Sirio
Elettra 2 – 30/99

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Italy 1946 – Compact – 35 mm – Rare.

The Elettra 2 was released by Sirio, a small Italian firm from Florence in 1946, succeeding the very simple Elettra 1 that had been out for only a few months.

It is one of the Italian attempts to produce Leica type cameras in the immediate post war frenzy. It is not a Leica copy in the sense of the Russian FEDs or Japanese productions but was more of a Leica inspired design.  Presumably the name was chosen to give the camera a futuristic image.

Even if the Elettra 2 is quite simple and lacks most of the features expected from a serious camera at the times, it has an incredibly sleek and modern design. The viewfinder cast into the aluminium top plate and its minimalist controls made it look very elegant and streamlined.

The Elettra 2 was only produced for 3 years as the firm closed in 1949. The exposed camera is number 21 of about 7000 produced. Little is known about the Sirio company, making the Elettra 2 a wonderful collectible.

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