USSR 1958 – Compact – 35 mm – infrequent. The Gomz Leningrad is a 35mm Soviet rangefinder camera produced between 1956-68. It was designed for reportage, sports and technical photography and allowed burst shooting using a spring mechanism. It takes about 20 pictures after one full actuation of the spring and can achieve up to … Read more73 Gomz
Leningrad 2A
Japan 1956 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Nicca 3F rangefinder was produced by the Japanese company Nicca Camera Co. Ltd in 1956. Nicca was founded in 1952 by Kichiya Momose and was known for producing high-quality cameras that were popular with both amateur and professional photographers. The 3F was one of Nicca’s … Read more69 Nicca
Nicca 3-F
Japan 1957 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Pentax AP, introduced in 1957, is considered as the “original” Pentax and the direct descendent of the Asahi Asahiflex, the first Japanese SLR using 35 mm film (launched in 1952). The Pentax AP was designed to be mass produced at a reasonable cost while still … Read more67 Asahi
Pentax AP
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
Germany 1956 – Subminiature – 16 mm – Rare. The Kunik Petie Vanity is one of the most unusual and sought-after cameras in the history of subminiature photography, often referred to as “spy photography.” Introduced around 1956 by Walter Kunik in Frankfurt (West Germany), it conceals a fully functional camera inside an elegant ladies’ powder … Read more55 Walter Kunik
Petie Vanity
Beauty accessory
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 moreMamiya
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
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