Ad for the Ermanox camera with a 100mm f/2 Ernostar lens c 1924 or 5
Toronto. Nearly a century ago, there was a race on to create a faster lens. Such a lens would allow photos indoors and at night using natural light.
In 1924 Ernemann announced the Ermanox plate camera (4.5×6 cm) with a 100mm f/2 Ernostar lens. Two years later the company was merged into Zeiss-Ikon and the camera was rebadged as a Zeiss-Ikon. Shortly after introduction, the camera was offered with a slightly shorter focal length lens about 1/6th stop faster, the 85mm f/1.8 Ernostar.
The camera was made famous by Dr Erich Solomon a few years later. He became Germany’s first ‘photojournalist’. He later moved on to a Leica. You can see one here with a roll film back attached.
A tip of my hat to good friend and fellow photo historian, George Dunbar, for showing us this amazing advertisement. Today, you may wonder why all the fuss about an f/2 or f/1.8 lens. That is, until you realize how pathetically slow the media (glass plate or film) was at that time when ASA 100, the lowest ASA/ISO these days, was considered incredibly fast!
