France 1945 – Compact – 127 film – Rare. The Lynx II is 127 film camera made from 1945 by the French maker Pontiac (previously known as MFAP, an acronym for Manufacture Française d’Appareils Photographiques). It is a unique and gorgeous device, its cast aluminum body showing an intricate machining made to remind of rows of woven … Read more89 Pontiac
Lynx II
France 1960 – Submarine – 35 mm – Very Rare. First sold in France in 1960, the Calypso was the world’s first fully capable underwater camera. This groundbreaking camera was developed in collaboration with renowned French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, who had envisioned the ideal underwater camera for years. Not only was it the most compact … Read more88 Spirotechnique
Calypso
First underwater
Japan 1979 – Compact – 35 mm – Infrequent. The Canon A1 hit the market in 1978 and very quickly became legendary. The Canon A-1 is a historically significant camera and was the high technology standard bearer of the landmark Canon amateur level A-series SLRs (Started with the Canon AE-1 in 1976) It was the … Read more87 Canon
Canon A1
Japan 1955 – Spy Camera – 8 mm – Rare. Produced around 1955 by Suzuki the Camera Lite is a Spy camera hidden in a zippo-like lighter. It was produced as a simplified version of another Spy Camera, the Echo 8. In 1953 the Echo 8 made an appearance in movie “Roman Holiday.” A reporter, Gregory … Read more86 Suzuki Optical
Camera Lite (model 1)
Germany 1932 – Folding – 120 film – Very rare. The Voigtlander Prominent 6 X 9 went into production in 1932 and is probably one of the most incredible folding cameras ever built. This massive folding camera was designed from the start to be a superlative camera and was sold about the same price of … Read more85 Voigtlander
Prominent
France 1945 – Compact – 127 film – Rare. The Derlux is a French camera produced by Gallus immediately after world war II, in 1945. This very peculiar camera belongs to a very peculiar time in French history, following the liberation from German occupation. The entire unit is built in polished aluminum, without any paint … Read more84 Gallus
Derlux
Germany 1957 – Compact – 35 mm – Very rare. The Leica III G (often said to stand for “Gorgeous”) was introduced by Leica in 1956. It was the last of the screw mount Leicas as designed by Oscar Barnack. Barnack did not actually design the III G as he passed away in 1935 after … Read more83 Leica
Leica IIIG
Germany 1935 – Compact – 34 mm – Very Rare. Produced from 1932, Zeiss Ikon’s Contax was designed to be the brand’s challenger to Leitz Leica. Aware of the Leica’s growing success, Zeiss Ikon decided to produce a competitor designed to be superior in every way using the same perforated 35 mm film. The name … Read more82 Zeiss Ikon
Contax “Chrome Face”
Few 100s produced
France 1955 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. Created in the mid-50s by Paul Lachaize near Lyon, France, the Mecilux is a remarkable device. Lachaize, a skilled artisan, ventured into industrial production using emerging precision plastic injection techniques. What sets the Mecilux apart is its focus on accessibility and user-friendliness. Lachaize devised an … Read more81 Lachaize
Mecilux
1500 produced
Germany 1940 – Compact – 35 mm – Very rare. The Praktiflex, launched by Kamera-Werkstatten (a.k.a. KW), made its debut at the 1939 Leipzig Fair and would generate excitement almost immediately. Demand for the new Praktiflex was so great, that the company had to quickly relocate into a former candy factory in Niedersedlitz in the … Read more80 Kamera Werkstatten
Praktiflex
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