Then why photographers in other parts of the world changed earlier, even much earlier? They too (with the exception of Germany) could have gone on with their big cameras.
I hope I do not come over as the arrogant European. I rather see myself as the ignorant European since long time finding no convincing explanation for the american-way on this matter.
One of my first cameras was a Contax S slr. It was a PIA to operate. Dim viewfinder makes it hard to focus, “pre set” aperture so you had to manually open the lens to focus and then stop it down to take the pic, then knob wind the fricken thing to get the mirror back down so you can see something! A rangefinder or TLR is much faster to use. A press camera? I could operate my Baby Speed faster than that Contax S. My Contax IIa beat them both, that’s why you see all those rangefinders in AgX’s 1949 photo.
This is how the story is always told... but it does not make any sence, nor did I find any proof of this.
With the unconditional surrender of Germany the victorious Allies took all german patents as reperation. Thus to their own benefit. The exact way it was handled may have differed, at least in some cases the patents were sold. Anyway, to give this prey to your major enemy Japan makes no sense at all. With the political change during the postwar years however this may have changed with the intent of building a economical strong Japan as bulwark against communism.
Early 50's 35mm SLR in large series production:
Exakta (start 1936)
Praktiflex (start 1939)
Praktica (start 1949)
Contax S (start 1950)
Praktina (start 1953) first system camera
Asahiflex (1953)
Then there also were low-production models as Sport (1936), Duflex (1947), Wrayflex (1951), Mecaflex (1953)
I do have a curiosity on the art of printing too. I know that on making images a big repro camera with a raster filter was used. But from 4 x 5" film or rollfilm (6 x 4,5 or 6 x 7 or 6 x 9) could you made dirrect copy for newpapers or magazines, meaning you put the original, the raster filter and the film for copy without using the repro camera? On my printing books I dind't find such things (I don't have any forgein one, except for an 1953 East-German printed one, which is more about offset and I don't speak only but a few words in German), but I'm curios if some one used this methodes.
The Nikon F was certainly not the first SLR, but its accessories, panoply of great lenses, and quality of build caused a sensation back in 1959. Although I have heard that the last holdout for press cameras was with the Anchorage Press in the early 70s, most newspapers got rid of their large cameras far sooner.
Does anyone have comments about this change of events? The quality of the image wrought from 24mm x 36mm stunned many within this journalistic genre. I was only nine, so I cannot really relate this to you with any accuracy. And, I do not suppose that there are many Photrio members who really can with a candor married to a repository of factual knowledge. But some might have information which could pique our collective interest in this regard.
I benefitted from thepress cameras going out of style by picking up my first densitometer from an old press camera;I think it was an Agfa102?
And, it was not only the superb image quality which made the day for Nikon. Parts fungibility, along with quick turnaround for repairs, sealed the bank deposit for Nikon. Others tried to follow suit, like Canon. Pentax's approach was to create cheaper bodies which still were of high quality and had lens systems which were at least somewhat comparable with Nikon's and Canon's. Still others were content with catering solely to the advanced amateur. But Nikon's initiative with becoming a milestone with professionals was an endearing and enduring testament to photographic achievement and modification of the heretofore. Photography was never the same, again.
How did this change the whole approach to journalism and timely access to news information? There are many facets to this event which deserve to be told. Were there any drawbacks, any loss in quality of any kind, tangible or subjective? I do know that there were holdouts. Were these renegades' stubbornness "with good reason" or were they desperately holding onto whatever they had known the best and did not wish to venture into the 'high tech' of the day? - David Lyga
If you watch old B&W movies, you see a Speed Graphic in nearly every one. Even out in the jungle, floating w/ supplies on a raft, sure enough someone will have one. I've even seen them in space ships. Nowadays, you probably should be careful getting too close to someone w/ a Graflex 4x5, 10 to 1 says they'd have no idea what it was.
American movies. As I explained somewhere at the begin of the thread, not over here or most parts of Europe.If you watch old B&W movies, you see a Speed Graphic in nearly every one. Even out in the jungle, floating w/ supplies on a raft, sure enough someone will have one. I've even seen them in space ships.
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