becuae it was designed in Germany and salable in Ameica because it was Kodak. Actually a very nce camera. Go hard or go home...No-one used this camera on a flippant basis. And lest you think that the penchant for odd shapes and excessive design died with the advent of the pixel and the computer... These examples of camera thinking are courtesy of Michael's Museum in Melbourne. A sure-stop two hours of fun for photographers with an eye to history.