Need help trying to identify house brands and where they came from

JDMvW · October 28, 2010

I was looking around trying to identify just who marketed the "Regent" brand accessories. Not much luck on that, but as long as I was looking I found some others. Some names I should remember but don't and others had house brand names, but I can't (I'm a senior, by the way) remember them off-hand. Here's a partial and quick-and-dirty list. Can anyone help out by IDing some of these and adding any house brands that aren't on the list that they know about?

<tbody>

<td width="168" height="13">brand name</td>

<td width="174">Store/Company</td>

<td width="133">Nationality</td>

<td width="105">Kind of goods</td>

</tr>

<td height="13">Asanuma</td>

<td>Asanuma Shōkai</td>

<td>Japan</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Astra</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Astraflex</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Calumet</td>

<td>Calumet</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Cambron</td>

<td>Cambridge Camera Exchange</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Columbia</td>

<td>Burke & James Inc.Chicago, Illinois</td>

<td>re-branded Praktica</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">ConSol</td>

<td>re-branded Contax</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Contica</td>

<td>unknown</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Flashpoint</td>

<td>Adorama</td>

<td>lighting</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Flektar</td>

<td>Peerless</td>

<td>re-branded Weltaflex</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Focal</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">FOTICON</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Hanimex</td>

<td>Hanimex</td>

<td>Australia</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Hanimex Praktica</td>

<td>Hanimex</td>

<td>Australia, USA</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Hexacon</td>

<td>ConSol ?</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Jenaflex</td>

<td>re-branded Praktica</td>

</tr>

<td>Asanuma Shōkai</td>

<td>Japan</td>

</tr>

<td>re-branded Praktica</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Peeroflex</td>

<td>Peerless</td>

<td>re-branded Weltaflex</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Phoenix</td>

<td>Samyang</td>

<td>Korea</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Phoenix??</td>

<td>Porter's</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Porst</td>

<td>Photo Porst</td>

<td>Germany</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Prinz</td>

<td>Dixons (others?)</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Quantaray</td>

<td>Ritz Camera</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Regent</td>

<td>Japan made</td>

<td>telextender</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Revue</td>

<td>Foto-Quelle, Nürnberg</td>

<td>Germany</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Revueflex</td>

<td>Foto-Quelle, Nürnberg</td>

<td>Germany</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Ritacon</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Rival</td>

<td>Peerless</td>

<td>camera</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Samigon</td>

<td>Samigon</td>

<td>lenses</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Spiratone</td>

<td>Spiratone</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Superflex</td>

<td>USA, Washington, DC area</td>

<td>re-branded Weltaflex</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Tower</td>

<td>Sears</td>

<td>general</td>

</tr>

<td height="12">Vivitar</td>

<td>Ponder and Best</td>

<td>

lenses

</td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

JDMvW · October 28, 2010

Note that some of the above turned out to be 2-row entries when pasted in from Excel, so watch the alignment for the last column. Sorry.

I should remember who did the Astra, but it escapes me right now. One of the New York stores, sold the "Girl Watcher" version of the 400mm f/6.3 lens also marketed by Spiratone.

tom_harvey3 · October 28, 2010

Hey JDM, I'll just chime in here with another one that you may come across..."PRO"...Photographic Research Organization (IIRC)...sold by Ritz in the late 1960's to about 1974, when they changed names on the house-branded stuff.

ridinhome · October 28, 2010

Should Honeywell and Bell & Howell be on this list? IIRC B&H used to sell Canonets with their name on it and I have a Honeywell Spottie in my collection.

Oh and Montgomery Ward used to sell stuff, sometimes rebadged Konicas, under the Wards brand. See here: <a href="http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Ward">http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_Ward</a>

rick_drawbridge · October 28, 2010

That's a worthwhile project, JDM. regarding the Jenaflex, I've never been able to find an association with any particular retailer or distributor; all my information suggests that the two models are re-badged Praktica "B" series that were made as "Celebration" models to commemorate to 50th anniversary of the first Dresden-made reflex mirror cameras. Apparently, they were offered through the usual retail network.

JDMvW · October 28, 2010

Yes, I contemplated Heiland/Honeywell - Pentax, EPOI - Nikon, Bell & Howell - Canon, and so on, but decided to skip those, maybe they should be on the list. Thanks to all for the additional ones. Hope people will keep them coming.

Rick, thanks. Your impression was mine as well in re the Jenaflex, although I had also wondered if it was some kind of specifically British trademark situation at the time. Prakticas were marketed as such in Britain at the time I think, but I'm not sure if it were the same importer. Wards should have been on the list, although they did not do the scale of rebranding that Sears had done back into the 19th c. with SEROCO and the like. In fact, in looking for retail information on cameras in general in the US market back when, I've found the Wards annual photo catalog more useful because it does not have the predominance of house brands that Sears did.

