WELCOME TO P3B

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

It certainly didn’t work out, but now it seems to be working. This will be the third attempt to build a website for my photography collection. Two previous attempts to do so have failed due to the fact that the respective providers lost my files. First you think that’s one time that something like this happens, but it won’t happen a second time. So you start enthusiastically with a second start of the website. Too bad! Again, months of work was lost when my website was transferred to another provider.

At first you are inclined to give up, but after a few days/weeks you muster up all the courage and start working with it again. The intention is now to learn from the mistakes of the past and to fully adapt the website to the latest state of the art. And that’s how it is!

How it started

The prime goal of my photography collection is to present and preserve an example of a broad range of cameras, peripherals and other accessories to give a visitor of the site an entertaining and rewarding trip to the world of the photography before bits and bytes.

Ok, it’s a very grandiose name for what amounts to a motley collection of old cameras. Most were donated by various people, some were bought at jumbles and eBay, some are old cameras that I have photographed with myself and which I have not been able to part with and finally other cameras procured at the going rate.

The whole thing started with just a handful of vintage cameras. The collection has grown in the meantime to over 600 cameras along with a lot of peripherals and other accessories.

Most of them, are not so called “collectibles”. You won’t find the exotica in here, the Leicas, Contax and Rolleis are the photographic elite of this world, instead this is the home of the humble, the ordinary and the everyday camera, that brings back a “deja-vu” feeling.

This ultimately leads me to the question: digital cameras are sold much more than still cameras and, moreover, everyone now takes pictures with their smartphone. All of this has resulted in traditional companies such as Nikon, Canon and others drastically cutting back on the production of film-based cameras.

Kodak still exists (just recently), but it is no longer what it once was. The company has stopped making most photographic papers, and the world’s last processing lab for Kodachrome, has discontinued its K-14 service forever. The question which remains is: what will be the future of film-based photography?

My take is this … I think there will always be photographers who prefer to work with film. Just an example: the oil painters didn’t stop painting when film was invented. Obviously, film is never again going to be the dominant market force in photography (after all the market demands convenience, and film will never be as convenient as digital). But the large niche market which has been building over the last few years should ensure that we never struggle to find somewhere to buy and process our films.

After starting out with an Agfa Clack that I got when I passed my high school entrance exam, this was my first serious camera with which I could really shoot: the Werra III. Exclusive in shape & design and with an interchangeable Jena-T lens.

Listed below are nine different topics covered on the site.
By clicking on the corresponding button you go (and that will certainly not surprise you)
to the relevant page within the site.



history of photograhy
(40 items)

It makes sense to start this photography website with a look back at the history of photography. That means: from the very beginning with an inverted image in a Bedouin tent to the start of the digital age.

Let's go to that History



FILM-BASED & EARLY-DIGITAL CAMERAS
(20 SPECIES, 312 items)

All types of cameras from the large ‘detective’ cameras from the early twentieth century which used sensitized (glass) plates to every type of camera that fit a roll film or polaroid cassette.

Let's go to these Cameras



HISTORY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM
(18 ITEMS)

In the course of time there have been quite a few persons who contributed to the development of photography. Just to name a few: Niépce, Daguerre, Fox Talbot, Eastman and last but not least Edwin Herbert Land.

Let's have a look at the Film History



PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS PIONEERS
(30 PERSONs)

In the course of time there have been quite a few persons who contributed to the development of photography.

Just to name a few: Niépce, Daguerre, Fox Talbot, Eastman and last but not least Edwin Herbert Land.

Let's visit these Pioneers



MANUFACTURING COMPANIES
(20 countries, 312 companies)

In the nineteenth century, most photographic developments came from England and France and to a lesser extent from Germany.. However, after the turn of the century, the German photo industry became a leader.
After World War II, the Japanese photo industry took over this leading position.

Let's visit these Manufacturers



PHOTOGRAPHIC PERIPHERALS
(20 SPECIES, 312 items)

Cameras from the early and mid-twentieth century were limited in their capabilities. That is why they were forced to use all kinds of peripheral equipment such as rangefinders, self timers, flash gear and exposure meters. Later, virtually all of these external equipment were integrated into the camera design.

Let's find out about these peripherals



LIBRARY
(418 items)

Over the (collective) years I have acquired an extensive collection of books, manuals and magazines about photography. In doing so, I did not limit myself to the Dutch language, but I also obtained a lot of reference material in English and German. An extensive overview of the available titles can be found on the website.



PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
(20 species, 312 items)

In the early years, not much attention was paid to it: the promotion of cameras, films, tripods and other photography supplies. However, that gap was more than made up over the years. Advertisements, folders, catalogues, illuminated signs, give-away items, in short, everything was done to integrate photography.



interesting facts
(21 items)

A number of articles that deal with remarkable things from the world of photography. Just to mention a few: the photographer’s famous ‘watch the birdie’ expression, who developed the first digital camera, the origin of the perforated 35mm film, where does the name ‘KODAK’ come from? And so on.

YEARS was I
2nd largest
in Greece

We are writing 2010. The Alonissos Museum has been waiting for years for government permission to show certain archaeological treasures to the public. Display cases have been purchased for this purpose and these are therefore empty in the entrance hall of the museum.

That’s where I come into the picture because I was allowed to use these display vitrines to exhibit my collection of old plate cameras, box cameras, miniature cameras, modern 35 mm SLR cameras and a number of early digital cameras.

That along with accessories such as films, flash guns, rangefinders, light meters, filters, tripods, etc.

Public interest was great. Over the years that the collection has been exhibited, at least 20,000 visitors have shown their admiration. It was therefore a pity that in 2017 a possible expansion of the collection in a new room of the museum could not take place due to internal problems.

