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 moreKamera Werkstatten
Praktiflex – 80/99
Italy 1954 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Rectaflex is a 35mm SLR camera developed in Italy by the eponymous company. It was presented for the first time at the Milan fair in april 1948. It was the world’s first SLR equipped with a solid Pentaprism that allowed a vertically corrected view. The … Read moreRectaflex
Rectaflex – 79/99
Germany 1960 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Contarex is an incredible machine. Commercialized in 1960 by Zeiss Ikon, it is probably one of the most identifiable cameras ever. It is popularly known as the Bullseye (or the Cyclops) for its oversized light captor above the objective. Some consider the design to be … Read moreZeiss Ikon
Contarex “Bullseye” – 78/99
Legendary design
Japan 1958 – Compact – 35 mm – Very rare. The Honor S1 (or Honor 35) is a Japanese Leica III copy, made from 1956 to 1959 by Zuiho Kōgaku. It seems that it was first developed by Daiichi Kōgaku as the Ichicon-35 though no original document has yet been found to confirm this. The … Read moreZuiho
Honor S1 – 77/99
Italy 1954 – Compact – 35 mm – Very rare. Starting in 1949, Domenico Chinaglia of Belluno in north-west Italy started producing the Kristall Cameras, Italian copies of the Leica II. Chinaglia was an incredible character and produced cameras in various locations. He collaborated with several other entrepreneurs of the times ultimately giving birth to … Read moreDomenico Chinaglia
Kristall R – 74/99
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 moreGomz
Leningrad 2A – 73/99
Germany 1958 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. In 1958 Leica introduced the M2 as a budget alternative to the M3. To reduce the price range, some features of the M3 were removed but none that would impact the ability to make quality photographs or to make the experience feel cheap. Typically the self-timer was … Read moreLeica
Leica M2
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 moreNicca
Nicca 3-F – 69/99
Japan 1959 – Compact – 35 mm – Infrequent. The Pentax H2 (or S2), produced in 1959, was launched two years after the original Pentax and is by no means a rare camera. It is the direct descendent of the Asahi Asahiflex, the first Japanese SLR using 35 mm film (launched in 1952). The Pentax … Read moreAsahi
Pentax H2 – 67/99
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 moreMamiya
Magazine 35 – 64/99
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