Histories of Video Power

Abstract

Photography was big business in the USA after World War II. When the high-resolution 16mm film cameras first came onto the market, they were made for the upper classes of the post-war era with the expendable income and leisure time to dedicate to learning the technology. Between 1947 and 1954, companies like Kodak, Keystone, Revere, and the Swiss company Bolex successfully marketed to amateurs cheaper and easier-to-use 8mm film cameras and stock. Cameras like the Revere 50, Bell and Howell 172b, and the Kodak Brownie 8mm were some of the first amateur-grade 8mm film cameras in this trend. Throughout the 1950s, amateur photography grew by 112.5%, the use of 8mm film cameras increased by 41%, and the shipment of these cameras swelled by 201%.