50 Landmark Cameras That Changed Photography

In his preface John sets out his stall by admitting that he got some grief with readers accusing him of heresy by not including their pet 'messiah' in his previous Schiffer publication '150 classic cameras' - he's clearly learnt his lesson by stating that the 50 cameras under scrutiny here are what HE considers to be influential, important, interesting and intriguingly not necessarily famous or successful!But fear not 'classic' marque fans - there are a few Leicas and Nikons in amongst the Diaxes, Arguses and instamatics!The chronological approach taken is both sensible and enjoyable, as it does give a flavour of how camera production and development occurred, incorporating changes in technology as it went. The text is both informed and informative, managing to give enough factual information that balances with Johns obvious enthusiasm and love for his subject(s). I do have most of johns other books, but I was amazed at the extra info and ephemera that is on display here. It's of course vital to have an establishing shot of the camera featured, even if it's a well known one, but I applaud the attempt to show alternate views and angles that help the inquisitive and design loving reader/collector to work out the functionality of the particular model.Not that this lavish treatment is limited to the rare creatures - the Ensign FulVue gets possibly its best ever showing with several pages devoted to its variants, from its drab pre war boxy debut, to its post war multi coloured 'from the future' makeover - a la mode indeed, to quote the oh so fab sales leaflet that is shown as part of this particular chapter!I love seeing cameras displayed with their occasionally mad accessories - cameras that I would not give houseroom to suddenly take on an allure (to me) when fully kitted out - you wonder what the design team from the american firm Univex were 'on' when they came up with some of the add ons for their already bonkers half frame camera the Mercury - the shot of this camera with it's Flash Gordon inspired lever wind, rangefinder and flash bulb unit is truly unforgettable.This fantastic 50 starts at the start (a Daguerrotype camera of 1839) but finishes in the past, in 1991 with the Canon Ion digital camera to be exact - it's funny that it's probably easier to use the former today than it is the latter - assuming you can get some floppy discs off ebay, have you got a drive to play them with?!As with both of John's previous Schiffer titles (still available from the publisher) this is a wonderfully printed and illustrated book, and for me contains the essence of why I collect cameras and photographica - there's facts, anecdotes, a few mysteries and a decent serving of barminess... from the camera designers I mean, not from the author!

I have a number of books on camera collecting and this is one of my favorites. I agree with most of the cameras he selected and when he covers them, he goes into quite a bit of detail on the camera and the brand. The quality of the book is very good, as well as, the overall layout and photos. If you enjoy collecting cameras and knowing their history, then I highly recommend this book to you.

Excellent. Great commentary and photo illustrations. One of the best vintage camera books I have. Valuable resource, reference and just plain reading.