Website of the month: Pacific Rim Camera
At first glance
Pacific Rim Camera looks like an American dealer for historical cameras. However, a closer look reveals that the site is much more than that: it is a treasure trove for camera collectors, authors and photo historians that has grown over many years.
For members of the Club Daguerre, the Reference Library should be of particular interest, rather than the trade section. Behind this sober title lies a freely accessible online library of photographic literature in PDF format. The collection is organised alphabetically by manufacturer and ranges from Agfa, Ernemann, Ihagee, Leica, Linhof, Nikon, Rollei and Welta to Zeiss Ikon and far beyond.
You will find operating instructions, brochures, technical documents and other historical printed matter from many decades. This is particularly useful for collectors who want to categorise a device, identify accessories or look up contemporary information.
Of particular interest to the author is the extensive collection of journals from the Nikon Historical Society. This is an extremely valuable source for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the history of Nippon Kogaku and Nikon.
However, the Photographica Pages are at least as attractive. This section is not just a collection of documents, but a growing series of reference pages on individual cameras, manufacturers and variants. The index ranges from Alpa, Canon, Ernemann and Ihagee to Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Rollei, Voigtländer and Zeiss Ikon. These pages are particularly interesting for collectors because many items are presented here in detail in words and pictures, often revealing details that should be taken into account when determining and evaluating.
At a time when many useful specialised sites are disappearing or are only fragmentarily preserved, Pacific Rim Camera is a pleasing counter-example: not a glossy presentation, but a website with substance, practical use and genuine source value. This is precisely why it is our website of the month.