Store Brand Compendium

xaprb · Joined: 28 Jan 2021 Posts: 169

I’m curious how much of a list of store-brands we can assemble and attribute to the correct store. I’m not focusing on resellers/rebranders like Hanimex here, and not trying to figure out who manufactured a store-brand lens, just trying to get a list of store brands and match them to the stores. I’m scraping bits from across the web but it’s tough going. How about we make a thread about it and I can keep a running list/table, and update it in this first post, to serve as a reference? I’ll get started with a tentative list of what I think I’ve found so far, and please correct any errors I’ve made. I’m not certain all of these are even store brands at all, some may be resellers/rebranders instead, but in various threads (too many to reference) I’m finding things I interpret as claims of store branding in one way or another.

Asreh
Cambron: Cambridge Photo (US)
Capseco
Carena: Porst (DE)
Cavalier: Peerless Willoughby (New York City)
Centon: Jessops (UK)
Deitz: Brooks Camera (San Francisco, US)
Dollonds
Expert (Europe)
Focal: KMart (US)
Fodor: Fodor (NL)
Fotomat: Fotomat (US)
Image: Astral Photo (Canada)
JCPenney: JCPenney (US)
Marep
Miranda: Dixons (UK), after Miranda stopped manufacturing and sold the brand
Montgomery Ward: Montgomery Ward (US)
Pallas
Paragon, Super Paragon: Photax
Porst: Porst (DE)
Prinz, Prinz Galaxy, Prinzflex: Dixons (UK) (but see also below)
ProOptic: Adorama (US)
Quantaray: Ritz (US)
Revuenon, Revue: Quelle (DE)
Rexatar
Sam the Cameraman: Sam the Cameraman (Canada)
Sears: Sears (US)
Seikanon: Kit’s Cameras (US), bought by Ritz
Spiratone: Fred Spira’s store
Tower: Sears (US)
Underground: Underground Camera (US)
Walimex: Foto Walser (DE)
Weltblick
Wolfpro: Wolf Photo
Zodel: Wallace Heaton (London, UK)

Here’s a list of brands I’ve learned are not store brands, many are importer/distributor/rebranders similar to e.g. Vivitar or Spiratone:

Admiral: house brand of Swiss company GMC Trading AG, http://www.gmc-ag.ch/ .
Albinar
Asanuma
DeJur: American importer/rebrander
Hanimex
Kalimar
Panagor: a trademark of Jaca, a distributor similar to Vivitar
Prinz: as above, a store brand in UK; but also an unrelated importer in the USA
Rokunar: trademark of Aetna, a distributor similar to Vivitar
Sakar
Travenar, Super Travenar: Travenar and Travegon lenses were made by Schacht (DE), Super Travenar was Japanese-manufactured

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 994 Location: Winnipeg Canada

By and large most store brands are simple re-brands.
(I may be misreading the o.p.'s intent here)
This was generally the case- especially with Sears.
Their early rifle scope line was nothing but re-badged Weaver, and everyone knew it.
Like-wise the Tower cameras brought in by them that everyone knows about.

Here in Canada, Astral Photo (a division of Astral-Pathe) had their own "Image", very budget oriented lens line.
Japan Camera Center tried bringing in the "aus Jena" lens line.
Neither effort resulted in lenses of any reputation.
The "Image" line can be sort of hard to pin down, and may have been indeed third party one offs, especially the cheap wide angles.

-D.S.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

Not sure if these are store brands , or budget lenses available at different stores.?

Optomax
Kenlock
Kenlock McTor
Makinon
Solitel
Marexar

xaprb · Joined: 28 Jan 2021 Posts: 169

Thanks for clarifying — my intent was not to figure out who made the store-branded lenses, but just to identify pairs of (brand, store) so we get more of a centralized reference list rather than it being so scattered.

