Camera collecting is an increasingly popular field, with a wide range of both upmarket and run-of-the-mill models still to be found. Optical toys are rarer, and can offer rare delight with simple moving pictures.

After LOUIS DAGUERRE developed the first practicable method of photography in 1839, the taking of pictures quickly became a hobby among the well-to- do. Those who were unable to afford gadgets of their own paid the magic-lantern operator to show his story-telling images, or the studio photographer to capture their likeness on calling cards.

CAMERAS

Today’s collectors of cameras are spoilt for choice. Rare early 19th-century plate cameras command five-figure sums, but most early mass-produced models — made since American inventor George Eastman introduced the first Kodak in 1888 — can still he found in secondhand markets, car boot sales and local auctions for less than £50.

PLATE CAMERAS

Large plate cameras used by 19th-century portrait studios generally have a mahogany body, with brass mounts and leather bellows, mounted on a tripod stand. Such cameras in original condition can fetch from £300 up to £ 1 000 for the most decorative models.

Antique Collection

Portable field cameras are smaller and lighter, and were made to fold flat when not in use. A complete kit would include a leather shoulder bag with large black cloth to cloak both photographer and camera, plate holders and light oak tripod. A complete early 20th, century field camera kit sells for about £350.

The single-lens reflex plate camera, the forerunner of today’s Nikons and Canons, was invented in the 1860s although it became popular only in the 1880s. Leading early 20th-century makers included Thornton- Pickard, Marion and Graflex. High-quality ‘tropical’ models with a teak body sell for over £1000, while less luxurious models can change hands for between £100 and £ 1000.

Roll-Film CAMERAS

Photography became far more widespread after roll film arrived in 1885. Eastman’s cheap Box Brownie of 1900 was an instant success and more than 100, 000 sold in a year. As a result, it and its successors can still be found for well under £50. Competitors and imitators, such as the British Ensign and German Ememann, sell for £50-£150.

The trend towards hand-held cameras continued with the No.3 Folding Pocket Kodak, also launched in 1900. Some 500, 000 were produced before it was discontinued in 1915, and it set the pattern for folding roll-film cameras over the next 5o years. Examples in good working order may sell for only £20-£50.

The twin-lens reflex camera, typified by the German-made Rolleiflex introduced in 1929, was a favourite of professionals and serious amateurs until the 1950s, and early models can change hands for £80-£ 150.

MINIATURE CAMERAS

The introduction in 1925 of Oscar Bamack’s Leica, using 35 mm cinefilm, revolutionised camera design, and its quality is unsurpassed. A basic Leica in used condition can be bought for as little as £150, while extreme rarities can be worth over £10,000. Wartime models with Nazi insignia engraved on the top plate are particularly in demand.

Early competitors of the Leica are also collectable, including Carl Zeiss’s Contax (introduced 1932) some models of which sell for £150-1200, and the Kodak Retina of 1934 (£60-£ 100). The rapid growth in popularity of colour photography after the Second World War was accompanied by a proliferation in 35 mm cameras, especially from Japanese manufacturers. There is already a demand for such models as the Nikon S of 1954 which, if it is in good condition, will fetch £150-£200.

Among the most eagerly collected cameras today are concealed or detective cameras made for photographing a subject secretly. The most unusual change hands for thousands of pounds, but more typical is the Houghton Ticka of 1906, which may fetch £300. It looks like a pocket watch but can take photographs when the lens-cap ‘winder’ is removed. The Stirn Secret or Waistcoat camera of 1886, which could be worn under a shirt with the lens sticking through a buttonhole, fetches £600-£1000 if in good condition.

OPTICAL TOYS

Long before cinema and television, the magic lantern — the earliest form of slide projector — was used to tell historic tales, travelogues and nursery stories. The hand-painted glass slides are themselves collectable at £10-£50 per set. The projectors were made between 1800 and 1930, but most found today date from about 1890-1920 and sell at auction for £200-£400. Biunial lanterns — with a pair of lenses to project two pictures at the same time — may fetch £500-£850, and triunial lanterns with three lenses as much as £1 000-£ 1500.

A whole range of ‘illusory’ devices were popular in the 19th century. The Phenakistoscope and Zoetrope used a series of images turned at speed and viewed through slits to give the illusion, for example, of birds flying or horses trotting. Similarly, the Praxinoscope, invented in 1882 as a children’s toy, reflected images onto a rotating cylinder of mirrors — foreshadowing the cinema. Complete with a set of image strips, Praxinoscopes today are likely to fetch between £700 and £2000, depending on condition and model.

The most commonly found 19th-century optical viewing device is the stereoscope, which has a pair of eyepieces for viewing a stereoscopic card or glass plate to create a three-dimensional image. Subjects varied from travel, theatre and works of art to battle scenes. Hand-held models can be bought for as little as £15, while more decorative tabletop versions will cost between £250 and £750.

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