Cameras/canon
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Question
I have a camera with the following written:
Canon No 16019
SEIKI-KOGAKU
TOKYO
lens:
serenar 3:5 f=5cm. Seiki-Kokaku No.8481
Wanted to know whether you can help out withsome information?
Hello,
That would be a Canon S-II made in Japan around 1947. It's a typical 35mm coupled rangefinder camera of that period. Not the type of thing you'd want to use today. All mechanical, rather primitive, and difficult to understand. However, it was very high quality back then, and somewhat historically significant as an early successful Canon product. Unfortunately, it's just a bit common since they made so darn many of them. In truly excellent condition, you'd probably get about $300 for it. These are extremely difficult to sell today because the market is very specialized. Don't waste your time with eBay because you'll only be disappointed. Instead, I can recommend three very honest collectors and historians who are most interested in early Canon, and I'm sure they'd make very fair offers to buy. You can contact them directly:
Tommy Aaron <zeissnikon@mindspring.com>
Frank West <gryku@yahoo.com>
Kevin Wall <kdwall@pacifier.com>
Send all three of them an e-mail explaining what you have, if possible provide a small JPEG image of the camera, and ask them to make offers if they are interested. Whoever makes the highest offer is your buyer! If none of them are at least willing to go $250, get back to me for more recommendations. However, I'm confident that one of them will get to $300 or more. This is your best opportunity to sell at a fair price...going directly to the most appropriate buyers. That should do it!
Good luck, and don't hesitate to contact me again with any questions or comments.
Best wishes,
David Silver
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David Silver
Expertise
I'm an expert on all types of antique, classic, and contemporary cameras, as well as the general history of photography. Everything from ancient box cameras to modern single-lens-reflex; from simple Kodaks to sophisticated Leica and Nikon; from glass plates and roll film to movie and 35mm. I can identify and appraise them, explain how they work, and offer insights on their restoration and care. I can also provide historical background on vintage cameras and equipment, and guidelines on their purchase and sale.
Experience
I've been a professional photographer and a student of the history of photography for nearly 30 years. During that time my collection of vintage cameras and photographic paraphernalia has grown beyond 2000 significant pieces. I've published nearly 70 articles in the field, including 16 in the popular "Buying Classic Cameras" series for PHOTO SHOPPER MAGAZINE from 1995 to 1997, I'm currently a contributing editor for CAMERA SHOPPER MAGAZINE and McKEOWN'S PRICE GUIDE TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC CAMERAS, and I've written numerous entries for WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA. Portions of my collection have been displayed in museums and special exhibits in the past two decades, and many of the items were photographed as illustrations for books. In 1985 I founded the International Photographic Historical Organization (InPHO), which eventually evolved into its intended purpose as the best first resource for information on the history of photography. I'm also a founding member of several e-mail forums dedicated to specialized areas of photography, and I'm the moderator of the Internet Directory of Camera Collectors (IDCC), which remains the largest and most successful such group in the world. For more information about the International Photographic Historical Organization and its many services, please visit its web pages at:
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