Newsletter for November-December, 1999

The first society devoted to the history of photography and the preservation of photo antiques

Things To Do...

[ ] Mark Your Year 2000 Calendar:
Annual Banquet Friday, February 25, 2000
Photo History XI, October 20-22, 2000

[ ] Check to see if you have sent in your Dues ($20) to :
Frank Calandra, Treasurer 350 Witting Rd, Webster, N.Y.,14580-9009

[ ] Bring a guest to our next meeting:
Thursday, January 20, 2000
7:30 PM Brighton Town Hall
2300 Elmwood Avenue

From The President...Tim Fuss The Annual Dinner Postponed

Due to one of those ever popular “extenuating circumstances” we have scheduled the annual dinner for February 25th. The new date will enable us to have one of our most popular guest speakers- Jack Naylor. Jack will tell us about the new Naylor collection, with an emphasis on his unique section of Russian KGB spy cameras and other “spy” photographic equipment. We feel a delay will be well worth it.

If you learn anything from being president of TPHS, it is that most members are glad to help out if you ask them. But most are also reluctant to volunteer, especially for officer positions. Your current officers would like to change that. We sincerely ask that if you have the time and inclination to help the society sustain its reputation of leadership in the photo history arena, let us know. Between now and the annual banquet we need candidates for president, vice-president, program chairman and membership chairman. Some of these positions have been held by more than one person, or if you really need work, try two. Seriously folks, being an officer can be great fun, occasionally frustrating, time consuming (but not all the time), always ultimately gratifying. You won’t be alone in whatever you do, because those of us who have done the work before will still be here to help.
Please give me a call at 482-8963

This Issue’s Mystery Questions

Part One

(1) What name was originally used on Pentax SLR cameras sold in this country?
(2) What American instrument company later imported the cameras and sold them under their own name?
(3) About how much did American GI’s pay for Pentax SLR’s in Army PX’s overseas?

Part Two

What material, which celebrated its 90th “birthday” on December 7, 1999, enabled manufacturers to make precision molded, inexpensive, cameras that stood up to just about any abuse other than being dropped on concrete?

Answers at end of Newsletter
Remember All Those Pictures You Have But Can’t Find. Try A Shoebox...

If you want a frustrating project try to develop a practical index system for pictures that everybody will like and use. No matter how seemingly complete, there is always some other facet of a picture that isn’t in the index. Even with new digital services for storing photos, like “You’ve got Pictures” from America Online and Kodak, as your archive grows, searching through these pix for specific content could still be a real chore. Now AT&T’s British research labs have developed an archiving program with a “sweeping range of search options”. The powerful tool is aimed at users of digital cameras that can record audio snippets. For each shot you record an identifying phrase, like “Bill’s 5th birthday.”
To find the shot just say or type some of those words. Next, to retrieve the picture, click on some portion you like and the software will call up all those with similar features or colors. While they agree that the searches aren’t perfect, its fast, even when sifting through thousands of pix. Sure, they say it works. But so have others. We wish them good luck!

Polaroid: De’ Ja’ Vu All Over Again...and Again...

We have previously questioned Polaroid’s ability to make a profit from 35mm film that was obtained from another manufacturer and sold retail at less than a dollar a role. In mid-October, Polaroid announced that they will no longer sell, not only 35mm film, but 35mm cameras and blank videotape as well. They also predicted fourth-quarter results might suffer due to increased marketing expenses for an “array of new products”, including a pocket-size instant camera. Wall street’s reaction? The stock fell 13 percent, to $22.19, trading 2 million shares, almost three-times the three-month daily average. While profit rose 26 per-cent as new products helped boost sales in Japan, a second consecutive quarter of higher net-profits was hurt by a $40 million pretax charge for severance payments and “asset adjustments related to a graphics venture”. Profits were $22 million, about 50 cents a share. Year earlier profit was $18 million or 40 cents a share, excluding a $19 million pretax or 40 cents a share gain on the sale of real estate.

Those new Polaroid cameras include the Joy-Cam products, now essentially two for one price. Buy two at $22.99 (each) and get a $23.00 rebate. The ten-tiny-picture PopShot at $16.99 has a $4.00 rebate.

