Vintage Cameras

After George Eastman invented Kodak film and the Kodak camera in the 1880s, amateur photography became widely popular and cameras became numerous and varied. Today, collectors typically acquire vintage cameras for their unique designs rather than the quality of photos. Art Deco style, colorful plastics, advertising, brand name, and other factors attract collectors to vintage cameras.

Vintage cameras were made in several types, including box, accordion, single lens, double lens, 35mm lens, and instant cameras. Collectors of antique cameras search for the early wooden-box cameras used by professional photographers. Other collectors prefer the variety of personal cameras manufactured for the public. Vintage 35mm cameras are especially collectible and some of the most valuable cameras are 35mm. Collectors may also have interest in vintage instant cameras, especially the original Polaroid Land Camera from 1948.

Movie cameras are also sought after by some collectors. The home movie camera was first produced in the '20s and color movie film was introduced in the '30s. Bolex, Kodak, and Bell and Howell are popular movie camera brands. Smaller and lighter 8mm camera formats made home movies very popular in the '50s and '60s.

Quick Facts

• In 2012, a Leica 0 Prototype 1, the original 35 mm camera, sold at auction for $2,786,400, the highest price ever paid for a vintage camera
• The Kodak Brownie box camera, introduced in 1900, made photography easy and affordable for everyone. All models of Brownie cameras were mass produced in large quantities, so today, most of these cameras can be purchased for under $100
• In 1991, Kodak introduced the first digital camera available to the public, the DCS 100. It required a heavy, tethered monitor and control unit and cost over $30,000