Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be saved, retained, or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera include advertising, business cards, bookmarks, catalogs, matchbooks, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, ticket stubs, and magazines. To summarize, ephemera includes a broad range of everyday paper documents intended for a one-time or very short-term use.

Presented is an Example of Ephemera, “This Week in New York”  vintage 1932, a weekly news magazine:

This Week in New York 1932

An Interesting Society

The Ephemera Society of America, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in 1980 to cultivate and encourage interest in ephemera and the history identified with it; to further the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of ephemera by people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of interest; to promote the personal and institutional collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of ephemeral materials; to serve as a link among collectors, dealers, institutions, and scholars; and to contribute to the cultural life of those who have an interest in our heritage as a nation or a people, both nationally and internationally. The Society sponsors an annual convention that includes seminars, exhibitions, a superb ephemera show and sale, workshops, collector forums, and other conference events. The Society’s Web site — www.ephemerasociety.org — connects with thousands of visitors seeking information about ephemera, provides contacts with other collectors and ephemera-related businesses, and includes notices of Society events. (source www.ephemerasociety.org)

What is a Light Meter ?

A light meter or exposure meter is a device used to measure the amount of light, typically  in photography, A light meter is often used to determine the proper exposure for a photograph. Some modern light meters interface with a computer which allows the photographer to determine which shutter speed and f-number should be selected for an optimum exposure, given a certain lighting situation and film speed. Light meters are also used in the fields of cinematography and scenic design, in order to determine the optimum light level for a scene. They are used in the general field of lighting, where they can help to reduce the amount of waste light used in the home, light pollution outdoors, and plant growing to ensure proper light levels. The Rhamstine Electrophot was one of the first (if not the actual first) photo-electric meters and was manufactured in the early 1930′s.

Rhamstine Electrophot Exposure Meter

The J Thos Rhamstine M-S-A Electrophot exposure meter was made in Detroit, Michigan USA and first introduced in 1932, uses a battery-powered selenium cell as a light receptor. The first photo-electric exposure meter is reported to have  been advertised in the Home Movies magazine in October 1931 by J Thomas Rhamstine . There is popular belief that the Weston 617 was the first meter, however, three others ae noted before the Weston Meter appeared in August 1932. Before that time photographers had to rely upon their own judgment, or written instructions provided in simple tables to determine the best f-stop and shutter speed combination to use when taking a picture as the existing exposure meters were still very expensive. This his a hard to find historic photo-meter.

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What is a Rangefinder Camera?

A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus. Most varieties of rangefinder show two images of the same subject, one of which moves when a calibrated wheel is turned; when the two images coincide and fuse into one, the distance can be read off the wheel. Older, non-coupled rangefinder cameras display the focusing distance and require the photographer to transfer the value to the lens focus ring; cameras without built-in rangefinders could have an external rangefinder fitted into the accessory shoe. Earlier cameras of this type had separate viewfinder and rangefinder windows; later the rangefinder was incorporated into the viewfinder. More modern designs have rangefinders coupled to the focusing mechanism, so that the lens is focused correctly when the rangefinder images fuse; compare with the focusing screen in non-autofocus SLRs.

Rangefinder History

The first rangefinders, sometimes called “telemeters”, appeared in the nineteenth century; the first rangefinder camera to be marketed was the 3A Kodak Autographic Special of 1916; the rangefinder was coupled. Not itself a rangefinder camera, the Leica I of 1925 had popularized the use of accessory rangefinders. The Leica II and Zeiss Contax I, both of 1932, were great successes as 35mm rangefinder cameras, while on the Leica Standard, also introduced in 1932, the rangefinder was omitted. The Contax II (1936) integrated the rangefinder in the center of the viewfinder. Rangefinder cameras were common from the 1930s to the 1970s, but the more advanced models lost ground to single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras. Rangefinder cameras have been made in all sizes and all film formats over the years, from 35mm through medium format (rollfilm) to large-format press cameras. Until the mid-1950s most were generally fitted to more expensive models of cameras. Folding bellows rollfilm cameras, such as the Balda Super Baldax or Mess Baldix, the Kodak Retina II, IIa, IIc, IIIc, and IIIC cameras and the Hans Porst Hapo 66e (a cheaper version of the Balda Mess Baldix), were often fitted with rangefinders.

The most recognized rangefinder cameras take 35mm film, use focal plane shutters, and have interchangeable lenses. These are Leica screw mount (also known as M39) cameras developed for lens manufacturer Ernst Leitz Wetzlar by Oskar Barnack (which gave rise to very many imitations and derivatives), Contax cameras manufactured for Carl Zeiss Optics by camera subsidiary Zeiss-Ikon and, after Germany’s defeat in World War II, produced again and then developed as the Ukrainian Kiev), Nikon S-series cameras from 1951–62 (with design inspired by the Contax and function by the Leica), and Leica M-series cameras.

