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)
Germany 1932 – Folding – 127 film – Very Rare. Plaubel is originally a German camera maker, founded in 1902. It became famous for the Makina series of press cameras, introduced as early as 1911. The Makinette foldable that was a pocket size camera and was produced for only one year in 1932, making it … Read more31 Plaubel
Makinette
Monaco 1958 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. The Mecaflex was originally produced in 1953 by Metz in Germany and was the brainchild of Heinz Kilfitt, who would later create the Robot cameras. German production was interrupted after just 1800 cameras were produced, only to be restarted in 1958 in Monaco by SEROA. … Read more26 Seroa
Mecaflex
Germany 1940 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. Introduced in 1938, the Robot II emerged as a slightly larger iteration of its predecessor, the Robot I, boasting several notable enhancements while retaining the core mechanism. A distinct variant was developed exclusively for the German intelligence service and military. Equipped with two perpendicular viewfinders—one … Read more23 Robot
Robot II “Luftwaffe”
WW2 Stuka’s camera
USSR 1937 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. The Sport (Cyrillic: “Спорт”) stands as one of the earliest pioneers in the world of SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras, utilizing the innovative 35mm film format. Manufactured by the Soviet camera producer Gomz in 1937, this breakthrough marked a significant leap in camera technology. The … Read more21 Gomz
Sport “Спорт”
Early Single Lens Reflex
Germany 1934 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. Succeeding the Leica I and produced concurrently with the Leica II, the Leica III stands out as arguably the most iconic and emulated camera design in history. The protective cover for the viewfinder and rangefinder has served as inspiration for countless imitations, a trend that … Read more17 Leica
Leica III (mod. F)
The most copied
England 1953 – Compact – 35 mm – Very Rare. The Periflex 1, crafted by K.G. Corfield, is a British 35mm camera introduced in 1953, coinciding with the Queen’s coronation event. Its distinctive innovation was the introduction of a vertical focusing mechanism reminiscent of a submarine periscope, a feature that lent the camera its name. … Read more14 K.G. Corfield
Periflex 1
Germany 1924 – Plate Camera – 6×4.5 Plates – Very Rare. The Ermanox cameras have achieved legendary status. Manufactured by Ernemann in Dresden in 1924, this camera brought a breakthrough by enabling low-light snapshots due to its remarkably bright optics. Its advertising of the time boasted, “Capture interiors, nighttime theater scenes… without using magnesium.” German … Read more12 Ernemann
Ermanox
Early indoor photography
France 1952 – Compact – 120 film – Very Rare. Produced in 1952, the Cyclope camera from Alsaphot is a truly incredible device. To reduce the size of a camera using 120 film, Lucien Dodin designed an innovative process where the image undergoes 2 successive reflexions before reaching the film. This unique architecture allows the Cyclope to … Read more11 Alsaphot
Cyclope
2000 produced
Latvia 1938 – Spy Camera – Minox film – Very Rare. Invented in 1936, the Minox camera soared to fame when James Bond (played by George Lazenby) wielded a Minox A IIIs in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” The initial Riga iterations of the Minox sported a stainless steel casing, later transitioned … Read more10 Minox
Riga
Legendary spy camera
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