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Remembrance of the Avant-Garde: Archival Camera CollectionWave of Amateur FilmmakingClassic Camera Brands and Products
Before Making a Movie, Pick Your Camera
After the debut of the handy and much more affordable Super 8mm cameras and its whole line of supporting equipment (projectors, editors, etc.) in the mid-1960s, more and more people tried their hands at making home movies and experimental films. Many companies started importing different brands from around the world to grab a share of the market. Major distributors located in Central, Sheung Wan, Tsim Sha Tsui, North Point and Hung Hom provided customers with the latest products and information. Knowledge and techniques in cinematography on the other hand could be acquired from books, magazines and through word of mouth. Although most manufacturers have ceased making cameras, the following list of classic brands and products can still give us an idea of the increasing popularity of filmmaking in the last century.
| Brands | Country | Main Movie Camera Products | Introduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| AGFA | Germany / Belgium | Super 8mm film & camera | Founded in 1867 specialising in manufacturing photographic chemicals, films and cameras, it merged with Belgium company, Gevaert Photo Producten N.V. in the 1960s and began to produce Super 8mm films and cameras. |
| Argus | USA | Super 8mm camera | Founded in 1936, it launched several camera models during World War II and Korean War and became a leading supplier of military cameras, binoculars and periscopes. |
| ARRI | Germany | 16mm & 35mm cameras | Founded in 1917 in Munich, its movie cameras were used in shooting Hollywood film since the late 1940s. It is still the world’s largest supplier of motion picture equipment. |
| Bauer | West Germany | Standard 8mm camera | Founded in 1907 as a subsidiary of Bosch, it manufactured several 8mm movie cameras and projectors with sleek designs and good durability, which were highly sought after by users. |
| Beaulieu | France | Super 8mm & 16mm cameras | Founded in the early 1950s, it was a well-known Super 8mm and 16mm hand-held cameras manufacturer. Its products were reported as “Rolls Royce” of movie cameras because of their high quality. |
| Bell & Howell | USA | Standard 8mm, 16mm & 35mm cameras | Founded in 1907 by two projectionists, it introduced the first light-weight amateur 8mm movie camera in 1934. Its 16mm and 35mm cameras were so durable that they were widely used by war correspondents during World War II. |
| Bolex | Switzerland | Standard 8mm & 16mm cameras | Founded in 1927, its cameras were mostly used in shooting television news, nature films, documentaries and the avant-garde. It introduced a good-quality 16mm spring-wound camera in the 1930s, which became a popular introductory camera among film school students. |
| Braun Nizo | West Germany | Standard 8mm & Super 8mm cameras | Nizo was founded in 1925 as a manufacturer of amateur movie cameras. After being acquired by Braun, it began manufacturing Super 8mm cameras that were very popular among documentary filmmakers. |
| Canon | Japan | Super 8mm camera | Founded in 1937, it specialised in manufacturing imaging and optical products, such as cameras, printers and projectors. It manufactured a number of Super 8mm cameras during the 1960s to 1980s. |
| Chinon | Japan | Super 8mm camera | Founded in 1948 as a manufacturer of 35mm still cameras and lenses, it began to mass produce Super 8mm cameras in the 1960s and 1970s. |
| Cosina | Japan | Standard 8mm camera | Founded in 1959, as a manufacturer of camera lens, it had launched a few camera models and was better known for modifying cameras of other big brand names for re-sale. |
| DeJur | USA | Standard 8mm camera | Founded in the 1920s, it initially produced light meters, and later set up factories to manufacture a variety of beautifully designed cameras which are still sought after by collector today. |
| DeVry | USA | 35mm camera | Founded in 1913, it continually produced various movie cameras and projectors after merging with Q.R.S. in 1929 and was acquired by Bell & Howell in 1954. |
| Elmo | Japan | Standard 8mm & Super 8mm cameras | Founded in 1921, it produced several 8mm products, including cameras and projectors. Early Elmo models are extremely rare. |
| Eumig | Austria | Standard 8mm camera | Founded in 1919, it began producing amateur cameras and projectors in the 1930s. The unique designs of its cameras earn them popularity among collectors. |
| Fujica | Japan | Single 8mm film & camera | Fuji is the first film manufacturer in Japan, Founded in 1934, it began producing amateur movie cameras in the 1940s. Fujica Single-8 film and camera were introduced to the market in the late 1960s. |
| Hanimex | Australia | Super 8mm camera | Founded after World War II, it started with the import of European cameras and later became agent of other camera brand names from around the world. |
| Krasnogorsk | Soviet Union | 16mm camera | Founded in 1942, it launched many outstanding amateur cameras from the mid-1950s to mid-1970s. |
| Kodak | USA | Standard 8mm film & camera | In 1892, George Eastman established Eastman Kodak Company in New York to produce movie cameras and a variety of films. |
| Leicina | USA | Standard 8mm camera | Leitz was founded in 1869, mainly to produce optical products, such as microscopes. It started producing still cameras under Leica in 1925 and Standard 8mm cameras under Leicina in 1937. |
| Minolta | Japan | Standard 8mm & Super 8mm cameras | Founded in 1928 as Nichi-Doku Shashinki Shaten, meaning Japanese-German camera shop. It produced a number of Standard 8mm and Super 8mm cameras and was a leading manufacturer of single lens reflex cameras. |
| Mitchell | USA | 35mm camera | Founded in 1919, it launched Mitchell Standard camera in the late 1920s which became the standard camera used by studios thanks to its stability and performance. |
| Nalcom | Japan | Super 8mm camera | It began producing movie cameras and still cameras in the 1950s and subsequently expanded its business to produce optical instruments and photographic accessories. |
| Nikon | Japan | Super 8mm camera | Nippon Kagaku Kagya Kabushikigaisha (Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd.) was renamed Nikon Corporation in the late 1980s. It was primarily a producer of 35mm still cameras and launched a few Super 8mm cameras in the 1960s and 1970s. Its brand name is a guarantee of quality to many users. |
| Noris | West Germany | Super 8mm camera | Founded in 1866, it started producing home movie equipment in the 1930s. |
| Pentacon | East Germany | Standard 8mm & 16mm cameras | Founded in 1959, it produced a limited number of cameras but its products are considered among the best amateur movie cameras ever produced. |
| Raynox | Japan | Super 8mm camera | Founded in 1963, it specialised in producing lenses and manufactured Super 8mm camera in the 1970s. |
| Ricoh | Japan | Super 8mm camera | Founded as Riken Kankoshi Company Limited in 1963 and renamed as Ricoh in 1963, it produced several Super 8mm cameras during the 1960s to 1970s. |
| Sankyo | Japan | Standard 8mm & Super 8mm cameras | A manufacturer of Standard 8mm cameras based on Bolex and other European models since the late 1950s, it achieved significant technical advancements and launched numerous Super 8mm cameras in the 1960s and 1970s. The affordable prices of its cameras made them very popular among amateur filmmakers in Hong Kong. |
| Sekonic | Japan | Standard 8mm camera & light meter | A manufacturer of light meters in the 1950s, it began manufacturing Standard 8mm cameras and projectors in the 1960s. |
| Yashica | Japan | Standard 8mm & Super 8mm cameras | Founded in 1949, it primarily produced still cameras and components. 1957 marked the introduction of the company's first 8mm movie camera. |
| Zeiss Ikon | Germany | Standard 8mm camera & lens | Founded in 1846, it manufactured products for industrial and medical uses. It later started production of Standard 8mm cameras and lenses. |
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