Spiratone was a company specializing in low-cost

lenses A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...

and filters for

camera A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...

lighting Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing dayli ...

, and darkroom equipment. The company was started by

Fred Spira Fred Spira (1924–2007) was an inventor and innovator in photography as well as a collector of photographic equipment, images, books, and ephemera. He is credited as one of three individuals who opened up the U.S. market to quality Japanese photo ...

in 1941 in the bathroom of his parents' apartment where he developed film. In 1946, it relocated to a large loft on West 27th Street in Manhattan and then grew to a successful multimillion-dollar company. Mail orders were filled from their larger warehouse store on Northern Blvd. in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and th ...

. Spiratone was an innovator in the industry, being one of the first companies to import Japanese photo equipment to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. It also became widely known as a distributor of odd, unique, or novelty photographic equipment such as Color Pre-tinted Black & White Photographic Printing Paper and the right-angled spy lens. Other popular items included a very inexpensive 400mm telephoto lens and a stabilization processor. According to

Herbert Keppler Herbert "Burt" Keppler (April 21, 1925 – January 4, 2008) was an American photographer, journalist, author and consultant. His career spanned 57 years, including 37 at ''Modern Photography'' and two decades at ''Popular Photography''. He w ...

, tests of Spiratone lenses "often proved them equal to or superior to that of famous manufacturers' own products." Well-known photographer and writer

Norman Rothschild Norman Rothschild (1913-1995) was an American photographer, artist, and writer. Rothschild arrived in the United States from Germany at the age of 5 1/2 with his parents. He became a studio and darkroom assistant at the age of 14. For 33 years he ...

used Spiratone lenses and filters for many of his photographs that appeared in the pages of

Popular Photography ''Popular Photography'', formerly known as ''Popular Photography & Imaging'', also called ''Pop Photo'', is a monthly American consumer website and former magazine that at one time had the largest circulation of any imaging magazine, with an edi ...

magazine where he served as a writer and editor for a third of a century.Kennedy, Cora Wright. ''Tools and Techniques''. Popular Photography, March 1984, p. 130. The company was very successful during the 1950s and 60s and then eventually declined due to competition, closing after being acquired by another company in 1990, three years after Mr. Spira retired in 1987.

References

* Photography companies of the United States Technology companies established in 1941 Companies based in New York City Technology companies disestablished in 1990 1941 establishments in New York City 1990 disestablishments in New York (state) {{US-manufacturing-company-stub de:Fred Spira