Seagull

like the bird

Seagull is the brand name used from 1964 by several camera factories situated in the Shanghai region. They are collectively known as the Shanghai Camera Factory, and perhaps most widely known for their fascinating Shanghai 58 rangefinder camera, based on a Russian pre-war Leica III b copy, and more recently the Seagull DF cameras, a manual focus 35mm SLR range produced on licence from Minolta.

The Seagull-4 series of TLR cameras, introduced in 1964 and distributed worldwide, is a continuation of the earlier Shanghai TLR; itself quite possibly produced using outdated Japanese tools and manufacturing equipment. These cameras are usually found with knob wind, but the Seagull 4A has lever wind. There are also a range of Seagull 35mm rangefinder models, as well as a range of Seagull folding roll film cameras typical of the immediate post war European production.

Several Seagull camera accessories are known, for example the electronic flashgun SG-100 and several accessory angle finders for SLRs.

A most thorough research on the Chinese camera production was carried out by resident Douglas St Denny. He travelled across the vast country during the second half of the 1980s interviewing people there and collecting information which otherwise soon would have been lost. His book "Cameras of the People’s Republic of China" is invaluable for anyone studying this topic.

Cameras

Folder

• Seagull FCL810-A
• Seagull HZX45-IIA
• Seagull HZX57-IIAT
• Seagull 203 (6x6 rangefinder)
• Seagull 203-I (6x6 + 4.5x6 rangefinder)

TLR

• Seagull 4A
• Seagull 4A-103
• Seagull 4A-105
• Seagull 4A-107
• Seagull 4A-109

• Seagull 4B
• Seagull 4B-1
• Seagull 4B-2
• Seagull 4C
• Seagull 4D
• Seagull 4

35mm rangefinder

• Seagull KJ-1
• Seagull KS Automatic Aperture
• Seagull 9
• Seagull 209
• Seagull 208
• Seagull 206 (half-frame 35mm)
• Seagull 205A
• Seagull 205

35mm SLR

The 35mm camera bodies of Seagull were made with Minolta's SR-lens-bayonet. In addition to the cameras listed below Seagull produced similar products for other camera companies.

• Seagull DF-5000
• Seagull DF-2000A
• Seagull DF-2000
• Seagull DF-41200A
• Seagull DF-1000
• Seagull DF-500
• Seagull DF-400G
• Seagull DF-400
• Seagull DF-300G
• Seagull DF-300E
• Seagull DF-300M
• Seagull DF-300X
• Seagull DF-300A
• Seagull DF-300
• Seagull DF-200
• Seagull DF-100
• Seagull DF-99
• Seagull DF-98
• Seagull DF-3
• Seagull DF-2 ETM
• Seagull DF-2
• Seagull DF-1 ETM
• Seagull DF-1
• Seagull DF

Beware that the digital Seagull D55 presented in this page is an April fools joke.

large format

• Seagull HZX45-IIA 4x5" view camera
• Seagull 4½x6½ inch" view camera

other

• Seagull 3D 120-III camera
• Seagull 501 (35mm viewfinder camera)
• Seagull DFAB (finderless laboratory cameras)

Links

• Seagull www.camerachina.com/ was home page, google and yahoo warn not to call it (virus-infected)
• Photo.net review of a Seagull 120 TLR
• orphancameras.com Instruction manuals for the Seagull 4a and Seagull 203 in PDF format
• Shangai page at Collection G. Even's site
• Seagull TLR photographers' Flickr group