The Firts Candid Camera

Not until the 1920s did photographers get a camera that realized the promise of Talbot's mousetraps a handy, unobtrusive instrument able to take pic­tures easiIy in dim Iight. The first of these candid cameras to be followed soon by the Leica was the Ermanox, marketed under the slogan, "What you see, you can photograph" 

In the hands of an expert like Erich Sal­omon, this claim was no ex­aggeration. Salomon often dressed in formal clothes to crash diplomatic gatherings, where his camera enabled him to record Europe's powerful at work. In tribute to him, the French statesman Briand once remarked "There are just three things necessary for a .. · conference: a few Foreign Secretaries, a table and Salomon.”

Ermanox first revealed the potential of candid photography. It used 2 x 3-inch glass plates that had to be loaded one at a time. But its small size made practical a lens so fast-f/2-that indoor shots could be snapped without special lighting, enabling Erich Salomon to catch such intimate views as the scene be/ow of e summit meeting on Franco-German problems.

Ermanox first revealed the potential of candid photography. It used 2 x 3-inch glass plates that had to be loaded one at a time. But its small size made practical a lens so fast-f/2-that indoor shots could be snapped without special lighting, enabling Erich Salomon to catch such intimate views as the scene be/ow of e summit meeting on Franco-German problems.