Several American Camera companies ruled the roost for a good part of the Twentieth Century--up until well after WWII. Ansco was one of them, Graflex another, Wollensak was a great lens company based in New York. Bosley, made a lot of unique still cameras of unique design, and later greatly impacted the movie camera industry (the designer was a Ukrainian). Ciroflex, is another American camera design, which was,m incident ly, purchased by Graflex. Kodak, the granddaddy of them all, was at least partially an American company, although it was a world-wide conglomerate.
Germany, was the home of fine lenses and cameras through the fifties--arguably. Japan had initiated many less expensive designs prior to the war, and with the genius of General Douglas MacArthur's rebuilding plans after the war,Japan became the most prolific country when it came to good-enough, but less-expensive cameras. Some estimates have the numbers of distinctly different TLR's coming out of Japan at over 250. This was litterally a cottage industry. If you've ever had occasion to look at the innards and construction of of Japanese TLR's, providing that you personally have a modicum of mechanical apptitude and eyesight--you can see how they could be made in your garage with relative ease.
You form the camera body out of sheet metal and rely on suppliers for lenses, gears, screws, letherette, etc. I have both combined different brands of non-working cameras to creat a working hi-bred, an d made cameras, just as these Japanese manufacturers did, in my garage. No big deal. The Japanes were given huge financial incentives to make good, exportable products. The USA poured millions of dollars into the Japanese reconstruction. And wa-la, it worked. It also worked in France, West Germany, and many other places.
Herein lies a key to economic development, whether of an individual, a lone company, a nation, or the world. The secret ain't that rocket-fueld. It is merely, "If you want to do well financially, wee tht others can to the same thing, through their own industry".
Yhe Ansco Automatic Reflex is the only TLR that reminds me of a Hasselblad in its construction. Another Model followed this initial release, but then ANSCOmade the decision to drop the camera due to lagging sales. I believe that if this camera had been properly marketed in a way that would convery the greater quality in construction, that it would have changed camera history.
My old Uncle in the rural south was said to have had a pretty good mule. As the advent of petrol-powered alternatives became a reality, Uncle Gil decided that as much as he liked his mule--he needed to give in to financial pracicalities--and he sold his mule to a neighbor--for $43. However, he soon discovered that the new-fangled machinery jsut couldn't do all the things a mule could--so he asked his neighbor to buy back the mule.
The neighbor saw an opportunity to make a few bucks and he said, "You know, I've bought a new harness and I've up-ped the protein value of the grain I've been feeding it. I'll have to have $53, if you get him back." Uncle Gil paid his neighbor without compaint. He was a pretty diplomatic fellow.
But the time did come, when the neighbor had a couple of big stumps that needed removal after a big storm blew big olod oak trees down. He knew he'd have to have the mule. He knew he'd taken advantage of Uncle Gil, so he didn't even ask to borrow the mule. He approached Uncle Gil with an offer he couldn't pass up. He bought Uncle Gil's mule again for $100. It turned out that he had already lined up work for a good fee for other farmers who'd lost trees. So it was all good and everyone was happy.
According to surving family members, this exchange went back and forth for several years between the too, until the ante had reached $185, which really isn't all that surprising, given inflation of that era and such. But another neighbor decided he needed the mule really badly. While my uncle owned it, and knowing what the neighbor had sold it for, the second neighbor offered Uncle Gil 175 bucks. Of course Uncle Gil felt he couldn't pass the deal up. Times were hard, and that was a lot of money then. He liked his old mule but business is business.
It wasn't two months later that the first neighbor, his name survived the tellings, but I never new him, so I don't recall it--decided he needed the mule again, for a new venture he'd fallen into. He apporached Uncle Gil. Gil shrugged shamelessly and said, "Why, sometime back. I thought you'd know by now."
"You did What!" The neighbor was stunned. He seemed to be unable to comprehend what he was hearing. "What did you say?" When he fully understood he complained severely, "Gil, you old fool, that mule was making both you and I a good living." So it goes.
