Comical

Camera Comics? PetPixel found these. I'm glad I didn't—find paper ones, I mean—because my house is already full of stuff I thought I just had to buy but really don't have any use for. Still, these are cool, I hafta admit.

Circa 1944–46, which explains the wartime theme.

Mike
(Thanks to Ben Ng)

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by karamanoğlu: "Hey, wait a minute! The guy on the left is a Brad Washburn wannabe."

Comments

[Patrick Perez]

Mike said: "Still, these are cool, I hafta admit."

'Nuff said.

Patrick

[phil]

thanks Mike,

The top left images reminded me of all my Biggles books, which the tooth-fairy brought me instead of a shilling when I put my milk teeth under the pillow.

best wishes phil

[James]

My first civilian boss after I left the Army had himself been an RAF Photo Interpreter, and had a similar camera to the left hand picture that he kept in his office as a memento. I'm not sure of the exact model but from a Google it would probably have been one of those identified on this web page: http://www.airrecce.co.uk/cameras/raf_ww2_cameras.html

I remember that the focal length was measured in inches and I think it was a large format camera, but that may be my memory playing tricks on me.

The cartoon seems optimistic - handholding such a beast of a camera, particularly in wind rush at above 300 mph may not have resulted in optimal sharpness. Plus flying amid explosions may have induced some jitter, and needed 3rd and 4th hands. I think the cameras in reality were mounted in the aircraft in belly or nose compartments and operated with a Bowden cable. I once did an exercise with the US Marine Corps in which we did a SPIE insertion near Camp Lejeune, and I tried to take a photo with a compact while suspended from a long rope from a Sea Knight helicopter about 500 feet above the ground. It was unusable. Too much camera shake.

[Jim Meeks]

The camera in question looks to be one of the Graflex aerial photography cameras of WWII, perhaps based on the K-20 or K-15 or done with some artistic license.

[Jim Hart]

Been there, done that.

http://www.lotsaspace.info/OV-1Mohawk/AWAM/awam189.jpg

(In the link the operator's hood didn't really show the photos real time, of course, the hood was for looking at infra-red or radar images. When on a photo mission the film remained in the camera and the crew didn't know if they had captured the desired images until the film was developed on the ground).

I gotta admit the guys in Image Interpretation didn't look anything like the WAC in the comic...

Thanks for the link, Mike, didn't know such a publication ever existed.

[John Camp]

Wait a minute. You say in one post that you're hankering for an A900, and in the next, that you don't like gimmicks? There's an oxymoron if I ever saw one.

[Mike Johnston]

The A900's whole problem is that it doesn't have any gimmicks. That's why it's unpopular.

Mike

[Mandeno Moments]

The comic on the right reminds me of my Praktica: the mirror slap was similarly violent and camera would suffice as a weapon.

[ctein]

Linda Lens is my new hero!

pax / worshipful Ctein

[David Bennett]

What fun those endless comics are too look at.

It's like going down to someone's basement and finding a stash of old comics yellowed with age - except someone kindly put my chair down there too so that I'm sitting comfortably.

[Jan Kusters]

I wish I have a bigger view on that right cartoon; good chance the lady is using a Leica to bludgeon the nazi...

[Peter.]

Pistogrip showed in the last picture reminded me of my old Zenit camera with Sniper grip...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/2098700704/
picture not mine...

[daugav369pils]

Thanks, Mike. Downloaded all 9 issues from Digital
Comic Museum to my iPad and used Comic Zeal Comic
Reader App. to read them. they were a hoot. iPad/Comic
Zeal/DC museum is an unbeatable combination. I must
have over 500 comic on the iPad!
www.projectb.com is an interesting site.

[Jon Porter]

Washburn was ROPED in to keep from falling out!? I sure hope the harness was invented during the war to offer greater comfort and safety for those who had to fly.