Argus, another well-known camera company, made several models of dual lens cameras as well; except for two models that I am aware of was a true TLR. These were inexpensive. They accepted both 620 and 120 film. This was a smart and amazingly simple feature, as the jury was still out regarding which film size would ultimately prevail. Kodak had a long standing marketing ploy of designing all there cameras to require proprietary film sizes so that they could corner the market on supplies, repairs, and accessories. Thus, Argus wisely hedged their bets by designing their cameras to accept both sizes.
The Argus TLR model was made of bake-light, an artificial material used for everything from poker chips to housing for electronic components during the era. The focus mechanism was a simple design, which was probably borrowed from the earliest TLR’s such as Optima, the Chech company that later was merged with other companies to form Meopta—an early optics company that survives even today.
This focus method relied on geared rings incorporated into the outer rings of the lens mounts, meshed together so that turning one would turn the other. A simple rack and pinion moving the lens forward and backward created an inexpensive and reasonably effective design. The downside of this method is that the rings can be hard to turn with just the fingers, and provides no leverage as does a knob or a lever, or a crank.
The Argus model was much like the TLR offering introduced by Voitlander, dubbed the Brilliant, because of its quasi-TLR viewfinder, which did indeed provide a brilliant image. The dimly lit image on conventional TLR’s was one of the major complaints that was addressed in different was over the years-such as using Fresnel ground glasses or larger viewing lens apertures and more highly polished reflex mirrors.
The early Ansco dual lens cameras were also mere quasi-TLR’s., although Ansco later arguably produced the best TLR ever made in the Ansco Automatic Reflex models I and II, The most notable feature of the early Ansco models was the “futuristic” appearance of the camera body, with a linked lens and ground-glass cover. One of these models is a must for any camera collector because of this design which characterized the forward-looking “modern appearance” that dominated everything from kitchen appliances to tube radio cabinets and even buildings.
But there were genuine inovations too. Edge to edge image clarity has long been a standard of judging the quality of camera lenses. Much is made of the number of elements in TLR lenses. Four is considered better than three, as a means of helping this edge-to-edge clarity standard. American camera manufacturers used s simple "trick" that rendered superior edge-to-edge clarity, using only a less-expensive three-element lens. These manufacturers used a larger than usual lens design of 83mm-85mm coverage, thus rendering a slightly larger, or closer-appearing image.
This was a simple and legitimate method for solving the clarity problem. This feature was also cleverly marketed as a positive, playing up the fact that the image was more easily enlarged, since the latent image capture onto film was larger to begin with. The Ansco Automatic Reflex camera has a unique crank, and a multiple-exposure control that also doubled as a "jam fixer". Of course, this "feature" would not have been necessary had the transport not jammed. But it did, especially on the earliest production models. This camera also has an active lens sportsfinder. The camera just exudes "quality" construction.
The design, most often attributed to one particular era-designer, but also widely copied, was called “Space-Age”, or “Mod”, during the fifties and early sixties. The design-style is certainly unique enough, although today it is considered to be one of the oddest designs of all time. Most people today consider it very ugly, although at the time it was the rage, and undoubtedly sold many Ansco cameras. But by any standards, the ever-shiney new-metal look of the Ansco Automatic Reflex is positively beautiful--easily the most beautiful Twin Lens Reflex cameras ever made.
Incidentally, one other camera, a true TLR model, to use this type of de
sign appearance to better advantage, was the Ricoh-Matic 4x4 127 TLR, reviewed elsewhere within this blog.
Kodak had long been a giant of the photographic insustry, especially when it came to supplies. One of the common methods used by virtually all companies during the twentieth century to capture supply business, was to build proprietary devices that could only use special supplies available only from that particular manufacturer. Kodak was trying to impose their proprietary design upon the public by producing TLR cameras that would accomodate only 620 film for their TLR's. Some companies, feeling that Kodak might win this supply war, made their TLR's able to accomodate both sizes. This was easy to accomplish and was also an original American idea.
Kodak made 6x6 TLR's that used their own exclusive 620 size film. These were heavy-built cameras that operated simply. The lenses were quality kodak lenses.
Another feature of American TLR's that was used to advantage prior to other manufacturers, was that those that accepted flash attachments, were all synchronized to them. This is, in general, is a fairly easy thing to build into leaf-stle shutters, which will most often synch at all shutter speeds. (This is a feature that surpasses other cameras that use focal-plane shutters, which usually synch at a slow speed such as 130th of a second.)
On this note, I recently noticed a statement by a well-know camera blogger, that said, "these 620 film cameras are now useless, because no one makes this size film anymore". Thile the latter part of this statement is true, the former is NOT. Even in the absence of such 620 spools, spools can be fabricated from an old pen (or any number of other things, and a couple of bottons (or other round objects).
Ansco Quasi-TLR
The Anscoflex pictured here is not a true TLR as usually defined. However, it is wonderfully designed, with inter-inking parts that all open together. That look great, but are little more than box cameras in use.
120 film can easily be respooled in the dark, to fit onto old 620 spools, which are easy enough to find.
Voightlander BrilliantTh Brilliant was named for its brilliant viewfinder--overcominxg the most common complaint about TLR's. However it, as well as the Ansco model pictured above were not really true TLR's because of their seperate viewing lenses field. Nor was the Voightlander American made (Voightlander is a famous and enduring maker of cameras). But I didn't know where esle to put it.
What is bakelite? It is the first plsatic-like material invented and used widely beginnintg in 1917. Some of these TLR's bodies are made of bakelight. The Quasi-TLR Ansco model pictured is made of enameled aluminum. As you can see form these pictures, both materials have worn quite well.