During the era of the apex of TLR camera popularity, during the war, and directly after, America had a shot at regaining ground lost to Germany and Japan primarily. Little was known at the time of the remarkable advances of the Soviet Union. Trade was rare with this block of countries. Sweden, of course, was a lone island when it came to the quality medium format SLR's (Hasselblad). Czech design and manufacture of cameras was a known quantity to the West prior to WWII, but was lost in the shuffle between the West and the East after the war.
Virtually all countries were deplete of manufacturing materials and capabilities after the war, but the USA had emerged, almost without anyone realizing it, as a world leader in may ways during the post war years. The USA had tried to remain isolationists until at last they were lured into the war on two opposing continents by the Axis powers. Had it not been so, the industrial capabilities of America would probably not fared nearly so well. Hence, through conflict and opposition growth was stimulated.
I am not proud of all of America's past. Every country as had its own less-proud moments. But given the contest of the times, and the huge sacrifice measured both in US dollars and in the loss of American lives, primarily for the sake of keeping other countries our of the iron grasp of at least some of the despot dictators and despot governmental ideologies--I am a proud American. As with many things--this legacy appears to be being squandered by some of the very ideologies that it once fought so hard to oppose.
Communism has proven to be a failed ideology--owing to human greed. Capitalism has proven to be a successful ideology--also owing to human greed. Capitalism is a lessor evil of the two, by far. But today capitalism is not what is being praciced in America. More and more it is at best, democratic capitalism, and at worst, progressives (communism in infancy).
By attempting to be the police force of the world, America has depleted much of its great resources. And no one really gives a rat's ass in thanks for it. Most Americans, far-be-it, Peoples Occupying the Rest of the World--could tell you the significance of D-Day, and the Invasion of Normandy--or the tally of lives, both American and Asian, actually saved by the use of the Atomic bomb. No, Americans are considered the villains by much, if not all, ofhte rest of the world.
But during the days of the reconstruction of Europe, marshalled by the great American Secretary of Agriculture, Era, Taft Benson, and the reconstruction of Japan into a prolific industrial power, many peoples were rightfully beholding for the sacrifices made by American's in their behalf. Yeah, yeah that's just so much propaganda, some will say--but truly mostly, it was not so much BS. Think as you will. You will anyway.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-77.html
But during this brief post-war window, America manufactured some of the finest twin lens reflex cameras ever made. It makes me sad to see them sell for so little now. If I have called it right on a significantly early prognostication of what cameras later became huge collectors' items--and I have--then hear me when I say--snatch up every American made film camera of the post war era ASAP. If you do not live long enough to become rich for having done so--your kids and grands kids will.
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-76.html
What does it mean to be "over-engineered". It means to be built to surpass the specs. It means that it is better quality than it has to be to "get by". It means that it cost too much to make for it to compete in the open market without at least properly marketing the product. Is a Leica IIIc 35 mm over-engineered? How 'bout a Rollieflex 2.8 TLR? Go to my post comparing the Leica and the Konica copy, and tell me which one I consider still alive and functioning well today. The Leica wins hands down. this is what is called over-engineering.
A Rolleiflex is still taking great pictures today while the Yashica, given the same abuse. But did you know this? The Anscoflex Automatic American-made TLR, or even the Ciroflex TLR's are generally all still out-surviving the Rolleiflex and Leica's. Too bad they were simply not marketed well enough to overcome the quality issues of merely being "good enough".
I will review each of these American models in depth here, although I must confess that I couldn't afford them at the time either.
Ansco was the pemier supplier of photographic supplies and cameras in the world for quite a number of years. the company no loger exists except in name. But the company had a good 150 year run. A good starting place is the Ciro-Flex TLR and variants. Regardless of the harsh reviews of mostly non-American reviewers, Ciro-flex was and still is an excellent camera. Without exception, they were all more soloidly built than either Jananese or German TLR's. Under various labels, this camera has a respectable run, owing to their simple design, excellent optics, and rugged consturction.
