Pontiac Lynx II

The Lynx II is 127 film camera made from 1945 by the French maker Pontiac (previously known as MFAP, an acronym for Manufacture Française d’Appareils Photographiques).

It is a unique and gorgeous device, its cast aluminum body showing an intricate machining made to remind of rows of woven strands of fiber. Some models were painted black to give the illusion of leather covering.

While it looks gorgeous, this choice was likely driven by necessity as leather was most certainly hard or impossible to find right after the war. It shares a full aluminium cast body approach with the Gallus that was released the same year.

With its smart choice of lenses, the Lynx II met a great success until 1950 and will be replaced by the more modern 35 mm Super-Lynx. In 1951, the MFAP was transferred from Paris to Casablanca where it will definitively stop production in 1954.

The Lynx II, with its stunning and unique aspect, is a fascinating collectible, standing-out in any collection shelf.