A Polaroid Digital camera with 1.8” LCD and 640x480 resolution was $99.96 + $9.96 for power adaptor at Wal-Mart in November, up to $128.94 “everyday” in December. Polaroid’s other digital products that get good reviews are comparatively cheap photo digital scanners.

Of All The People They Could Ill Afford To Offend...Earlier this year the American Bankers Association informed Polaroid that they do not take kindly to being lampooned. Seems a Polaroid ad for its Popshot camera showed a bank customer snapping a picture of his bank balance at the stroke of midnight. Suddenly the balance disappears and then returns as a million dollars. The banking association complained that the ads undermined consumer confidence in banks. Polaroid explained that the ad was intended to be lighthearted but withdrew it anyway.

Mail Order Daze- “You didn’t say you wanted a lens too...”
Last issue we asked if you had stories about buying mail-order that would be interesting. The best we got told a tale of woe about ordering a rangefinder 35mm camera, advertised as “New”, from an illustrated ad in the now defunct Modern Photography. The camera arrived without a case, guarantee, box or much else, especially the lens. The buyer called the store and ask about the missing items. He swears the following exchange took place. “Oh, you wanted the lens too? Well, we ain’t got that model.” “How could you not one with a lens when it’s built on the camera?” “It is?” A long paused followed. “I checked, we ain’t got one with a lens.” The camera was returned and several weeks and five phone calls later a check arrived from a bankruptcy court, less a substantial processing charge.

Annals of Commerce: Let’s Just Say They Made A Slight Error In Spelling...

In November, Pentax Corp., the Denver, CO unit of Asahi Optical Co., admitted that it made a slight error in the engraving department. That has resulted in a $20 million settlement to claims that it mislabeled the origin of $60 million in camera equipment imported from China. The Justice Department said that from July 1987 to March 1991, Pentax imported equipment from China intentionally labeled as having been assembled in Hong Kong then intentionally misled investigating Customs Service auditors by destroying documents.
The company said that it had “unintentionally imported the mis-marked goods (and) disclosed their existence to the government and cooperated with the investigation (but) considering various matters, we decided to compromise and pay the $20 million... although...our (company’s perception) differs from that of the U.S. government.”

How to Get Rid of (Gasp!) Some or All of Your Collection...

O.K., you have collected all this stuff and there are duplicates, a full basement, an unhappy spouse, or perhaps you are just tired of the whole thing. How is the “best” way to get rid of it? The “experts”, meaning someone writing an article in any one of a dozen antique magazines and newspaper articles, usually wind up with the following suggestions, almost all of which some other author will either dogmatically support or decry.

1. Contact your friends by phone or mail telling them what you have and the prices. If the list is long send a copy first to save time. It’s optional to tell why you are getting rid of the items. They probably don’t care but it may make you feel better. Be sure to tell them when is a good time to inspect the items. Be ready. They may say they will be right over.

2. Have an Invitation Only Sale. Usually used for higher priced items, this can make your potential buyer feel important and will help you zero in on those who will most likely buy specific items. Review the ads and sales practices of upper class jewelry stores for ideas.

3. Have an Auction. This one is tricky. For high ticket items auctions work well because they attract those who know prices and are willing to pay for good /rare/needed/ items. Hire a good auctioneer who knows how to work a crowd and also knows your type of merchandise. Read a book on auctions and follow the do’s and don't they usually list. If using a commercial auctioneer find out their reputation from people who have used them. Watch them conduct an auction and make certain you get their commission rate in writing.

4. Mail Order Auction. This also applies to the Net. First, consider how you are going to let a potential buyer know what you really have. An illustrated catalog, sales sheets or net page are of some help. But, pictures can be made to lie or appear to lie. Have, or if buying, get, an iron clad guarantee that you (or your buyer) can return items for full refund if not as advertised. As many people are finding out, dealing by mail or online can be risky. When you have the least doubt about whether to sell or buy-don’t do either.

5. Flea Markets. Specialized fleas can attract target buyers and be great fun...for awhile. General fleas may not bring the best prices but some use them to get rid of their less desirable items and junkers-maybe because the chances of seeing a buyer again is remote.