As an aside, Sears often monopolized the production of small producers and then after a few years made them an offer they couldn't refuse to take them over.

rick_drawbridge · October 28, 2010

"Panagor" was a rebranding of Japanese lenses for the European market. It's my impression that Kino/Kiron created the brand for their European distribution, but there's some evidence to suggest that Panagor lenses may not have been identical with their Kiron-branded equivalents, and even that the Panagor brand may have included some products from other manufacturers, rather in the style of Vivitar. But Kino Precision produced so many lenses under so many brands that the whole situation is somewhat inscrutable.

Matthew Currie · October 28, 2010

Cavalier was a house brand of Willoughby's in New York, back in the 70's.

steve_levine · October 28, 2010

Not sure if this fits the category: Sears & Roebuck sold Ricoh 35MM SLRs with the SEARS name on them.

will_daniel1 · October 28, 2010

JDM, here are some of the brand names we sold at Honeywell when I worked for the company:

<ul>

<li>Pentax</li>

<li>Strobonar </li>

<li>Nikor darkroom products (not related to Nikon or Nikkor)</li>

<li>Agfa film and paper</li>

<li>Wein slave units (not exclusive to Honeywell)</li>

</ul>

All of the Heiland branded products (Strobonar) became Honeywell assets -- not sure what year that transfer took place -- sometime before 1973, for sure.

One Pentax was sold exclusively in the United States by Honeywell, and that was the Spotmatic IIa. If you see it without the Honeywell name on it, it's a miracle.

Will

steve m smith · October 28, 2010

I think Miranda was (still is?) a brand exclusive to Dixons in the UK.

ridinhome · October 28, 2010

Does Lester Dine count? I know they rebadged the Kiron 105, but I don't know if you would consider them a "house brand"...aren't they a pretty well recognized dental brand by themselves?

robert_marvin · October 28, 2010

Astra, Astraflex, etc was used by Sterling Howard in the Bronx, NY for re-branded Pentacons and other E. German Cameras; my first enlarger (a 2-1/4 X 3-1/4 Japanese-made Magnifax, also a SH brand), came from them c. 1958.

The Hexacon was a re-branded Pentacon/Contax D sold by Peerless; I almost bought one as my first "good" camera in 1957, when I was 13, but ended up with an Olympus 35S instead. I couldn't deal with the pre-set lens on the SLR and was confused by the salesman's telling me that it was made by Zeiss Ikon, but not the same Zeiss Ikon as the Contaflex, which I wpuld have preferred had I been able to afford one.

JDMvW · October 28, 2010

Thanks all, I appreciate it.

I should have remembered Astra was Sterling Howard.

The trouble here is if you're old enough to remember, you may be too old to remember. ;)

astral · October 28, 2010

JDM, Prinz was exclusive to Dixons, UK, as were the later Mirandas (Pentax KM mount and maybe the earliest Miranda M42 models). Zodel lenses and cameras, and Harmony lenses, were exclusive to Wallace Heaton, London, which was bought by Dixons in the late 70s or early 80s).

I have info on many of the independent or house lens brands in the UK, but this needs some thought and research in my collection of UK photo magazines before I can post anything coherent (probably best sent as a spreadsheet initially). This could be a long-running project.

clay2 · October 28, 2010

How about Bessler Topcon Super D ?

"Bessler' was engraved on Topcons in the 1960's.

Best regards,

/Clay

ralf_j. · October 28, 2010

Here is another exotic one, Korvette, from UK. None else, than a Mamiya Family rebadged. Also Kalimar, rebadged some Zenits from USSR.

machts gut · October 29, 2010

I would add Beroflex to the list. Founded by the westgerman partners of Pentacon in 1969 to trade their products in West Germany. They rebranded Pentacon cameras, but also some lenses Made in Japan, like the pre-dial 8/500.

wendell_kelly · October 29, 2010

Miranda was a brand in its own right, widely sold in the US.

Matthew Currie · October 29, 2010

I'm not sure I'd qualify Vivitar as a house brand, since they were sold by many retailers. Vivitar and Soligor both were marketing rather than manufacturing companies, but not attached to a single outlet. But if you count Vivitar, I suppose you'd have to count Soligor too, which belonged to Allied Impex. They also bought the Miranda company, so though Miranda was a brand in its own right, it was also, in a sense, the house brand of Allied Impex.

JDMvW · October 29, 2010

Thanks,

as the actress said to the bishop, don't stop now.

I should have got Reflexa on here as a British rebranding of a Mamiya Prismat (one of many going from Nikon to Sears).

JDMvW · October 29, 2010

Here is a list of trademarks held in the USA in 1953 from a Modern Photography of June 1953.

