The Vintage Camera Museum holds over 2,000 cameras, lenses and pieces of photographic equipment, collected by founder Arben Balaj. They range from early wooden and brass cameras to the precision German rangefinders and Japanese SLRs of the twentieth century. This page gives an overview of the main groups on display. Photos come from our gallery, which grows as the collection is catalogued.

The collection is displayed at 11 High Street, Carshalton, SM5 3AP, open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm (closed Sunday and Monday). Entry is with a membership. The cameras are part of the museum collection and are not for sale.

On display

Makers and Types in the Collection

Canon Cameras

Japanese single-lens reflex cameras from Canon’s FD era, including the AE-1, A-1 and AV-1 that brought automatic exposure to millions of photographers in the late 1970s.

See 17 photos of Canon Cameras

Carl Zeiss Lenses

Optics from one of the most influential lens makers in history.

Photos coming soon – see them in person at the museum.

Cooke Lenses

British cinema and portrait lenses prized for their distinctive rendering.

Photos coming soon – see them in person at the museum.

Dallmeyer Lenses

Historic optics from J. H. Dallmeyer, pioneers of portrait and landscape lenses.

Photos coming soon – see them in person at the museum.

Leica Cameras

Precision German rangefinders and the lenses that made them famous.

See 14 photos of Leica Cameras

Medium Format

Cameras that use larger 120 roll film for finer detail, such as the Rolleiflex SL66 with its bellows focusing and the Rolleicord twin-lens reflex.

See 14 photos of Medium Format

Nikon Cameras

Decades of Nikon rangefinders and SLRs, from the earliest bodies to the professional F series.

See 8 photos of Nikon Cameras

Olympus Cameras

Compact engineering excellence, including the Pen and OM systems.

Olympus Pen F half-frame SLR with lens cap

See 1 photo of Olympus Cameras

Pam's Collection

A personal collection of rare and unusual photographic equipment.

Photos coming soon – see them in person at the museum.

Rangefinders

Cameras focused with a coupled rangefinder, from the screw-mount Leica III to the Leica M3 of 1954 and other compact 35mm designs.

Leica M3 rangefinder with a collapsible Leitz Elmar 5cm f/2.8 lens

Vintage 35mm screw-mount rangefinder camera with collapsible lens

Leica M3 rangefinder with Leitz Elmar 5cm lens, front view

See 4 photos of Rangefinders

SLR Cameras

Single-lens reflex cameras, where you look through the taking lens, from Leica, Canon and Olympus.

Rolleiflex SL66 medium format SLR with bellows focusing

Leicaflex SL 35mm SLR fitted with a Leitz Summicron-R 50mm f/2 lens

See 7 photos of SLR Cameras

Tropical Cameras

Rare tropical-finish cameras built in teak and brass for hot, humid climates.

Photos coming soon – see them in person at the museum.

Highlights

Cameras You Can See on Your Visit

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.

Nikon Cameras

Nikon Cameras. Part of: Nikon Cameras.