6. Donation. For many common items this may be your best bet. It’s quick, no questions asked and you can write items off your taxes. The higher your taxes the better your potential return for a donation. But there is more to it than just listing an item and a hefty value on your return. There are limits to total donations within tax brackets and guidelines on what you may need as proof of value should your taxes be audited. The last thing you want is a red flag to your friendly IRS computer. But donations are easy and appreciated by many organizations...and many collector friends who you might tip off as to what, when and to which group you donated the items.


How Does One Go Up In The Ranks In Eastman Kodak Today?

Answer: Surprise! Sell more film! At least that (according to the Democrat and Chronicle) was given as the the main reason for Robert J. Keegan’s appointment to a new executive committee of 15 members. Those folks will be responsible for company operations following outgoing CEO, George Fisher. Fisher will turn over the reins to Daniel A. Carp when he leaves January 1. Carp appears to be the biggest winner in the new organization. What did Mr. Keegan do to deserve his appointment? The 52 year old has been a senior VP in charge of Consumer Imaging. Under his guidance consumers have been successfully persuaded to move up to more expensive premium films- 35mm MAX and APS. Combined, the two now account for 49% of Kodak’s film volume which is up 10% from last year. The new executive council will be charged with corporate policy and operating issues and responsible for “delivering on the five year plan” to reach an 8%-12% revenue growth rate.

You Smell Something...Could it be Your Kodak Pictures?

Just possibly. Kodak has patented a process that would allow photofinishers to create scented photographs. In case you can’t imagine any use for this, with the possible exception of not so clever jokes for disliked relatives’ pictures, try these possibilities from a Kodak news release: “Christmas pictures that smell like pine needles or birthday pictures with the odor of burning candles.” Honest, a patent (No. 5,995,770) has been awarded to William T. Rochford and Michael Ritz of Kodak Research. The potential use of this is mind boggling. Officially, Kodak says it could “expand a connection between memories and pictures.” The patent says that the scents could be applied to individual pictures or to the envelope holding them. Even more astonishing, it might be possible for the scents to be applied either within the camera or at the photofinisher. The cameras could be digital or APS which use magnetic media to record information about the roll. The scents could also be sprayed on during development or applied by a small sticker applied to the back of prints.

Now, think about what you just read. Suppose these pictures are from a fishing trip. Or a cute baby, just incidentally, in need of a diaper change. Or the locker room of a high school football team. What memories the scents could bring back. Big question: where do you store these snaps and what happens when you have a variety of odors per roll? The mind boggles.

Remember December 2, 1999. Kodak R&D Announces A Sharp Turn To Digital Imaging

Kodak research centers even more on digital imaging with the promotion of James C. Stoffel, a 25 year veteran of Xerox Corp., to director of research and development in software and new imaging equipment. Kodak now devotes 70 percent of its research activities to digital imaging products and services. Not surprisingly, analysts noted that this shift could represent a dramatic, even historic, change from a company built around silver-halide films and paper. In line with the Stoffel advancement, Jack C. Chang was named as Associate R&D director. Kodak emphasized that the digital emphasis reflects changes in the marketplace and does not mean Kodak is abandoning the know-how that made it one of the nation’s most successful companies. Emphasis was made that the technology of conventional photography and digital are not unrelated. Kodak makes ink jet photo paper coated with chemicals that react with inks to reproduce the best digital images. The Kodak R&D will budget will end the year at $870 million. “We will continue to invest in traditional film development. It is absolutely critical.” said Stoffel.

Doug Rea, Professor of Imaging at RIT, said the report may make us feel uncomfortable but the Kodak is absolutely on the right track. Michael McNamara, technology editor of Popular Photography added that more than 50 companies make or sell digital cameras, a significant indicator of the future, but added that “It’s not that 70 percent of the future will be digital anytime soon, (but) it takes significant amounts of R&D to keep up with the rapid change of pace.” Financial analyst, Rebecca Runkles says that Kodak needs to do a better job explaining its shift in priorities to investors.
And Now... A “Frame-Up” Quiz...With Answers

HFN, a trade journal for department and specialty stores reports an increasing revival of Art Deco in items such as clocks, table radios and picture frames. Now answer these questions: (1) What is the most popular size picture frame? (2) How many people put pictures in a new frame as opposed to a used frame? (3) What is the preferred material for a frame? (4) Where do most people keep their pictures at home?

