New book about PROTOTYPES - movie cameras that never hit the market

[Juergen Lossau]

My little publishing house is preparing a new book called PROTOTYPE. Inside there are around 100 movie cameras that were never built. Super 8, Single-8, 16mm, 8mm. Ingenious designs that were too expensive to mass produce. Or were conceived too early. Or too late. Models that could take photos and filming movies. Intelligent design, opulent functions. Inventions between 1935 and 1980. A last look at these analog treasures before they are forgotten. Interviews with constructors and designers. This book is free for pre-ordering now. Today, technical books are only available in small print runs. That's why we work with pre-orders for this title, in order to be able to estimate the exact print run. Distribution currently only online and not through bookstores. Here you will find more information: https://www.mysuper8.net/shop/protot...movie-cameras/

[Douglas Meltzer]

Juergen,

Absolutely fascinating!

[Steve Klare]

I love the camera on the cover!

"Halt! -or you will be vaporized!"

I'm torn which I like better: "klitzekleine" or "itty-bitty"!

(Ich sollte dieses Buch für meinen Kaffeetisch kaufen!)

[Eivind Mork]

Very cool! I don't want to miss this, so I just made a (pre) order on your page :-)

[Juergen Lossau]

Thanks for the nice comments and the orders so far. Here you will find some of the brand names from the book:

Agfa (3x 8mm, 8x Super 8)

Arri (Super 8)

Bauer (5x Super 8)

Beaulieu (2x Super 8)

Bolex (Super 8)

Bolsey (8mm)

Braun Nizo (2x 8mm, 10x Super 8)

Canon (Super 8)

Chinon (Super 8)

Eumig (15x Super 8)

Fujica (5x Single-8)

Gakken (Single-8)

GOMZ (Super 8, 16mm)

Kodak (16mm, 2x Super 8)

Leitz Leicina (12x 8mm)

Logmar (Super 8)

Meopta (8mm)

Nikon (8mm, Super 8)

Rollei (8mm, 16mm, Super 8)

Saraber Finetta (Super 8)

Silma (Super 8)

Suchanek (8mm)

Victor (2x 16mm)

Zeiss Ikon (16mm)

and others

[Juergen Lossau]

New prototypes arrived
Victor 8mm, Kodak 16mm, Kodak Super 8, Logmar Super 8

[Steven Michelsen]

I have an 8mm camera that may (or may not) be considered a prototype. It's a Canon 8S. It is the predecessor to the Canon 8T. Canon's "camera museum" site mentions it briefly here as "not marketed". I posted a question about it on another page on this forum. Your thoughts, here or on that page, are welcome.

Thanks,
Steve

[Lee Mannering]

Logmar produced approaching 40 cameras which were advanced for the time. The downside with them for me was having to pull nearly 3ft of film from the cartridge to manually thread the aperture.
The intended new Kodak camera really picked up where it left off.

[Juergen Lossau]

I have an 8mm camera that may (or may not) be considered a prototype. It's a Canon 8S. It is the predecessor to the Canon 8T. Canon's "camera museum" site mentions it briefly here as "not marketed". I posted a question about it on another page on this forum. Your thoughts, here or on that page, are welcome.

Thanks,
Steve

Hi Steve, great to hear that you have a Canon "prototype". I would like to add it to the book.

[Juergen Lossau]

Logmar produced approaching 40 cameras which were advanced for the time. The downside with them for me was having to pull nearly 3ft of film from the cartridge to manually thread the aperture.
The intended new Kodak camera really picked up where it left off.

Hi Lee, an early Logmar version with parts from a 3D printer will be also in the book.

[Juergen Lossau]

Here is a nice article about the upcoming book:

https://www.filmkorn.org/cameras-of-...types/?lang=en

[Erik Snel]

Hi jeurgen, I too have a Prototype in my posession, its a wooden model that looks a alot like the Eumig nautica. a few years ago i found three eumig based prototypes and sold two of them to the Eumig Museum. you may have featured them in the book one is also a nautica prototype in black with orange buttons and the other is a montgomery ward 765XL which seems based on the eumig 125XL camera. now the nautica did see production eventually but i don't think the montgomery ward did

[Juergen Lossau]

Hi Erik, nice to hear, thanks. Yeah, I received some photos photos of the Montgomery from the Eumig museum. If you have some of the wooden Eumig Nautica please send it to me by mail info -at- super8.tv - thanks so much!

[Juergen Lossau]

Finished! The book is in the print shop now, it will be published in two weeks. 150 (!) prototypes on 180 pages. If you like to have a copy, look here: https://www.mysuper8.net/shop/protot...movie-cameras/

[Juergen Lossau]

Here is the final list of models:

7x Agfa 8mm, Super 8

1x Arri DS8

8x Bauer 8mm, Super 8

4x Beaulieu Super 8

1x Bilora 8mm

3x Bolex Super 8 Sound

6x Bolsey 8mm, 16mm

1x Canon Super 8

16x Eumig Super 8, Super 8 Sound

13x Fujica Single-8

14x Kodak Super 8

14x Leicina 8mm, Super 8

5x Logmar Super 8

26x Meopta 8mm, Super 8

3x Nikon 8mm, Super 8

22x Braun Nizo 8mm, Super 8, Super 8 Sound

10x Rollei, 8mm, Super 8, 16mm

3x Victor 8mm, 16mm

1x Zeiss Ikon 16mm



158 prototypes in total