Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

In the old camera photography museum in Shanghai, there is a special collection that looks mediocre, but the valuation in the camera collection market is as high as 1 million yuan.

This Dongfeng brand 6920, which is full of "Hasu flavor", is a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the National Day and a microcosm of China's camera industry at that time.

When it comes to cameras, our first impressions are established Japanese manufacturers such as Nikon, Canon, Sony and Fuji, or German luxury goods such as Leica and Hasu. For domestic camera brands, we may vaguely remember the last century brand names such as Seagull and Phoenix.

▲ picture source network at that time, the camera, but also need to load film to shoot, now into the digital age, the voice of domestic cameras is getting weaker and weaker, the figure of domestic cameras is also gradually disappearing in our field of vision.

Difficult start and rapid development the first domestic camera in the history of China's Kokao camera manufacturing is a box camera led by Mr. Zheng Chonglan, code-named "Xianle", with an output of only more than 200 sets.

"after I opened the photo studio, I found that all the equipment I used were imported from foreign countries. I think we can do these things ourselves, so there's no need to buy foreign products." This sentence of Mr. Zheng Chonglan is the portrayal of every Chinese optics practitioner.

However, "Xianle" is only a flash in the pan, and the real start of China's camera industry will not take place until the mid-1950s.

At that time, national industry and commerce had the opportunity to recover and develop. under the promotion of policies such as "developing economy and transforming industry and commerce", the development and production of cameras were gradually put on the agenda.

At the beginning of the production of cameras, basically refer to the Soviet Union's design.

With the assistance of Soviet experts, Beijing Dalai Seiki Factory successfully trial-produced 12 135paraxial cameras based on the former Soviet Union "Zorki". Compared with the early wooden box cameras, this is the first batch of modern cameras produced in New China.

Based on this, new camera production plants have been set up in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and other places, and the camera industry has entered the initial stage.

Two years later, a leading group for trial production of cameras was set up in Shanghai, and Shanghai Watch glasses Company undertook the task of trial production. Mr. Lexiushan uses manual knocking, grinding and other techniques to produce parts and the most technically difficult shutters. After more than six months of hard work day and night, the first fuselage was trial-assembled.

The camera lens was designed by Changchun Institute of Optics and Precision Machinery, and the processing task was carried out by Mr. Wu Gaofeng. they used the equipment to grind the glasses to create the first 50mmF3.5 lens by hand and went to the Bund for a trial shot.

The Shanghai fuselage and Changchun lens, coupled with the accumulated strength of many workers, have proved that Chinese people can build cameras on their own. The success of this trial production also laid the foundation for the Shanghai camera Factory. Later, the famous brand, Haiou, was reorganized by the Shanghai Factory.

▲ pictures source network, but a high starting point, high-quality cameras, more like works of art, rather than consumer goods to meet the needs of the people. In order to meet people's growing material and cultural life, it is necessary to produce cameras that are reliable in quality and affordable to ordinary people.

In 1964, after deciding to export its products, Shanghai camera Factory registered the trademark "Seagull". Since then, all the products produced by the factory are under the brand name "Seagull". After the birth of seagulls, the famous Seagull 4-Series 120 double reflector camera also came into being. Its predecessor was an imitation machine developed by Shanghai camera Factory five years ago based on Lulai Rolleiflex (1930).

There are several large models, such as 4A Magi, 4B, 4C, etc., and each large model contains several small models. In addition, when Shanghai camera Factory exports to Japan, Germany and other countries, it has derived different brands such as "Texer Automat" and "B.I.G Twin4". By 1970, a total of 105784 model 4 cameras had been exported, accounting for more than half of the output. Seagull 4 series cameras are not only important products of Shanghai Photo Factory, but also the representative of Chinese cameras in the world, and the concrete embodiment of "made in China" at that time. They not only reaped commercial value, but also won a wide reputation.

In the 1970s, camera manufacturing sprang up again, and camera brands blossomed everywhere during this period. For example: peony of Dandong of Liaoning, Friendship of Wuhan, Taihu Lake of Wuxi, Qingdao of Shandong, Changchun of Jilin, Oriental of Tianjin, Huazhong of Hubei, Global of Baoding, scenery of Fujian, as well as Huachi, Emei, Dalian, Songshan and so on, these brands full of local characteristics, the main products produced. It is a derivative of Seagull 4B.

The Seagull 4 Series is like a spark, blooming everywhere in China. Its standardized and large-scale production mode, as well as its simple and reliable classical structure, can be called a milestone for domestic cameras. Up to now, Seagull 4 series double reflector cameras are still popular with domestic photography enthusiasts and equipment collectors.

In 1964, Shanghai camera Factory successfully trial-produced 135SLR cameras based on Minolta SR-2. The product was launched under the seagull brand in 1966, and the product model begins with the word "DF" which stands for the Chinese initials of "SLR". In the late 1970s, Seagull DF series products not only became the most popular 135SLR cameras in China, but also exported to overseas.

▲ Seagull 4A-107 Gold Machine in 1964 not only gave birth to Seagull 4 Series and DF Series two classics, but also the year when Jiangxi Optical instrument General Factory began to build.