As I recall, there were five different variants bearing the Ciroflex label. I have seen this camera called Cira-flex, but I believe this is due to improper reading of the script type used in the logo--which can appear similar to an "a". The different models designated minor upgrades, all positive, and were designated A through F models.
Within the writings and reviews of Japanese blogs and web sites, at least one respected viewer declares that, in his opinion, the Graflex 22 is a better camera. He goes on to ask those who prefer the Circoflex to please not complain, as it is only his opinion. There actually may be a few reasons for his opinion. It would, of course, depend largely upon which model of each (and age/condition) this reviewer based his comparisons. The weight is exactly the same. The focus and operation are virtually the same on all models. The lens qualitiy is the same for all models (very good, that is).
[Later: I have thought considerably about my previous opinions regarding the construction of the Ciroflex. I should add the following: The Ciroflex has been highly disparaged in many of the writings. I was off-put by these opinions. Now I think I better understand. The Ciroflex was, contrary to some beliefs, a tremendous commercial success. It was marketed with virtually no major design changes.
There were, however, at least seven different models Ciroflex's. A, B, C, D, E, F, and the Graflex 22-Model 200. Graflex built the Graflex 22-400, which was slightly more updated and robust. But it was still the same essential design. The Ciroflex Model A was came out in the years directly after WWII, when there was a dirge of Europe TLR's and the Japanese TLR's had not yet engulfed the American market. This necessarily explains why some, even the majority of the Ciroflex TLR's, are older and therefrore in worse condition than others. The Graflex 22, in particular, is therefore the very newest of these cameras, so are suusally in better overall shape than the older versions. Also, the camera student must bear in mind, that a Ciroflex Model F, is the exact same camera as is the first Graflex branded model 22-200. Incidentally,the Model F has a four element lens.]
But, if one were to compare a newer, better conditioned Graflex 22 - 400 with an earlier Ciroflex A--then there would be definite differences in wear and general condition. But not that much. Also, those who simply don't know any better, may conclude that the very fine 3-element Wollensack lens is inferior to virtually any 4-element lens. This would be true, but for a neat little trick that all American manufacturers used to improve apparent lens quality without adding the price of the next-up Wollensack 4-element lens.
They merely changed the focal length to increase image-size used from the 3-element lens by about 10%. This created a much clearer edge-to edge, corner-to-corner image. This was marketed as a superior design which would net a larger image on the film plane and negative-which was all true, but was really a clever wayt to save design money. Reviewers seem to want to say, "Americans cheated". Not so. They were merely more clever in this aspect. However, it would not be enough. The American's rugged design made a heavier camera, and in the end, the offshore competitorsw won on price alone.
At the links included here, you can learn of the various labels that the Ciroflex design was solod under. But below, I compare two fairly comparable models, a mid-life Ciroflex, and a first-edition of the Graflex 22 - 200. The Graflex
As you can see the Grflex 22-200, is by genesis, a newer camera. It appears to have also been much better cared for. As you can see--for the most part--these cameras are virtually the same. I will later post actual images shot by each--which are also the same.
Want a decent TLR that will still last a hundred years or so--pick one up cheaply as a Ciroflex.
Argus made two TLR design attempts including several models. One was a less-expensive bakelight model with a good lens. Very basic. The other was a feature for feature attempt to take on the Germans. It did so very well, but was tow expensive to produce in the USA, and soon fell by the way-side-even though it was aq buck cheaper than the copmparable competition. Perception means a lot, and Rolleiflexes were , by this late date, considered the best.
The absolutely best TLR camera ever designed was the high-end Anscoflex Automatic. A link here shows the internal workings. This camera shows American design and manufacturing genius at its best. Considered the Caddy of cameras, it was quickly dubbed "over-engineered", by detractors. How can something be over-engineered? Yes, perhaps Ansco did not do a very tgood job of justifying the fine constructiona and workmanship in a week marketing program--but it was wonderfully engineered by all accounts. It was merely too expensive to buy.