So at the moment the collection is in boxes and crates at my house waiting for a better future. Maybe you know a solution to this problem. I will be grateful for it.

a brief journey to the early years of photography

Photo equipment to create images

THE WAY TO RECORD IMAGES BY THE ACTION OF LIGHT THROUGHOUT THE YEARS

SLIDE-2

Saudi Arabia

THE PINHOLE PRINCIPLE IS BASED ON A PROJECTED INVERTED IMAGE THROUGH A HOLE IN A BEDOUIN TENT

SLIDE-3

THE MIDDLE AGES

THE CAMERA OBSCURA WAS USED AS AN AID FOR PAINTING AND DRAWING

SLIDE-4

THE LATE MIDDLE AGES

THE CAMERA OBSCURA GREW BIGGER AND BIGGER OVER THE YEARS

SLIDE-5

IN THE 18TH CENTURY

THE FIRST TIME THAT SUNLIGHT DARKENED A CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE

SLIDE-6

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

SILVER NITRATE ON LEATHER WAS THE NEXT STOP FOR APPLYING IMAGES TO A SURFACE

SLIDE-7

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

HOORAY, THE VERY FIRST REAL PHOTO SAW THE LIGHT IN FRANCE USING ASPHALT!

SLIDE-8

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

NIEPCE NEEDED A PARTNER TO REALIZE A MORE USEFUL PROCESS

SLIDE-9

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

EXPOSURE TIMES OF A FEW MINUTES AND SHELF LIFE IN BRIGHT DAYLIGHT

SLIDE-10

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

THE BIRTH OF THE REAL FORERUNNER OF PHOTOGRAPHY: THE NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE PROCESS

SLIDE-11

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

WET GLASS PLATES PROVIDED MORE DETAILS IN A PHOTO AND (EVEN) SHORTER EXPOSURE TIMES

SLIDE-12

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

A DRY PLATE WAS MUCH EASIER TO USE BUT MUCH SLOWER THAN ITS WET COUNTERPART

SLIDE-13

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

MECHANICAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE ‘EYE’ OF THE CAMERA OBSCURA IN THE 19TH CENTURY

SLIDE-14

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

A MATHEMATIC PROFESSOR CREATED A BETTER AND FASTER LENS

SLIDE-15

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

THE PETZVAL PORTRAIT LENS WAS THE SUPERIOR PORTRAIT LENS FOR OVER A CENTURY

SLIDE-16

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

FROM GLASS PLATES TO TRANSPARENT FLEXIBLE FILM

SLIDE-17

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

THE START OF THE KODAK EMPIRE

SLIDE-18

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

THE KODAK ‘LITTLE ROLL-HOLDER BREAST CAMERA’

SLIDE-19

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

KODAK CONQUERED AMERICA WITH THE SLOGAN: ‘YOU PRESS THE BUTTON, WE DO THE REST’

SLIDE-20

IN THE 19TH CENTURY

THE REAL SUCCESS CAME WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ‘KODAK BROWNIE’

SLIDE-21

A NEW ERA

REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TWENTYTH CENTURY

SLIDE-22

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE ORIGIN OF THE 35MM FORMAT THANKS TO OSCAR BARNACK’S LEICA

SLIDE-23

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

A CASSETTE THAT COULD BE LOADED IN AND REMOVED FROM THE CAMERA IN BRIGHT DAYLIGHT!

SLIDE-24

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE FIRST SATISFACTORY FORM OF INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY APPEARED IN THE 1940’s.
ITS INVENTOR BECAME ‘THE WORLD’S RICHEST SCIENTIST’

SLIDE-25

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION WAS JUST THREE YEARS OLD!

SLIDE-26

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THIS 'READY-WHILE-YOU-WAIT' DEVELOPMENT CAUSED A REVOLUTION IN THE FIELD OF PHOTOGRAPHY

SLIDE-27

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE FIRST POLAROID COLOR PHOTOS CREATED A LOT OF POLLUTION IN THE BEGINNING

SLIDE-28

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE DEVELOPMENT OF COLOR FILM IN GENERAL

SLIDE-29

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

AGFA MADE THE PROCESSING PROCESS MUCH SIMPLER

SLIDE-30

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

PRICE COMPARISON AND EASE OF USE BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOR DURING THE SECOND PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY

SLIDE-31

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

JAPAN TAKES THE LEADING ROLE IN PHOTOGRAPHY AFTER WWII

SLIDE-32

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE SITUATION OF THE PHOTO INDUSTRY IN GERMANY AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR

SLIDE-33

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

JAPAN WAS ‘THE SWEET SPOT’ BACKED BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT

SLIDE-34

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

REFINING THE PHOTO EQUIPMENT AND THE PERIPHERAL DEVICE

SLIDE-35

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

PICTURES FIRST, CAMERAS SECOND: THE STORY OF FILM-BASED DISPOSABLE CAMERAS

SLIDE-36

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE FIRST STEPS INTO THE DIGITAL AGE WERE PUT THROUGH A JAPANESE PROTOTYPE

SLIDE-37

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

LOOKING BACK IRONIC, BUT KODAK DEVELOPED THE FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA SYSTEM

SLIDE-38

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIGITAL CAMERA AT KODAK

SLIDE-39

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

THE FIRST CAMERAS WORKING TOGETHER WITH A HOME COMPUTER

SLIDE-40

IN THE 20TH CENTURY

NEW FACES FOR THE CONSUMER MARKET IN THE NINETIES

Below are some logos from companies that have been involved in the photography industry over the years.
Most of them no longer exist.

Homepage (Demo)

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

How it started

Listed below are nine different topics covered on the site. By clicking on the corresponding button you go (and that will certainly not surprise you) to the relevant page within the site.

Listed below are nine different topics covered on the site.
By clicking on the corresponding button you go (and that will certainly not surprise you)
to the relevant page within the site.