Answers: 1. 5”x7” (34.7%) and 8”x10” (32.7%) 2. New (57%) 3. Wood (65%), 4. Albums (85.2%), Display in frames (81.6%, Refrigerator door (40%), Boxes (38.6%), On computer in one way or another (2.1%). Other places include photofinisher’s envelope (27.6%) and “loose” (31.4).

Kid Cameras: Conventional & Digital- Some Fair. If Clever, Usually Pricey...

Walk through the photo section of K-Mart, Wal-Mart or your friendly all-purpose drugstore and you are sure to encounter a display of kid’s cameras. Some are almost irresistible to a collector and perhaps even other children. A few are still 110, but most are cheap China-made 35mm, a majority of which seem to come from the same supplier. Most are packed with a 12 exposure roll of Kodak film. Prices can be surprisingly high, especially if they are linked with some well known kid’s TV show. 35mm and 110 models tend to start at just under $20 with many closer to $50. Increasingly, there are digital models.

The most unexpected theme we have seen is the World Wrestling Federation Slam Cam Digital Camera. Black with red and white trim, unusual colors for kids cameras but appropriate for the theme. This $89 gem would be a handful for many younger kids. On the right front opposite the lens is a large soap holder-like grip, needed because the left side is difficult, even for the model shown in the ad, to grasp without covering the lens. The camera comes with “images with 35 of your favorite superstars, plus stadium crowds, ring shots, rope shots, and props such as belts, masks, official logos, sayings and autographs.” With the camera, and your PC, you can “Stick your head on the body of a wrestling superstar, a fan in the crowd, the body of the referee or even onto the receiving end of a head lock. You can even “...rotate distort and wrap images. Mix and match photos to create a new wrestling personality, print or e-mail photos, calendars and posters to your pals.” Comes with Photo Slam which we assume is a program. Requires CD-Rom drive and Windows ‘95 or higher. From Fascination (www.shoplifestyle.com) 1-800 669-0987

The second digital camera for kids comes with a computer, both designed just for girls. If you haven't already guessed, we’re talking about the Barbie Computer Designed Just for Girls, or otherwise known as www.Barbie pc.com. This $599 package comes with computer. a Barbie digital camera, 20 software titles, speakers, mouse pad and probably more. The digital camera is available by itself and, we were told, in two colors, although the one with the pink flower around the lens is all we have seen. The camera alone is about $60 and the sealed package tells very little about it. We did see a picture from one. We think it was a picture, that’s what the clerk called it. He said the batteries were weak.

We Don’t Know What It Is Either Department... From the always interesting, always pricey, Hammacher Schlemmer Christmas Catalog comes a picture of a wrist watch style camera that looks like a tiny Univex movie camera on it’s side. It uses Minox style film cartridges, but obviously isn’t a Minox. It is, however, made in Germany from aerospace-industry aluminum magnesium alloy. In spite of the catalog statement that this 2.4 oz gem can be worn “indiscreetly on the wrist” it would be hard not to notice it, particularly if you held your wrist up to your eye. A spy camera, it’s not with a 3 feet minimum focus and an f14.3mm/f4 lens with a “full range manual shutter speed and f-stop settings (f4-f16) steel shutter that opens for 1/60 second. It is made of aluminum/magnesium alloy and weighs a mere 2.4 oz. The “One-touch exposure and simple film advance” looks like a flat winding key. Comes with a leather wristband. Item 62941G $1995.00

Whatever Happened to Busch and Lomb Optics and Who is Nolan Bushnell?

Where do you send a pair of Busch and Lomb binoculars for repair? Not, B&L since that once great part of the company is long gone. A call to B&L will tell you to send them-to Kansas! The company is the service center for Bushnell-Jason optical products.
Remember Nolan Bushnell? Probably not. He is the genius of sorts who in the early days of small computers, designed and built PONG. PONG was a very basic coin-in-slot, computer game, most frequently found in bars where it replaced pinball machines. By today’s standards PONG was a no brainer but it fascinated beer drinkers and also made Mr. Bushnell a small fortune. He would go on to start and franchise Chuck E. Cheese’s party houses for kids. These featured computer-controlled animals, somewhat like those in Disney parks. In addition to all this, Bushnell was also fascinated by optics.