Although Jiangxi Optical instrument General Factory started relatively late, with the support of some technology and talents from Shanghai camera industry to Jiangxi, it has developed rapidly and occupies an irreplaceable position in China's camera industry.

The first product produced by Jiangxi Optical instrument General Factory is the 205 camera transferred with Shanghai No. 2 camera Factory. Since there is no independent trademark at this time, the brand "Seagull" has been used continuously for nearly a decade. This is an entry machine for the older generation of photography enthusiasts, the stock is very large, in the "seagull camera is rich and handsome" era once became the most popular replacement.

The Golden Age of the 205camera produced by ▲ after obtaining the Phoenix trademark: two birds compete with each other in the 1980s, several major factories are constantly developing and gradually formed a Chinese civil camera industry dominated by Phoenix and seagulls. The era of the fastest development of cameras in China kicked off in the "Competition between two Birds".

The vast majority of civil cameras in the last century are film cameras, the fuselage is mostly purely mechanical structure, and most of the lenses are manual lenses, and the manufacturing threshold is more limited to the optical level and mechanical design. After years of development, China's optical level and instrument manufacturing are in the forefront of the world. At this time, Chinese industry is also fully capable of independently producing qualified film machines and accepting the test of the market.

In 1978, the former Shanghai camera Factory and Shanghai No. 2 and No. 5 camera factories merged to form the Shanghai camera General Factory. By 1985, the annual output of all kinds of cameras of Shanghai camera General Factory reached 5351 million, reaching the highest level in history. Three years later, Shanghai Seagull camera Company was established, with Shanghai camera General Factory as the main body, with the participation of more than 20 cross-regional and cross-industry units, with nearly 7,000 employees.

At the same time of the enterprise reform, Haiou has also undertaken the contract production of Minolta, Centon and other foreign brands, the technical level and market environment can be described as the peak.

▲ Photo Source Network in September 1980, Phoenix JG-301 passed the national appraisal and put into mass production. As the first aperture priority automatic exposure camera in China, Phoenix JG-301 reached the level of similar foreign products at that time in terms of performance and appearance. Three years later, Jiangxi Optical instrument General Factory achieved the "Phoenix" trademark, brand strategy to achieve phased results.

In the mid-1980s, Jiangxi Optical instrument Factory introduced the production line of Yashika FX-3 camera, and Phoenix camera began to cooperate with Japanese Yashika company to produce SLR cameras. After 1988, the DC303 model 135SLR camera was successfully trial-manufactured based on FX-3. In order to meet the needs of photography enthusiasts, models such as the DC303K launched after 1992 have been replaced with more popular competitive bayonets. At the same time, Phoenix has also expanded the model extension of the 205 camera, leaving a choice for middle and low-end consumers.

Phoenix's strategy of catering to the market made it the most active camera manufacturer in China in the next decade. In the era of gradual liberalization of the planned economy, Phoenix cameras have become one of the few goods that still need to be purchased by ticket, and it is difficult to get a ticket.

At that time, Phoenix not only had a strong domestic business, but also opened up a foreign market. The cameras with an annual output of 1x3 were exported to more than 30 countries, and they fought back and forth with big foreign manufacturers on the low-end product line. In the 1990s, the price of a full set of Phoenix camera lenses was about 1,000 yuan, which was much cheaper than the tens of thousands of Canon and Nikon lenses, and had almost the same function, so it was well received.

It is worth mentioning that the golden age of domestic cameras is not only done by camera companies, the camera's "ammunition"-film, is related to the cost of pressing the shutter each time. The rise of domestic color film has greatly reduced the cost of photography, providing a powerful engine for the camera industry.

The color scroll is called the "crown jewel" of silver halide photosensitive material, which is the embodiment of a country's photosensitive material industry level. At that time, only a few film companies such as Kodak of the United States, Fuji of Japan and Agfa of Germany mastered this technology, and other large chemical companies were also unable to break into it.

In 1983, a special group led by Academician Zou Jing successfully developed an experimental formula for the first generation of civil color film in China. The following spring, the first generation of color scrolls went on sale. Two years later, the "Lucky Brand" trademark was officially launched.

In the 1980s, foreign products were updated and the most advanced R-grade products (high resolution film) were launched. In 1987, Zou Jing again took over the task of developing R-grade color scrolls. It took 22 months, and after thousands of experiments, the new generation of color scrolls were successfully developed. In 1992, Lucky launched the third generation color film GBR100, whose main performance and actual shooting effect are close to the level of Kodak's high-end products.

In the 1990s, the market share of domestic color film led by Lucky rose from 5% to about 35%, competing with Kodak and Fuji.

As the selling price of Lucky is only Kodak's 1Compact 2, international giants such as Kodak and Fuji have to adopt a low-price strategy. The average price of the same Kodak film is $3.58 in the international market and $5 in the United States, while the price in China is only $2.50, below its international wholesale price of $2.6.

It can be said that without Lucky, there would be no color film with the price of cabbage, and the photography boom in the 1990s would have been greatly reduced.

