Written by Simone | 16 July 2018
In our Expert’s Choice feature, one of our in-house experts shares their favourite items in auction. This week our photography expert, Ed van Mil, selects five items from our first ever Exclusive Camera’s & Optical Equipment auction (20th - 29th July) that you don’t want to miss.
1. Hasselblad - 20 Years in Space
Hasselblads history with space goes back to the early 60s, when astronaut Walter Schirra bought a Hasselblad 500C. He decided to take the camera with him when he stepped aboard a Mercury rocket in October; it was the only product on board not custom built for the mission. After seeing the quality of the photographs that Schirra took, NASA’s relationship with Hasselblad blossomed. In order to celebrate 20 years of participation by Hasselblad in the NASA Space program, a limited run of 1500 cameras were manufactured, and we’re proud to say that one of them, no. 117, is part of this week’s auction.
2. Metz Mecaflex
This rare single lens reflex camera was designed by Heinz Kilfitt, famous for designing the original Robot camera and the Kowa Six. One exceptional feature about the design is the flip-up cover on top, which opens the waist-level viewfinder and shows the top-plate controls. The use of a 24x24 mm frame format for 50 exposures is also quite uncommon.
3. Rolleiflex 4x4 Baby - Sport
When the Leica camera became a success, Rollei decided to produce a small format TLR as well: the Rolleiflex. There were about 5 different models manufactured, one of them being the Baby Rolleiflex 4x4 'Sport'. Reportedly about 500 - 1,000 of these camera models have been built during WWII, from 1941 to 1943, with serial numbers rom 850,000 onward.
4. Linhof Aero-Press "Bundeswehr" Edition
Linhof is a German company, founded in Munich in 1887 by Valentin Linhof. It’s the oldest still-producing camera manufacturer in the world. The Aero-Press we have in auction this week, is an aerial camera, specially made for the German Bundeswehr (the armed forces of Germany). It comes with a Carl Zeiss Planar 1:2,8/80mm lens and was checked in 2016 by Linhof in Munich.
5. Lumiere - J. Carpentier Cinématographe (1897)
The “cinématographe” is one of the earliest known "professional" film projectors, built by French engineer and inventor Jules Carpentier. About 700 or 800 Cinématographes were made, and no. 723 is part of this week’s auction.
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Inspired by Ed’s selection? Visit the Exclusive Camera & Optical Equipment auction to see all of the items we have in store for you this week.
Discover more cameras | Leica | Nikon
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