Bolsey Model C

The Model C, produced by Bolsey starting 1950, is one of the quirkiest and most eccentric cameras ever made.

It’s a very compact, “Atomic Age” styled Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) camera was designed by Yakob Bogopolsky, also famous for having earlier founded Bolex (the cinema camera manufacturer) and designed some of the most successful Alpa cameras. These family ties explain the exceptional quality of its built.

Feature wise, the Model C is unique among 35mm TLRs because it also includes a rangefinder assembly. Picture composition and focus can be done through either the flip-up waist level viewfinder with fine focus magnifier or the more traditional rangefinder assembly. Focus for both methods can be adjusted via the lever found to the side of the main lens barrel.

The Bolsey Model C is a device unlike any other and has never been copied. And it’s because of this uniqueness that the camera has become a collector’s item especially in Japan.