The Nikon rangefinder cameras were discovered in 1950 by Life magazine photographer David Douglas Duncan, who covered the Korean War.[1] Canon manufactured several models from the 1930s until the 1960s; models from 1946 onwards were more or less compatible with the Leica thread mount. (From late 1951 they were completely compatible; the 7 and 7s had a bayonet mount for the 50 mm f/0.95 lens in addition to the thread mount for other lenses.) The Kodak 35 Rangefinder was the first 35 mm camera made by the Eastman Kodak Company in the USA, it was launched in 1940. Other such cameras include the Casca (Steinheil, West Germany, 1948), Detrola 400 (USA, 1940–41), Ektra (Kodak, USA, 1941–8), Foca (OPL, France, 1947–63), Foton (Bell & Howell, USA, 1948), Opema II (Meopta, Czechoslovakia, 1955–60), Perfex (USA, 1938–49), Robot Royal (Robot-Berning, West Germany, 1955–76), and Witness (Ilford, Britain, 1953). Among the longer lasting marques, all but the Leica M succumbed in the marketplace to pressure from SLRs. The most recent in the M-series are the M7, the first of the series to feature automatic exposure and an electronic shutter; and the all-mechanical MP, an updated M6 with an M3-style rewind knob; and the new M8, Leica’s first digital rangefinder.

In the United States the dependable and inexpensive Argus C-3 AKA The “Brick”) was far and away the most popular 35mm rangefinder, with millions sold. Interchangeable-lens rangefinder cameras with focal-plane shutters are greatly outnumbered by fixed-lens leaf-shutter rangefinder cameras. The most popular design in the ’50s were folding designs like the Kodak Retina and the Zeiss Contessa. In the 1960s many fixed-lens 35mm rangefinder cameras for the amateur market were produced by several manufacturers, mainly Japanese, including Canon, Fujica, Konica, Mamiya, Minolta, Olympus, Ricoh, and Yashica. Distributors such as Vivitar and Revue often sold rebranded versions of these cameras. While designed to be compact like the Leica, they were much less expensive. Many of them, such as the Minolta 7sII and the Vivitar 35ES, were fitted with high-speed, extremely high quality optics. Though eventually replaced in the market with newer compact autofocus cameras, many of these older rangefinders continue to operate, having outlived most of their newer (and less well-constructed) successors. Starting with a camera made by the small Japanese company Yasuhara in the 1990s, there has been something of a revival of rangefinder cameras. Aside from the Leica M series, rangefinder models from this period include the Konica Hexar RF, Cosina, who makes the Voigtländer Bessa T/R/R2/R3/R4 (the last three are made in both manual or aperture automatic version, which use respectly the “m” or “a” sign in model), and the Hasselblad Xpan/Xpan 2. Zeiss has a new model called the Zeiss Ikon, also made by Cosina, while Nikon has also produced expensive limited editions of its S3 and SP rangefinders to satisfy the demands of collectors and aficionados. Cameras from the former Soviet Union — the Zorki and FED, based on the screwmount Leica, and the Kiev — are plentiful in the used market. Medium-format (rollfilm) rangefinder cameras continue to be produced. Recent models include the Mamiya 6 and 7I/7II, the Bronica RF645 and the Fuji G, GS and GSW series. In 1994, Contax introduced an autofocus rangefinder camera, the Contax G.

The Electro 35 is a rangefinder camera that was made by Yashica of Japan. The cameras were produced starting around 1966. It has a coupled and fixed1:1.7 45 mm lens. It was the first electronically controlled camera, operating mainly in an aperture priority ‘auto’ mode. The only other modes of operation are ‘flash’ (1/30th) and ‘bulb’. This great looking vintage camera is in very good condition, all levers, knobs and buttons move, turn and appear to function. The lens is a Yashinon DX 1:7.7 1-45mm, Yashinon Japan. The leather case is in very good condition too with minimal wear from age. This great collectible camera is used and sold as is.

Purchase this Fine Vintage Yashica Electro 35 Film Camera HERE

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The Ricohflex was a series of 6×6 TLR Cameras made by Riken Optical Industries (Ricoh) in the 1950s. The focusing rings around the front lens elements of camera and finder lens are geared for synchronous focusing.

The Super Ricohflex Camera was the most sold Ricohflex. The hard to find Super Ricohflex Film Camera was manufactured in 1955 by the Riken Optical Co., Ltd. Japan. It uses film type 120 with a picture size of 6cm x 6cm, weight 27.4oz. The taking lens is a Ricoh Anastigmat 1:8 5/80 mm The top viewer lens is  1:3.5/ 80 mm, the stops are f3.5 (stops to f16), Filter Size 36mm push-on Focal range 3.6′ to infinity Shutter Riken Shutter speeds B, 1/10 – 1/200 Viewfinder, TLR. This fantastic camera is a collectors “must have”.

Sold – Thank You !

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Enjoy this Vintage Ricohflex Advertisement:

Retro Advertising

These short ads were used during intermission at drive-in movie theaters during the 1950′s and 1960′s to get people to consume junk food from the concession stand.

1983 Care Bears Record Player with Records is hard to find, it was made by American Greeting Corp in 1983, has 2 speeds (33 rpm / 45 rpm / neutral) with a single knob for on/off/volume and a white plastic handle. We have installed a new needle (stylus) and played several records with it. This item is used and sold as is. We also include 3 Strawberry Shortcake “SEE HEAR READ” record-books. Purchase this Great Care Bears Record Player HERE