Following WWII, the Japanese struggled to produce something that would sell as an export to bring in needed dollars. The obvious were product categories of universal popularity that were already being made for the war effort. One group was optical products, especially prismatic binoculars made for the military. Before long seemingly dozens of importers were selling Japanese made binoculars. Many were of marginal quality but still sold well on price-$25-$35. Some of the companies, which found American financial support and distribution systems, achieved brand name recondition. Not infrequently, the selling prices were touted as “wholesale” or were distributed by the then new “membership buying clubs”, “catalog merchandisers” and the like. Cameras would rapidly follow but binoculars and related telescopes, rifle scopes, etc. became the first staples. Unfortunately, in many cases quality was lacking. Enter Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell recognized the need for three things: consistently high quality products, a distributor who would stand behind the products and a quality sounding name. He particularly liked the sound of Bushnell.

Bushnell knew he would be in competition with a dozen other importers, some of which had been in business before the war and perhaps a few American companies. Bushnell then formalized his business philosophy. He would only sell the best quality. No second tier items and no promotional prices. Just quality consistently above the average for imports, sold below the premium prices of products by the remaining US and recovering European manufacturers, but higher than most Japanese imports. The US manufacturers, for all practical purposes, were Bausch and Lomb, Wollensak and Universal Camera Corp. There were a few others by default. While there had been few major US optics manufacturers before the war, the number grew as War Department orders exceeded available capacity. Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, Graflex, Wollensak, Ilex, Universal, Graflex and Argus there were few others others who actually made some or all of their own optics. With the war, this suddenly included Westinghouse, Whitaker, Airguipt and others, most with little, if any, optical production experience. Whether they actually made all their optics is unknown, they were, all producing binoculars, periscopes and other optical items that met military standards. When the war ended most of the newcomers sold out, tried civilian products for a short time or simply junked their optical departments. Some like Universal Camera, Wollensak and Ilex would go into bankrupt fairly soon. The field was let open to Japanese imports.

Bushnell? He maintained his philosophy bought into high quality foreign suppliers and successfully eclipsed the sales of Bausch & Lomb, Leica, and other German and Japanese name brand manufacturers and distributors. And Bausch & Lomb? Convinced they had the best products and a loyal following, they neither innovated nor acknowledged their competition. They did try other consumer products, including a slide projector that never worked, but would slowly exit the sports/photographic market to concentrate on eye wear.

And what did Bushnell do for an encore? He licensed the name Bausch & Lomb for a line binoculars. Then bought out one or more of his higher quality competitors. Today, Bushnell-Jason optics appears to be alive and well. And we know your question. Where can you get B&L binoculars fixed? In, of all places, Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. If you need repairs you send them to Bushnell Sports Optical World-Wide, 9200 Cody, Overland Park, KA 66224. You must include a check or MO for $10 For info: 1-800 423-3537
Need A Job? Or, Perhaps One for an Undecided Student?

A recent item in the Rochester D&C stressed the shortage of students going into the optical industry. It said that Kodak alone will need 500 optical “technicians” to fill new jobs over the next several years. Kodak’s Commercial and Government Optical Systems alone expects to double in size to 1,100 employees in the next two to three years. Area schools are not graduating enough technicians to fill Kodak’s need, let alone the nation-wide demand for optical talent. 18 community colleges offer two-year degrees in optical engineering, virtually all of whom will have jobs before they graduate. Rochester has the fifth largest concentration of optical industries in the world. Nationally, the demand is expected to be 35,00 to 740,00 technicians. A joint Monroe Community College-Kodak Precision Optics Optics Youth Forum is trying to address the shortage by attracting high school students to consider the needs and rewards of optical the industry. Most high school students do not consider optics because they do not understand how optics touch everyday lives from telephones to television to space research.

This and That

-Popular Mechanics magazine for January 2000, features a “A Century of Technology”, listing and sometimes illustrating, as you might guess, a century of technological achievements. For 1900 they state “The Brownie Box Camera is the first popular camera”. Unfortunately, the illustration is an Autographic Brownie. They also note the 1914 Tourist Multiple as the “world’s first 35mm camera”, in 1928, 16mm color film was created and in 1938 Kodak introduced the first camera with built-in photoelectric exposure meter. Eastman House will be pleased to note that PM laments that “there is no one around to save even a minute fraction of all that crackling gelatin on photo negatives and movies.