The road to decline with the development of the times, all kinds of cameras began to gradually enter the Chinese market. These technologically advanced, high-quality and inexpensive automatic cameras and stupid cameras had a great impact on domestic cameras. In the early 1990s, some small domestic camera factories have unsalable products and began to withdraw from the market and change industries.

At this time, the domestic camera market has become the world of disputes between the two birds, mainly manifested in the fact that seagulls eat old technology, while Phoenix takes the market-oriented route, but their products are all small and changeable in appearance, and in terms of technological innovation, neither of the two camera factories has made a big difference, and this period obviously can not keep up with the pace of the times.

What really revolutionized the life of domestic cameras is the dimensionality reduction attack from digital cameras.

In 1981, Sony invented the world's first electronic still life camera without photosensitive film, Mavica, with a resolution of only 279 million pixels. By the year 2000, the pixels of mainstream digital cameras have reached 3 million pixels, and the technology is mature and the cost is reduced. Digital cameras get rid of the use of American military satellites to obtain intelligence, and gradually become popular and enter into the field of civilian photography.

The 21 century is the century of electronic technology, and the same is true in the field of imaging. The traditional film machine has reached the bottleneck, while the digital camera has entered the fast lane of development by riding on the east wind of Moore's law.

The core components of ▲ image source network digital camera are CCD and CMOS, which is essentially a kind of photoelectric sensor. When the light passes through, it is converted into an electronic signal according to the difference of the light, and then stored in the medium. Both the old CCD and the new CMOS are made in the same way as chips-the CCD was originally developed as a memory chip and later turned into an image sensor.

With the more advanced chip manufacturing process, the performance of the sensor is getting stronger and stronger, gradually exceeding the analytical power of the film. In addition, with the advantages of convenient operation, low cost and post-editing, the film machine has been beaten all over the floor by the digital machine and has become the product of the old era, but there is no place for it in the new era.

Unfortunately, the electronics industry, especially chip manufacturing, has always been a deficiency for domestic enterprises. There are no qualified sensors in China, but at present, only Canon and Sony can make consumer-grade camera sensors. The two giants, from lithography to the supply chain, are firmly in control of their own hands, building a solid technical barrier.

Even if the domestic manufacturer Seagull gets some of the low-end sensors, the low-end digital camera series has lost its cost advantage and poor sales due to the lack of experience in the manufacture of digital machines. In the late 1990s, Seagull camera Factory was on the verge of bankruptcy because of financial problems.

In 1998, Seagull camera Factory successfully trial-produced the first digital camera in China. The product, called DC-33, has a resolution of about 300 megapixels. Since then, Seagull camera Factory has also tried to produce a number of digital cameras, but none of them have been popularized.

In the new century, affected by the digital wave, Phoenix and seagulls finally stopped production one after another, and manufacturers began to enter a period of dormancy and closure. In 2003, the mainstream media held that "film still has indomitable vitality", and only three years later, the domestic photographic equipment market has started the trend of selling film equipment at a low price for the first time.

In 2012, Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection, and the bankruptcy of the film giant put an end to the film era. This is also the death knell of Phoenix and seagull cameras. Film photography has become a minority hobby and has completely withdrawn from the mainstream video industry.

Looking back at the domestic cameras, the seagull factory building is still there and the seagull brand is still there, but at this time it is more like a dealer of retro toys. After several restructuring of the company, and then twice the legal person changed hands, now the property right is privately owned, and the factory area has already become a writing room.

Phoenix Optics, the first stock of China Optics, which was listed in 1997, rose slightly on June 6, 2022 after five consecutive falls. As of the close of the day, the market capitalization was only 5.24 billion yuan, 12.1 billion yuan less than the peak six months ago. Today, Phoenix's glory is long gone, and the camera business is completely closed, leaving only the optical glass processing business.

In 1985, Tianjin camera Factory designed and launched the Oriental Smuri 435 camera, but never released a new product. In the 1990s, the manufacturer, which once produced China's first 120 camera and the first self-designed 135 SLR camera, quietly withdrew from the stage of history-- there was no clear record of the closing date.

More small factories, like the Tianjin factory, have quietly withdrawn from the stage of history under the attack of backward technology and imported goods. Today's Phoenix and seagull cameras are more active in the hands of collectors, and in the museum's showcases, only those who have experienced the golden age of domestic cameras remember their glory.

Conclusion in the past 2022, Zou Jing, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who presided over the development of domestic color film, died in Tianjin at the age of 86.

As a witness to the golden age of the domestic camera industry, Zou, together with countless Chinese camera industry practitioners, has worked hard all his life for the cause of recording life and history for the Chinese people.

The stories behind those old cameras tell us that in those difficult years, seagulls and Phoenix flew into our lives and recorded the not-so-distant era.

Reference:

① NetEase Digital Special Page: a Review of China's camera Industry

② Li Hui: why do people who collect cameras make money in the end?

③ Shanghai Old camera Museum

④ Dingfu. Several historical problems about the development of Chinese camera industry [J]. Camera, 2000 (05): 32-35.

⑤ Dong Taihe. New challenges facing China's camera industry [J]. Camera, 1998 (01): 6-7.

⑥ thanks the camera collectors for their support.

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: ID:manfangsd, author: transition

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