Photographic Equipment from Burma.

This ad, dates 1952 and comes from The Almanach of British Photography. I wonder if the shop, or street, or if mister Ahuja is still alive... If perhaps his son or daughter is, he or she probably sell the same stuff from 69 year ago..., and they were already since 1916 a company!

The King Of Thailand loves photography.

Bhumibol Adulyadej, born 5 December 1927, is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX. Having reigned since 9 June 1946, he is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history

Bhumibol is a painter, musician, photographer, author and translator.

During offial visits he is often see using a camera, shooting the ceremony for personal souvenirs.

There is even a Museum about his passion of photography :

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Royal Photography Museum I.

The museum of the photographs taken by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej consists of two buildings situated north of Vimanmek Mansion. They were originally constructed by the royal command of King Rama V for HRH Princess Arunwadi and HRH Princess Bussabun Buaphan.

At present both former royal residences house displays of photographs taken by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The King, a lifelong camera enthusiast, has graciously permitted the display of some works from his personal collection. Many of His Majesty the King’s photographs reflect hidden interesting philosophical thoughts.

The King’s photographs can be categorized into several groups. There are family photographs of Her Majesty the Queen and those of the royal children, the Prince and the Princesses. These are also photographs of royal ceremonies, photographs of the Ramakien scenes from the corridors of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and photographs of his subjects, villages, towns, and cities and natural wonders in the Kingdom. Also, he has taken photographs which have been useful for the development of the country such as photographs of interesting landscapes; photographs showing appropriate locations for dams, reservoirs and dykes; photographs of villages and their surroundings and of transportation routes. These photographs were taken on land, from the air in airplanes or helicopters. They have been used to help him plan various development projects in the Kingdom, particularly in rural areas. Upon completion of those projects, he sometimes took photographs of the officials involved with the projects.

Blueprints for the Lomographic Rocket Sprocket

Shameless as can be Lomography, did it again.

A counterfeit is an imitation, usually one that is made with the intent of fraudulently passing it off as genuine. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product. The word counterfeit frequently describes both the forgeries of currency and documents, as well as the imitations of works of art, clothing, software, pharmaceuticals, watches, electronics and company logos and brands. In the case of goods, it results in patent infringement or trademark infringement. (Source Wikipedia)

(Source Pictures : Mc Keown's Cameras)

Olympus XA Eurovision Belgium 1980.

In 1980 Telex's manager asked the group to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. The group entered and were eventually sent to the finals, although it apparently hoped to come in last: "We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise. The group's song "Euro-Vision" was a cheerful bleepy song with deliberately banal lyrics about the contest itself. The Eurovision audience seemed unsure how to react to the performance, and after the band stopped playing, there was mostly stunned silence, with scattered polite applause; Michel Moers took a photograph with an Olympus XA of the bewildered audience. The band walked off amid sounds of muttering. A mark of the confusion caused by the performance was when vote-counting began, and Greece awarded Belgium three points, the announcer thought she had misheard and tried to award the points to the Netherlands.

(Source Wikipedia)

Free Camera : Dirkon.

The Dirkon is a paper camera kit that was first published in 1979 in the Communist Czechoslovakian magazine ABC mladých techniků a přírodovědců [translated as An ABC of Young Technicians and Natural Scientists]. The pattern was created by Martin Pilný, Mirek Kolár, and Richard Vyškovský.

The name Dirkon is a play on words based on the combination of the parts of two words: Dirk- is the beginning of the Czech word dírka (pinhole), and -kon is the end of the name of the well-known Japanese camera, Nikon.

Free download : http://www.pinhole.cz/downloads/dirkon_en.pdf

Penélope Cruz knows how to choose a camera.

Still from the movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Woody Allen, 2008.

Nazi Tourist.

Ostend, Belgium has always been a major recreational and touristic city. Since more then a century it's an attractive place to enjoy the Northsea. Hotels and second residences are everywhere in the city. Around 70 years ago, the tourist industry was booming due to organised citytrips by our german neighbours. And guess what their favorite camera was...

Picture taken in the Atlantikwall-museum, Ostend, Belgium.

Crackeled Leatherette.

Vintage photographic equipment has one major problem, in many case the leatherette doesn't appreciate the years as much. From my personal experience and collection, I have to say that the skin of the Yashica's slr are worse : they become sticky, loose and dusty. There are some resellers that provides new skin as replacement for your beloved cameras. And if those flashy reskinneds are not tasty enough try yourself!

http://www.skinit.com/
http://www.skinslove.com/index.php/cPath/145
http://www.petapixel.com/2010/12/17/cobra-skin-camera-body-covering/

This Leica M6 rather needs new plaster!

Perversion.

From Frans Naeff's book "Photography", about the use of photographic equipment. Is this a subliminal lineout about light measurement of a subject... I do not really know what the drawing meant to be, or is this book made for a forbidden audience? Or maybe it's me who has a distored mind?

Radioactive Leica M8.

Here is an explaination about the infamous radioactive Industar :

cameras.alfredklomp.com/fed5/radiation/

U.S.A.

My personal contribution for 2 may 2011.