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 more74 Domenico Chinaglia
Kristall R
Germany 1934 – Folding – 120 film – Very Rare. The Perfekta TLR (twin lens reflex) was produced by Welta in Germany from 1934 to 1940. It was the successor of the Superfekta and remains one of the most fascinating cameras ever built. Welta wanted to create a 6×6 TLR camera that would fold and … Read more72 Welta
Perfekta
Foldable camera
Japan 1948 – Spy Camera – Custom film – Very rare. The Petal is an incredible device. It was the smallest subminiature camera in the world, produced by Sakura Seiki in Japan in 1948. It has a round (or octagonal) main body the size of a coin and was intended for inconspicuous photography as it … Read more65 Sakura Seiki
Petal
Private eye camera
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 1964 – Panoramic – 35 mm – Very Rare. The Widelux F6 is a fully mechanical swing-lens panoramic camera. It was first developed in Japan in 1958 by Panon Camera Shoko and production ended in 2000. The Widelux uses a unique process to create almost 130 degree panoramic exposures on standard 35 mm or … Read more62 Panon
Widelux F6
Early panoramic
Germany 1948 – Spy Camera – Custom film – Very Rare. The ABC Wristwatch camera, designed by Austrian Chemist Rudolph Steineck was first introduced in 1948 and was produced for 3 years. This fancy looking wristwatch is in reality a disguised sub-miniature camera allowing to take discreet photographs while pretending to check for the time. … Read more61 Steineck
ABC Wristwatch
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
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
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
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
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