Meet the Man With the World's Largest Camera Collection

A lot of us love our gear and just the pure joy that comes from playing with novel cameras. And I will readily and happily admit that I own far more cameras than I actually need, but I enjoy them. My collections pales in comparison to this man's, however, which totals well in the thousands and includes many rare, expensive, and fascinating cameras.

Coming to you from Gizmodo, this fun video tells the story of Dilish Parekh, a jeweler and government worker from Mumbai who holds the Guinness world record for the largest collection of cameras, currently totaling 4,425. And you might think that that collection must be nothing but cheap junk cameras, but it's anything but, with Parekh showcasing rarities like a Canon 7 with the f/0.95 "dream lens," original Leicas, Rolleiflex TLRs, and more. Parekh inherited the original collection from his father and has continued to grow it since, being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2003. He hopes that his collection can be turned into a museum that will be a point of "pride for India" and plans to leave the cameras to his children. I know I would gladly make the trip to India to visit such a museum! Check out the video above, and be prepared to feel a bit of jealousy when you see all those drool-worthy cameras! 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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4 Comments

That crank on YouTube with all the Fuji’s must be a close 2nd

Great video. What a dedicated collector.

JEEEEBUS. 4k+ cammys... thats too many cammys... I got 52 and Im drowning in them ... then again I run film through all of them ... www.vintagecameraquest.com

Do you even a7r4 bro?