Japan 1957 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Magazine 35, produced in 1957, is NOT your usual Mamiya. At first glance the Magazine 35 looks like a fairly plain camera from the mid 1950s, that you might not look twice at. It has a good build, feels solid and looks well made, the … Read more64 Mamiya
Magazine 35
USSR 1950 – Compact – 35 mm – Common. Leicas are exclusive devices that forged the very concept of the modern camera through quality and innovation. For years a large part of the industry tried to produce alternatives (or imitations) with equivalent features at a much more accessible price point. Imitations range from cameras “inspired by … Read moreVarious USSR
Leica 2
Japan 1959 – Subminiature – 16 mm – Infrequent. The Mamiya Super 16 was manufactured by Mamiya Camera Company of Tokyo in the early 1950s. Mamiya was well known for the Mamiya Six, a 6×6 foldable they had been producing since 1940. Starting 1949, they made a successful series of 16 mm cameras that lasted until … Read more55 Mamiya
Super 16 (Mod.III)
Japan 1954 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Kyoei-Sha Company was founded in 1938 in Tokyo and was renamed Showa as a reference to the reign of the current Emperor Hirohito. After Canon, Showa was the oldest to start produce 35 mm cameras in Japan. They produced very nice copies of German cameras … Read more54 Showa Kogaku
Leotax (Mod. F)
Germany 1954 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The camera industry of the 20th century articulates itself around a certain number of super iconic cameras, many of them produced by Leica. The Leica M3, is definitely a major cornerstone in that regards. Introduced in 1954, the Leica M3 sets a new standard for rangefinders … Read more52 Leica
leica M3
Super iconic
Japan 1952 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Minolta-35 was launched in the spring of 1947. At the time, Minolta had to recover from the war with only three factories left. Photographic film was rare, reserved primarily for medical radiography. The 120 format being prohibited by the authorities, camera manufacturers turned to the … Read more51 Minolta
Minolta 35 F
Italy 1950 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. Ducati was founded in Bologna (Italy) in 1926 by the three brothers Adriano, Bruno and Marcello Ducati. Even though today the company is principally known for its (exceptional) motorcycles, Ducati started its activity with the production of electrical condensers. Later, they diversified in the fields of … Read more50 Ducati
Simplex
Before the motorcycles
Italy 1952 – Compact – 127 film – Rare. Some designs are just Italian. Period. And sometimes design makes everything. Bencini, established in Milan in the late 1930’s was one of the flag bearers of the Italian camera market in the middle of last century. Most of the Bencini cameras were variations of a traditional … Read more48 Bencini
Comet III
Japan 1950 – Reflex TLR – Bolta film – Rare. The Tanzer was produced in the early 50s in Japan by the Nomura optical company. Not much is known about the Nomura company, which apparently only produced this camera in two versions (with and without flash synchronisation) and did not leave a notable mark. The … Read more47 Nomura
Tanzer “smile”
Germany 1957 – Reflex TLR – 127 film – Rare. Descendant of the Rolleiflex Baby of 1931, this version popularly known as the “Grey Baby” Rolleiflex, was introduced in 1957, it was then replaced by a black version in 1963. This model helped kick-start a brief boom for 38 mm “super slides” whose slide mounts … Read more43 Rollei
Rolleiflex “grey baby”
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