France 1937 – Subminiature – Custom film – Rare. The Eljy and Super-Eljy cameras were produced by Lumiere (from the Lumiere brothers) from 1937 and are among the most recognizable French miniature cameras. They were extremely popular cameras as they were built with almost no major evolution from 1937 to 1951 when they were replaced … Read more45 Lumiere
Super Eljy
Germany 1936 – Reflex TLR – 35 mm – Very Rare. Introduced in 1935 by Zeiss Ikon, the Contaflex was an innovative 35mm twin-lens reflex (TLR) camera that stood out for its advanced design and built-in photoelectric cell. At the time, it was a groundbreaking development that captured the attention of photographers, despite its steep … Read more44 Zeiss Ikon
Contaflex
6000 Produced
Germany 1936 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Zeiss Ikon Nettax, produced in 1936 was a very high-end device. It was a very expensive camera, making it a very desirable collectible today. It is beautifully built out of light chromed metal and sheathed in very soft black Saffiano veal leather. The objectives are interchangeable using … Read moreZeiss Ikon
Nettax
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”
France 1949 – Compact – 35 mm – Infrequent. At a time when the first 35mm single lens reflex were beginning to appear, the most renowned cameras were the Leicas, with their high quality mechanics and lenses. But France had something to say with the appreciated Foca Universel. In 1938, the French government had limited … Read more42 Foca
Universel
Switzerland 1957 – Subminiature – 35 mm – Rare. The Tessina, produced in Lugano in 1957, and is probably the smallest half-frame 35mm camera ever built. And possibly the strangest. It is a twin-lens reflex with pop-up viewfinder and a clock-work motor drive designed for waist-level inconspicuous photography. The almost 400 parts used in making … Read more41 Tessina
Automatic
Like a luxury watch
Japan 1961 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Nikon F, introduced in April 1959, was Nikon’s first SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera and one of the most advanced cameras of its day. Camera of choice for most photojournalists across the globe, very few cameras scream adventure and travel as much as the Nikon … Read more40 Nikon
Nikon F
The legend
Japan 1949 – Subminiature – 14 mm – Very Rare. The Gemflex is an incredible subminiature camera. It was produced by Showa in occupied Japan in 1949. The Gemflex not only resembles a miniature version of the well known Rolleiflex 6×6 twin lens reflex, but is operated like one. It is one of the smallest … Read more39 Showa Kogaku
Gemflex
Twin Lens miniature
England 1949 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare. The Ilford Advocate is a white-enameled die-cast aluminium alloy 35mm camera made in England by Kennedy Instruments, a subsidiary of Ilford. The Advocate was introduced in 1949 and presented as a “landmark in British camera construction”, giving “the lie to the assertion that we cannot hope … Read more38 Ilford
Advocate
The British legend
Japan 1947 – Subminiature – 16 mm – Very Rare. The Steky is a beautiful subminiature camera produced by the Asahi Musen Company starting 1947. It was then taken over by the Riken Optical Company (Ricoh) in 1950. At the time, film and processing costs were expensive so 16 mm cameras were very popular. But … Read more37 Asahi Musen
Steky (Mod. 1)
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