TRADE-MARK Holder AGFA General Aniline & Film Corp. 230 Park Ave., New York City ALUNA Ozalid Corp. 350 West 4th St., New York City ANTICOMAR Photo lmex, Inc. 110 West 32nd St., New York City ARGOFLEX Argus Cameras, Inc. 405 Fourth St., Ann Arbor, Mich. ARGUS Argus Cameras, Inc. 405 Fourth St., Ann Arbor, Mich. ASTRA Astra Photo Products Inc. 243 West 55th St., New York City BALDA Kling Photo Co. 235 Fourth Ave.. New York City BALDINA SUPER Kling Photo Co. 235 Fourth Ave.. New York City BELCA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City BELFOCA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City BELTICA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City B. & L. Bausch & Lomb Optical Co. 648 St. Paul St., Rochester, N. Y. BERTRAM Theodor D. Erlanger 83-15 Lefferts Blvd., Kew Gardens. Queens,N.Y. BIOTAR Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City BOLEX Paillard Products Inc. 265 Madison Ave., New York City CONTAX Carl Zeiss, Inc. 485 Fifth Ave., New York City DOLLINA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City EXCELSIOR Photo Utilities Inc. 10 West 33rd St., New York City ERCONA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City FEDERAL Federal Mfg. & Engineer. Corp. 199-217 Steuben St., Brooklyn 5, N. Y. FINELUX Bennett Co., The 837 Howard St., San Francisco, Calif. FINETTA Bennett Co., The 837 Howard St., San Francisco, Calif. IKOFLEX Carl Zeiss, Inc. 485 Fifth Ave., New York City ILOCA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City KILAR Photoptic Import Corp. 235 Fourth Ave., New York City KORELLE Burke & James Inc. 321 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, 111. LEICA, E. Leitz, Inc. 468 Fourth Ave., New York City LEITZ E. Leitz, Inc. 468 Fourth Ave., New York City LEUDI Mimosa American Corp. 207 East 84th St., New York City LINHOF Kling Photo Co. 235 Fourth Ave.. New York City MAKINA Photo lmex, Inc. 110 West 32nd St., New York City MERITAR Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City MIKUT Photo lmex, Inc. 110 West 32nd St., New York City NIZO Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City PERLE Burke & James Inc. 321 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, 111. PETAL Mycro Camera Co. 527 Fifth Ave.. New York City PHOTOSCOP Photo Utilities Inc. 10 West 33rd St., New York City PRAKTIFLEX The Praktica Co., Inc. 50 West 29th St., New York City PRAKTICA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City PLAUBEL Photo lmex, Inc. 110 West 32nd St., New York City PRIMARREFLEX Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City PRIMOTAR Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City REFLECTA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City REFLEKTA Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City SANDMAR Harry J. Graw 6424 North Western Ave., Chicago, 111. SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH Burleigh Brooks Co. 10 West 46fh St., New York City SIXTOMAT Mitropa Corp. 50 Broadway, New York City SONNAR Carl Zeiss, Inc. 485 Fifth Ave., New York City STEKY American-Continental Co., Inc. 151 West 28th St., New York City T Ercona Camera Corp. 527 Fifth Ave., New York City TEWE Cinefot International Corp. 303 West 42nd St., New York City TRANS-LUX Trans-Lux Corp. 1270 Ave. of Americas, New York City VAREX Argus Cameras, Inc. 405 Fourth St., Ann Arbor, Mich. VESTKAM Panation Trade Co. 381 Fourth Ave., New York City WELTINI Burke & James Inc. 321 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, 111. WELTUR Burke & James Inc. 321 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, 111. ZEISS Carl Zeiss, Inc. 485 Fifth Ave., New York City Data from "Buying a Camera Abroad?" in Modern Photography 1953-06:92-3

JDMvW · October 29, 2010

If you have further corrections, especially for non-US 'house' brands, please send me the data. Thanks all.

peter_naylor1 · October 30, 2010

Hi, JDM This is a most worthy project of yours, but I fear it may 'Do A Topsy' and just grow and grow .... ! For example, when I acquired my first Vivitar Series 1 70-210 F3.5 zoom lens for my OM1 a few years ago, I was inquisitive about which company had actually made it for Vivitar. Luckily, thanks to that excellent 'Classic Camera Profiles' website run by Stephen Gandy, I was able to point the finger definately at Kiron. However, it was quite amazing just how many other manufacturers had produced that same lens over the years for Vivitar. I haven't looked at Gandy's website for a while, but I'm sure there were at least 10 separate companies involved - and remember, this is just ONE lens we're talking about!

So when you think how many lenses (and later cameras to some extent) Vivitar had marketed over the years, it becomes a real headache to trace the ancestry of 'em all. And of course, this is just one company we're talking about. Hanimex, Spiratone, Tamron and the post-AIC Soligors are surely much the same. Anyhow, you've made an excellent start and I admire your perseverance! (Pete In Perth)

tom_harvey3 · October 30, 2010

I believe the Heiland <---> Honeywell transition was early 1960's. I used a "Honeywell" Strobonar with a Yashica 635 in High School from 1966-1970.

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