Comments

I enjoyed reading your review of the Meridian 45C. I have a personal interest in it because my father was a partner in the company that produced it. I was a high school student and pitched in on Saturdays and during summer vacation.

During World War II Meridian Instrument manufactured chronometers and sextants for the U.S. Maritime Service. After the war Kling Photo (the distribution division of Peerless Camera) approached Meridian to produce a camera to replace the then unavailable Linhof. The result was the Meridian 45A. Very few of them were made because it was soon replaced by the B model. At its zenith, during 1947 the company was shipping 100 cameras per month. That plus the time element is why there are so few available today. In 1947 the camera without lens, rangefinder or flash retailed for $225 -- a princely sum.

Model C was planned to be introduced during 1948 or 1949 but never made it. I have the only prototype in existence. Linhof came back and Kling abandoned Meridian to resume its relationship with them. Meridian went out of business a few years later. Today I collect Meridians.

Please excuse the typo. The first sentence in my previous post refers to the 45B -- not the 45C.

Manual(s) for the Meridian 45B are available from John Craig at Craigcamera.com.

I have a Meridian, just bought it recently. I really cannot see the difference between this camera and the Linhofs of the same era. I found mine in a "junk shop". I asked the owner if he had any old cameras, he disapears in a closet and comes out with an old, tattered, leather case that belonged to a photographer at one time. He had kept it in this closet for years, nobody had asked to see any old cameras so he left it there. I had never heard of a Meridian before, but it was obvious as I inspected the camera that it was vey similar to the Technikas in build and movements. To make a long story short, I left the junk shop and got on the computer, ended up here, read the review, rushed back and bought it. It is a great camera. p.s. This was the only site I could find any info on the Meridian, great job, great site.

Hello,

One of the previous posts from Ray Grossman discusses the prototype Meridian 45C. Would it be possible to scan a picture of this camera and post it on this website? Also, what additional features did the "C" have? Thank you for your time.

Best Regards,

J. P. Mose