WARDS HALF FRAME CAMERA

Just like Sears, Roebuck and Company, K-Mart, and other consumer retail companies, Montgomery Wards sold numerous items, including cameras, that were manufactured by other companies and rebadged with their own name.  Usually, they were exactly the same product, but sometimes there were a few differences. While Wards sold many cameras, manufactured by several camera companies, they only sold ONE that was a half frame.

• Wards EYE

  The Wards EYE is ALMOST exactly the same as the Konica EYE, but not quite -- even most collectors don't know the difference. The Wards EYE has the same, FAST 30mm (f1.9-16) focusing lens surrounded by a selenium meter. Focusing runs from infinity to 3.5 feet and can be set by distance "eye"-cons in the viewfinder.  The meter sets the aperture and shutter speed automatically and displays the set shutter speed in the viewfinder. The built-in selenium meter sets the shutter speed and the f-stop in a programmed exposure mode.  At 1/30 the f-stop is f1.9; at 1/800 the f-stop is f16.  For flash use, the apertures can be set manually with a 1/30 shutter.  There is also a B setting for the shutter which sets the aperture at f1.9 -- great for night shots. ISO film speed from 10 - 400. Shutter speeds from 1/30 - 1/800. In low light conditions, a red flag pops up over the shutter speed scale to prevent a bad exposure.  Tripod socket, cable release connection, 46mm filter thread. Sometimes called the Wards CYC since the middle section of each "E" in "EYE" are dots instead of dashes -- to simulate eyes.  The dots are easy to miss and make the "EYE" look like "CYC" instead.  
  
  While the Wards EYE was a copy of the Konica EYE, it is not stamped "EYE" on the top plate as the Konica version was. Instead, it has a cold shoe in the same spot. The Konica EYE does not have this flash shoe -- for some reason! The Konica EYE is not that common, and the Wards EYE is even less common.

• Wards CYC

  A "misspelling" of the Wards EYE.

COPYRIGHT @ 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Joe McGloin. All Rights Reserved.