Foton
There is also a Russian instant camera called Foton.
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| Foton image by John Bosko (Image rights) |
The Foton is an ambitious 35mm camera launched in 1948 by Bell & Howell, with interchangeable lenses and a coupled rangefinder, in a separate eyepiece from the viewfinder. The standard lens is a 'Filmocoted' Taylor-Hobson 2-inch T2.2 (f/2) Cooke Amotal anastigmat (the aperture is marked in T-stops); a four-inch T4 (f/2.5) Panchrotal,[1] and a twelve-inch Cooke lens[2] were available, and an shoe-mounted viewfinder for the long lenses. The camera has shutter speeds 1 - 1/1000 second, plus 'B'. It also has a 6 frame-per-second spring motor advance. In 1949, the camera was advertised for $700 in the July issue of U.S. Camera. In just a few months, the advertised price had dropped to $498 (see the advertisements below).
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| B&H Foton, Jul 1949 U.S. Camera image by camerawiki (Image rights) |
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| B&H Foton, Nov 1949 U.S. Camera image by camerawiki (Image rights) |
References
- ↑ Foton, including a picture with the four-inch Panchrotal lens, at stephen Gandy's Cameraquest.
- ↑ McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). p123.
Links
- Foton with two-inch f/2 Amotal, sold at the May 2010 Westlicht Photographica Auction
- The Foton at Scott's Photographica Collection