- The Kodak’s Vanity line of cameras may have started it, but, more likely it was the Apple iMac computer. For whatever reason, color is once again a definite “IN” in cameras. A Target Stores ad featured Canon Elph LT APS cameras in metallic green, gold and blue models. The ad also had CD Boom Boxes, personal CD players, and two types of telephones, all appearing to match the camera colors. This may be carrying color coordination to an extreme. As we recall, the most popular colors of the Kodak Starflash cameras that were black, red, blue, and white in that order.

-Stereo World, one of best edited and most interesting journals around is again taking insert ads. These are sheets inserted after the magazine is bound. Their membership covers all 50 states and 30 countries. An 8.5” x 11”insert for $89.00, which sounds like a bargain. Contact Jeffrey Kraus, 102 Dubois Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561.

-Last May Kodak (China) Company began making medical x-ray film in Shantou, China.

-What nearby company produces the most optical fiber cable in the world?
Corning Glass. Business Week magazine listed Corning as the leader in design, manufacture and innovation of what is perhaps the fastest and most reliable “cable” in the world.

Corning, N.Y., was named as is the optical fiber world capital.


-What did consumers rank as the top three brands in overall quality in the USA?
Answer: According to Total Research Corp.: Crayola Crayons, Craftsman tools and Kodak film. What did you expect with Crayolas in the race?

-Nick Graver is making a list of publications-books, articles, etc., related to photography by our members. And a list of member E-Mail addresses.If you are an author, co-author or a contributor to such a publication and/or have an E-Mail address, please let Nick know at (716) 244-4818. or mail to 276 Brooklawn Dr., Rochester 14618
Do Your Pix Need A Place To Hangout?

Celebrity photographer Herb Ritts has put his 160-acre compound near Santa Fe, NM, on the market for $6.8 million. Mr. Ritts, 47 years old, began his Santa- Fe estate with the purchase of 3.5 acres in 1990, and over the years added parcels to the property. The compound has a 3000-square-foot three-bedroom main house, a 2000 sq ft guest house, and a 2000 sq ft log cabin. His mother, Shirley, oversaw the architectural and interior design. Mr. Ritts whose work appears in Vogue, Vanity Fair and Rolling Stones known for his advertising campaigns for Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein, says he is selling because he does not have enough time to spend there. He lives mainly in Los Angeles where his studio is and has a week-end home in Malibu. If interested the real-estate firm of French & French Fine Properties in Santa Fe is his realtor. Sorry, we don’t have their number

Answers to This Month’s Mystery Question(s)

1. Pentax Trivia Answer: The Asahi Pentax became the Tower 35 when originally imported by Sears Roebuck & Co. But the big Pentax push came when Honeywell, the people who probably made the thermostat for your furnace, decided to broaden their photographic business to a more full line of photographic equipment. Their fame had come from what was probably the world’s premier flash bulb and electronic lighting equipment.

In overseas PX’s, GI’s usually paid about $100 for the Pentax SLR cameras with a standard 50mm lens. At the time it was popular in camera manufacturing circles to try to guess what it cost Pentax to make the more complex second generation cameras that could be sold for that amount and still make a profit-if indeed they did. Several Kodak designers estimated that the total camera and lens probably cost Ashai no more than $33-35 since the PX was required by law to make a profit on their sales and Asahi must have needed to make a substantial profit to survive and grow in that post-war period.

2. Bakelite, usually recognized as the first completely synthetic plastic, it was also highly stable enabling inexpensive cameras to have lenses in mounts that would retain their position regardless of the temperature.

The Photographic Historical Society Newsletter
Published by America’s oldest photographic historical group
dedicated to the preservation of photographic history and equipment
in January, March, May, September and November

Materials in this publication are copyrighted
Permission to reprint is granted to other historical groups if credited to TPHS
Some authors may retain copyright. If so noted, permission to reprint must be obtained.

Editor: Joe A. Bailey
Newsletter address: 191 Weymouth Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14625 (716) 381-5507

Membership Dues are $20 per year. Send Membership requests and check to:
Frank Calandra, Treasurer
The Photographic Historical Society 350 Witting Road, Webster, N.Y. 14580-9009

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