ad for the Univex Buccaneer 35mm camera
Toronto. Univex (Universal Camera Corp) advertised its Buccaneer 35mm camera in November, 1947, a few years before declaring bankruptcy. Known for their unusual camera designs, the company was said to be ethically challenged. The body of the Buccaneer shown in this Popular Mechanics ad is made of bakelite (usually used for cheap cameras).
To the unpracticed eye, the advertisement’s long list looks impressive, but to one skilled in the art of photography the list is rather long with items either redundant or simply not pertinent to good photography. The use of Bakelite is not mentioned.
My good friend, George Dunbar, spotted this ad and shared it with me. The ad reflects a bit of photographic history from over 70 years ago when American companies tried to beat the post war European and Asian competition.
Note: The post title is a riff on a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, “The Pirates of Penzance” and couples the camera name and the maker’s supposed practices.