I just stumbled upon one right now, looking at an eBay listing: It looks like ProOptic is Adorama’s store brand! I had no idea. Here’s the evidence.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 632 Location: New Zealand

Miranda cameras were not originally a store brand, but after they closed their manufacturing business the brand name was acquired by Dixons, who then sold rebadged gear from a variety of makers. Most of which is studiously ignored by Miranda fans.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

Spiratone -- Fred Spira's store brand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiratone

Oldhand · Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2022 10:13 pm Post subject:

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

Miranda were certainly a casualty of falling into decline and their name becoming synonamous with cheap store products, as indeed were Steinheil and Vivitar - both were different in their glory days, Steinheil were a manufacturer and Vivitar a retailer and to a degree designer, but their names and reputations are now ruined by the low quality products sold by 'stores'.

kypfer · Joined: 27 Sep 2017 Posts: 516 Location: Jersey C.I.

Zodel : Wallace Heaton in London … a wide range of accessories ... most especially, rebranded West German Enna lenses.
Porst : German retailer, especially rebranded Fujica film SLRs and lenses.

Phalbert · Joined: 17 May 2009 Posts: 359 Location: Namibia

Loydi, Is Makinon - Makina - not a manufacturer? 🤔

D1N0 · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 2495

Fodor sold by dutch Fodor store.

xaprb · Joined: 28 Jan 2021 Posts: 169

Does anyone know about Fortron lenses? Thanks for the info, all, I’m continuing to update the original post with as much as I can. Let me know if I miss anything.

philslizzy · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 4748 Location: Cheshire, England

Maxlo lenses and binoculars sold by Lomax of Manchester and Macclesfield UK

D1N0 · Joined: 07 Aug 2012 Posts: 2495

kypfer · Joined: 27 Sep 2017 Posts: 516 Location: Jersey C.I.

The original Travenar (and Travegon) lenses were manufactured by Schacht of Ulm in Germany, often found on Edixa cameras.
It was the "Super Travenar" name that was re-used on some Japanese-manufactured lenses, as was Exakta (and Edixa, if I remember correctly)

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 994 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Found a "Sam The Camera Man" 1/A filter in my stuff.
A local, independent camera shop that went as far as branding their own filters, so likely very obscure anywhere else.
There were noises about a lens line- but I am none too clear as to that actually happening.
The quality of the filter is surprisingly good- at least better than "Optex".

-D.S.

jamaeolus · Expire: 2015-08-20

Slightly of topic I have a "Carena" labeled 35mm 2.8 in Petriflex mount. Was Carena a store brand, or rebadge company, or something else.

Alun Thomas · Joined: 20 Aug 2018 Posts: 632 Location: New Zealand

jamaeolus · Expire: 2015-08-20

Ah, thank you Alun.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

I don't suppose it was really a store brand -- more likely offered by retail chains that didn't want the bother or expense of "inventing" their own.

Albinar.

I bought my first two Albinars from Best Products, a chain I'm sure has long since closed its doors.

I just thought of another non-store-brand lens, but one that sort of has its own distribution network, sort of:

Asanuma

They sold lenses, most of which were rebranded Tokina, but they also sold other items. I own an old Asanoma tripod that I picked up along with a camera outfit I bought over 30 years ago. From what I found out some years ago, Asanuma also marketed other photo-related items.

eggplant · Joined: 27 May 2020 Posts: 516

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 994 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Doc Sharptail · Joined: 23 Nov 2020 Posts: 994 Location: Winnipeg Canada

Here it is. Daylight would make a way better version.

-D.S.

jmkmva · Joined: 25 Nov 2010 Posts: 78 Location: MidAtlantic US

xaprb, nice compendium, interesting.

You might want to add

Cavalier, which was the store brand for Peerless Willoughby in New York City. The Cavalier brand appeared on lenses and cameras including Praktica and Cosina (?) and many other accessories. Less common now but still show up from time to time.

xaprb · Joined: 28 Jan 2021 Posts: 169

Updated the list. I love “Sam the Cameraman”! As we say in the Southeast US, “that’s a hoot!” (meaning you hoot with laughter).