26 Aug Deep Dive: Vintage Cameras with Birthday Time Capsule Co
MTP vendors have noticed that demand for vintage cameras has been growing, as they have become a best-selling commodity at the Melrose Trading Post as of late. Patrons seem to be craving the nostalgic qualities and distinct character of film as well as early digicams, perhaps as an antidote to the ubiquity of our smartphone cameras.
Despite the convenience of those tiny built-in lenses, the photo quality simply cannot compete with that of a proper camera. The ease of capturing memories with our smartphones also removes the unique surprise element that comes with getting a roll of film developed or even offloading a big batch of images from an SD card.
Vendor and photographer Ralph Hattenbach gave the MTP team a closer look at some of his head-turning vintage cameras. Ralph has amassed hundreds of cameras in his collection from across different decades.
Ralph’s Favorite: The 1940s Steky Camera
“It was just such a novelty. It’s a small little camera. I always loved it… Even my Nikons and all the other stuff I have, this to me is like – I never want to get rid of this thing. It’s just so special… it’s like smaller than a pack of gum.”
The Steky is a tiny Japanese camera that emerged in the late 1940s and shoots 16 mm film. They have become quite coveted and run expensive on resale sights. It is a crown jewel in Ralph’s collection, and even comes in a tiny leather case with a heart cutout.
“The best part was that I bought it at the camera store in Hollywood. Right on Sunset, near the Cinerama Dome. This place was like half a block away. Little camera store called Morgan Camera. I walked in and I just had to have it. It’s fun. I kind of leave it out even though I don’t want to sell it just to get people to stop… it’s more of a conversation piece.”
Shooting on Melrose
“Melrose is one of my favorite streets.”
Ralph showed us a series of incredible stereoscopic images he shot in 1983 on Melrose Ave. Stereoscopic cameras can be used to create lenticular images that produce a 3D effect when you tilt them in different directions.
“All these kids are… now in their probably 60s or 70s, who knows. But they’re just so much fun because they all posed and they weren’t professional models or anything. They just grew up punk rockers and that’s what Melrose was like back in the day.”
Remarkable Find: Antique Linex Stereo Subminiature Camera
Another one of Ralph’s prized possessions is a Linex Stereo Camera, made by the Linex company who also designed toy trains!
Patrick appreciaing the Linex Stereo Camera.
Why Film Is Special
“You give them a picture, they love it. It’s something they always look back and remember a moment in time when they were together and had a good time. With a camera or the phone you do it so easily. It has thousands of pictures but you don’t print them out. You don’t look at them. But if you did, and you give it to somebody, it’s magical.”
Ralph with his Steky camera by his booth.