P3D Contura camera

[Ron Fredrickson <RLF@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Patrick Boeckstijns wrote:

>Every time I see the CONTURA mentionned, I start dreaming :-).
>I was wondering : how many people on this list actually have one and how did
>they aquire it ? Do they actually use it ? Any news about that batch of
>non-assembled CONTURA's that was discovered a few years ago. There were
>plans to assemble and sell a last run. Any news here ? I'd shure like to
>have one of these "old new stock" beauties <Sigh> :-)
>
I have one. A friend named Ed Miller from Milwaukee spoke at the Chicago
Stereo Camera Club years ago and referred several times to his Contura
camera, which I had never heard of before. I asked him about it, and he said
that it had been made in Milwaukee. I asked if he wanted to sell his, and he
said that he still used it for stereo picture taking, but he had a friend
who had one and he would inquire about it. Ed called me later and said that
he had good news and bad news--- the friend would sell his camera but he
wanted $100.00 for it. Several experts in the Chicago club had never heard
of the Contura, and I decided that it must be rare and bought it. It's for
display only because I, like George Themelis, am partial to the Realist for
picture taking. I may be more partial to the RBT when (and if) I ever get one. 

I have a copy of an article from the Milwaukee Journal from 1956 announcing
the debut of the Contura with the company president, Ed Baireuther, shown in
a photo. With the help of a stereo friend, the late Fred Wiggins, I met Ed
in retirement in Sun City, Arizona, about 10 years ago and had a very nice
visit with him, with most of the conversation devoted to the Contura. Ed
estimated that about 200 were made and most of them went to stockholders
when the stereo market disappeared and the company went broke. Many of his
friends were the investors, and he said that he had a very bad couple of
years, verging on a nervous breakdown, because of that fact. I don't know if
Ed is still living or not.

Ron Fredrickson


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