Camera Collector

[candysherbet]

Can anyone tell me is there a special name for a person who collects cameras.

[candysherbet]

Does no one know the answer to this one?

[aelmpvw]

i did a lot of googling but couldn't find an answer

[bookbinder]

There doesn't seem to be an answer:
http://www.historiccamera.com/club.html

[Buenchico]

I'm sure that someone could invent such a word (in a similar way to how people who speak Latin create new words for motor cars, computers, hovercraft, etc). However that nice Mr Google doesn't seem to know of such a word which is actually in use and neither do the people behind the OED:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/what-is-the-word-for-people-who-collect/

[candysherbet]

Thanks for your efforts everyone. I did have a wee nose via google myself before putting the Q up on here but like you guys to no avail, You'd think there would be a word.
Right-who's going to invent a word ;)

[candysherbet]

I wrote an email to the address on the site given by bookbinder. I have a reply from 'Tom K in admin' there saying that there is no name that he knows of but went on to say if the collector also collects more than cameras including photos,accessories etc then one can use 'Photographica Collector'

[Buenchico]

Most word endings used for 'collectors of something' are in Greek. (e.g. 'phile' for 'lover' or 'ologist' for 'studier') but 'camera' is derived from Latin, so it's not that easy to create a suitable new word. (A few words, such as 'television' mix Greek and Latin but they're fairly unusual).

You could possibly use 'amare', meaning 'to love', from Latin to get an all-Latin word, such as 'amacamera' but it might be better to translate 'camera' to (modern) Greek first and then add 'phile'. As it happens, modern Greek uses the same Latin word for 'camera' as we do but with a minor spelling difference. It's 'κάμερα' or, in our alphabet, 'kámera'.

So I'll opt for 'kamerophile' as the best word to meet your needs. (It seems to run off one's tongue best if the stress is put on the second syllable, with that syllable pronounced like the Scottish town of Ayr. i.e. "kam-AYR-ophile")

How does that suit you?

[dannyk13]

Camerist?

[Buenchico]

^^^ '-ist' is true to both Latin (-ista) and Greek (-istēs), so that's certainly a possibility, Danny. However it strictly means 'one who does or makes', so it might not be ideal.

[dannyk13]

Hi Chris. I got the idea from philatelist

[candysherbet]

I see you guys have been busy-don't like the word 'camerist' sorry danny-sounds like it means something else. I'm more inclined to go with 'kam-AYR-ophile' nothing to do with me being Scottish of course ha ha-that sounds that it belongs to being a collector of cameras Buenochico. Still open to more ideas though