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
Germany 1948 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Casca camera, introduced in 1948, is widely regarded as one of the finest 35 mm designs of its era. However, production was abruptly halted after just one year due to a legal dispute with Leitz, the creators of the Leica. Although the lawsuit centered around … Read more71 Steinheil
Casca 1
2000 Produced
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 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 more67 Asahi
Pentax H2
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
Switzerland 1942 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. Like most Swiss high-quality cameras, the Alpa Reflex has common roots with the watchmaking industry. It was designed by Pignons SA, a Swiss precision mechanical manufacturer that decided to diversify their product range in the late 1930s. Prototype production began in 1939 with test series … Read more63 Alpa
Reflex
Japan 1947 – Compact – 127 film – Rare. Produced in Japan by Tōa Kōki Seisakusho (Far-East Optical Works, usually called Toakoki) for about 15 years from 1936, the Gelto DIII was a desirable camera that definitely stood out on the shelves of the camera shops. The Gelto is indeed a striking device with very … Read more59 Toakoki
Gelto DIII
Jewel camera
Italy 1949 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. The Bilux, released in 1949 in Milan by the Industria Scientifico Ottica (ISO), is probably one of the most sought after cameras ever built. Produced in about 200 copies before ISO released the “Standard” and mythical “Reporter”, the Bilux is both an incredibly well built … Read more58 ISO
Bilux
Few 100s produced
United States 1938 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. Often called the “hunchback” for obvious reasons, the Mercury was first released in 1938 by the Universal Camera Group (also known as Univex). Univex then suspended their camera-making operations during World War II to manufacture binoculars for the armed forces. The Mercury II went into … Read more57 Univex
Mercury
Italy 1947 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Duca was the second camera produced by Durst, an Italian company headquartered in Brixen, South Tyrol. It was first presented at the 24th Milan Trade Fair in September 1946 and went into production until 1952. The Duca is a quite basic and yet solid device … Read more56 Durst
Duca
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