Mercury II (Model CX)
In the world of camera design, there are so many features that are considered to be standard that it's sometimes easy to forget that those now-common features had to have had, at some point, an origin. Of course not all designs that appeared once managed to stick around. For a mix of design elements that had varied results, one need look no further than the Mercury II. Releasing its first camera after World War II, the Universal Camera Corporation updated the already revolutionary Mercury Univex (Model CC) from 1938.
The first Mercury camera was a half-frame camera that used 35mm film, but a proprietary Univex film spool, which somewhat hindered its popularity. The prospect of getting twice as many images from a standard foll of film, however, was enticing for the depression-era photographer. Also enticing was the 1/1000th of a second shutter speed made possible by the rotary shutter that was placed in front of the film plane. There was even a model that boasted a 1/1500th of a second shutter speed! The housing for the rotary shutter gave the camera a unique arch on the top of the camera body and provided a place for the depth-of-field scale, which was necessary as the camera did not have a built-in rangefinder.
Still, the odd looking camera had one first that is definitely still in use today. The Mercury was the first camera to offer a "hot shoe" for flashes. This meant that its proprietary flash units didn't require an external cable to connect to the shutter. This cleaner looking and more usable design was still many years from becoming standard, but once it caught on, there was no turning back from it.
In 1945, the Mercury II (Model CX) was introduced and it retained much of what made the original unique including the half-frame size, rotary shutter, and hot shoe flash synchronization. The updates to the second version, however, allowed for using standard 35mm film canisters. The slightly revised body was also now cast out of a magnesium and aluminum alloy and a synthetic leather covering. The change in the body material meant that the body did not wear in the same way and most examples of this camera in the 21st century have not kept their original luster.
But whatever physical shine these cameras may have lost over the years doesn't at all take away from their mechanical achievements and innovations. When you see one of these rare beauties in the wild today, do yourself a favor and pick it up and prepare to hear a shutter sound truly like no other - from a camera that is truly like no other.
ar/js
Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc
- sales@bluemooncamera.com
- (503) 978-0333
- (503) 978-0370
-
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
All rights reserved ©2024, Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc