First Mass-produced Camera Heading For Auction

Are you a huge camera collector? Well, if you are, you’ve probably heard of the Giroux Daguerreotype camera, the world’s first commercially produced camera. This is probably your best chance to get it, as the camera, produced in 1839, will be going up for auction on 29th May in Vienna for a starting price of just €200,000 ($277,000) at the auction house WestLicht Photographica Auction. It’s estimated that the camera might end up going for as high as €700,000 ($970,000). Considering that we’ve seen an iPhone go for $3.2 million, this should be pocket change for some people, right? The Daguerreotype camera sports a sliding, or “double box” body. You’ll be able to achieve a fixed focus by pulling the smaller inner box away from the front-mounted achromatic landscape lens. It’s said to be in excellent original condition, and will even come with the original 24-page instruction manual, which is written in German. Do you think this camera deserves a place in your collection, or would you be better off putting that money aside for the super expensive iPhone 3GS Supreme?

Matthew Chung
Categories: Photo-Video
Tags: auction, Camera, classic, iPhone, iPhone 3GS, luxury