Collecting British Classic Cameras
Famous Names include Thornton Pickard, Lizar, Kershaw, Rajar, Agilux
Enthusiasts collect anything from toy cars to classic cameras. As digital cameras replace traditional roll film cameras these are becoming prized collectables.
Throughout the first half of the 20th century photography as a hobby was gradually becoming affordable by the mass consumer market. Names such as APM, Lizars, Kershaw and Agilux were just a few of the British manufacturers who were producing innovative cameras and photographic equipment to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding market place.
Luxury Cameras
J. Lizars of Glasgow manufactured the Challenge and survivors from this series are becoming rare. These were luxurious items, made from teak or mahogany with brass fittings and leather bellows. The Challenge Model E (c.1905) with red leather bellows featured in the photograph is very distinctive. Plate formats were quarter plate, 3¼" x 4¼“, or small, 2½" x 3½" plate. Stereo plates were for two 3" x 3" exposures.
Bakelite and British Cameras
The stylish Rajar No. 6, manufactured by APM, the British camera makers' group, appeared in 1929. It was the first strut folding camera with all its outer parts such as the body and the back to be made of Bakelite. It was a basic model with meniscus lens, self-cocking shutter and a reflecting type viewfinder that produced vertical or horizontal exposures. For horizontal exposures the lever on which the finder is mounted swings out so that the finder turns 90 degrees. The shutter release lever is placed below the lens. 120 film on special Rajar film rolls fitted the camera's square film drive and produced eight 2¼" x 3¼" exposures. The Rajar, whilst not being particularly rare, is collected by both camera lovers and Bakelite enthusiasts.
Kershaw's Birds
Another British manufacturer, Kershaw, made a variety of photographic and optical equipment including cinema projectors, slide/film strip projectors and binoculars. Kershaw's post-war cameras were named after birds including the Curlew, the Peregrine and the Penguin.
The Kershaw Eight-20 Penguin, (c.1951) is a simple vertical folding camera using 120-film. It has a distance selector offering a range from 6 feet to infinity. The very small viewfinder can be rotated through 90 degrees to provide vertical and horizontal exposures. These sturdy cameras survived well so are not especially collectible but nevertheless remain popular.
Sturdy Agilux Cameras
In 1954 Agilux of Croydon gave us the streamlined Agiflash. This camera was made of Bakelite covered with leatherette. It had a huge reflector and lively red lettering, a very flashy camera! It had a fixed aperture, shutter speed and lens and the luxury of a built-in flash gun.
In the 1950s folding cameras were still popular and Agilux followed the Agiflash with the Agifold. Cameras were still heavy and sturdy. This model weighed in at 790 grams measured 1¾" x 4" x 6". With shutter speeds ranging from B-150th this model had a 90 mm Agilux anastigmat lens focused in the range 3½" feet to infinity by rotation of the front ring. The lens assembly incorporates a "between the lens" leaf shutter which is flash synchronised.
Modern digital cameras have their place but for many it's the early British pioneers who are so fondly remembered. Whatever type of camera you collect don't forget to check that bellows are light-tight, focus rings are mobile, and shutters shut!
Sources:
- Classic Cameras: the Collector's Guide to Identifying, Buying and Enjoying Classic Cameras, Kate Rouse, Eagle Editions Ltd., (2002), ISBN 1861605056
- The Collector's Guide to Classic Cameras 1945-1985, John Wade, Hove Books Ltd., (1999) ISBN 1897802110
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