VSSoutlet

This beautiful camera is a Graflex Combat 4x5 Large Format US Navy Military Camera. The Navy and Marines worked with Graflex to produce one of the most interesting Graflex cameras, and one of the few still cameras made especially for the Navy/Marines.

Just bought a trailer-load of great cameras, vintage signs, lenses and more at the The Ohio Camera Collector's Society annual auction. Track our feed as we unload the trailer! #leica #Nikon #canon #graflex

LEICA AND THE JEWS The Leica is the pioneer 35mm camera. It is a German product - precise, minimalist, and utterly efficient. Behind its worldwide acceptance a...s a creative tool was a family-owned, socially oriented firm that, during the Nazi era, acted with uncommon grace, generosity and modesty. E. Leitz Inc., designer and manufacturer of Germany's most famous photographic product, saved its Jews. And Ernst Leitz II, the steely-eyed Protestant patriarch who headed the closely held firm as the Holocaust loomed across Europe , acted in such a way as to earn the title, "the photography industry's Schindler." As soon as Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany in 1933, Ernst Leitz II began receiving frantic calls from Jewish associates, asking for his help in getting them and their families out of the country. As Christians, Leitz and his family were immune to Nazi Germany's Nuremberg laws, which restricted the movement of Jews and limited their professional activities. To help his Jewish workers and colleagues, Leitz quietly established what has become known among historians of the Holocaust as "the Leica Freedom Train," a covert means of allowing Jews to leave Germany in the guise of Leitz employees being assigned overseas. Employees, retailers, family members, even friends of family members were "assigned" to Leitz sales offices in France, Britain, Hong Kong and the United States, Leitz's activities intensified after the Kristallnacht of November 1938, during which synagogues and Jewish shops were burned across Germany. Before long, German "employees" were disembarking from the ocean liner Bremen at a New York pier and making their way to the Manhattan office of Leitz Inc., where executives quickly found them jobs in the photographic industry. Each new arrival had around his or her neck the symbol of freedom - a new Leica camera. The refugees were paid a stipend until they could find work. Out of this migration came designers, repair technicians, salespeople, marketers and writers for the photographic press. Keeping the story quiet The "Leica Freedom Train" was at its height in 1938 and early 1939, delivering groups of refugees to New York every few weeks. Then, with the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany closed its borders. By that time, hundreds of endangered Jews had escaped to America, thanks to the Leitzes' efforts. How did Ernst Leitz II and his staff get away with it? Leitz, Inc. was an internationally recognized brand that reflected credit on the newly resurgent Reich. The company produced cameras, range-finders and other optical systems for the German military. Also, the Nazi government desperately needed hard currency from abroad, and Leitz's single biggest market for optical goods was the United States. Even so, members of the Leitz family and firm suffered for their good works. A top executive, Alfred Turk, was jailed for working to help Jews and freed only after the payment of a large bribe. Leitz's daughter, Elsie Kuhn-Leitz, was imprisoned by the Gestapo after she was caught at the border, helping Jewish women cross into Switzerland . She eventually was freed but endured rough treatment in the course of questioning. She also fell under suspicion when she attempted to improve the living conditions of 700 to 800 Ukrainian slave laborers, all of them women, who had been assigned to work in the plant during the 1940s. (After the war, Kuhn-Leitz received numerous honors for her humanitarian efforts, among them the Officier d'honneur des Palms Academic from France in 1965 and the Aristide Briand Medal from the European Academy in the 1970s.) Why has no one told this story until now? According to the late Norman Lipton, a freelance writer and editor, the Leitz family wanted no publicity for its heroic efforts. Only after the last member of the Leitz family was dead did the "Leica Freedom Train" finally come to light. It is now the subject of a book, "The Greatest Invention of the Leitz Family: The Leica Freedom Train," by Frank Dabba Smith, a California-born Rabbi currently living in England. Thank you for reading the above, and if you feel inclined as I did to pass it along to others, please do so. It only takes a few minutes. Memories of the righteous should live on.

JUST IN...a fresh batch of FRENCH projection lenses including CINEMASCOPE! Names include Berthiot and Angeniux. Great for adapting to your camera for awesome FX.

Check out this great new product from my daughter and social media director at VSSoutlet. Very cool!

These are three essential black photographers with amazing stories. Black photography has been around for years but the photographers themselves have never been given the opportunity to tell their stories. Gordon Parks was the first African American photographer for Life and Vogue magazines. Roy DeCarava was known for his use of shadows and darkness in his photos. Carrie Mae Weems is known for creating installations that combine photography, audio, and text to reflect contemp...orary American life. These three black photographers and many more have had remarkably interesting and amazing lives. #blacklivesmatter #blackphotography #blackphotographers #vintagecameras #camerashop #shootfilmstaybroke #vintagecameras #blackhistoryeverymonth #analog #35mm #filmsnotdead #keepfilmalive See more

Taking a photograph is like taking a screenshot of life take screen shots of your own life! Go to VSSoutlet.com and buy yourself a camera today.

You might think that funny and cute photos are a trend that began a few years ago. It is still one of the most popular searches in Google. But, cat photography has origins in the 19th century. This viral trend was created in the 1870s when Harry Pointer took a photo of his cat and started it all. Someone please thank this man for starting such a funny and adorable trend of photos!

Recent estimates say the human race has taken more than 3.8 trillion photos so far and the numbers are raising rapidly. Why not add more to that number and buy that new camera you have been wanting! Check us out at VSSoutlet.com or just click shop!

Throwback Sunday.... Back in the day, we sold some very interesting things OTHER than cameras.... https://youtu.be/NmeY2IdzjLk

We are heartbroken that Central Camera, a Chicago camera store in business since 1899, was looted and burned last night. Don Flesch, the owner, vows to rebuild. Our hearts go out to Don and the camera community https://chicago.cbslocal.com//owner-vows-to-rebuild-after/ #centralcamera #chicago #filmcameras

Evocative imagery of Philadelphia protests from our Chief Photographer Ryan Hoch. This is the power of photography. Grab your camera and document life! #blm #blacklivesmatter #silenceiscompliance #philadelphia #photography #movingphotography #documentlife

Most of you camera collectors and enthusiasts have been at home trying to figure out what to do to keep you busy. We are open for business! We have tons of cameras, Accessories and lenses to add to your collection or maybe to fix up one of your cameras. VSSoutlet wants to give a shout-out to all the Health care workers that have been on the front lines. All the essential workers and everyone that has been trying to make this world pandemic easier for everyone. It has been hard on everyone in all parts of the world and the united states, so for you camera folks. Come check out our shop and find something to keep you busy while at home!

Check out the personal website of our Chief Photographer Ryan Hoch. Ryan takes awesome, evocative photos. https://www.ryanleehoch.com/home