This is a Miranda A, a 35mm single lens reflex camera made by the Miranda Camera Company in Japan starting in 1958. The Miranda A was the first Miranda camera to have a film advance lever, instead of a knob, but still shared many characteristics of their earlier models such…
In my last lens review for the Schneider-Kreuznach Tele-Xenar 135mm f/3.5 in April 2021, I mention that I do not try, nor do I want, to review lenses. However, in this hobby, sometimes a lens shows up in a box, or in the deep bowels of the online marketplace that…
This is a Hanimex Hanimar, which is the Australian export version of the Sarabèr Finetta 88, a 35mm viewfinder camera made in Goslar, West Germany by Finetta-Werk Goslar starting in 1953. The Finetta 88 was the final model in a confusing line-up of Finetta cameras that were produced between 1948…
This is a Canonet 19, a 35mm rangefinder camera built by Canon of Japan starting in January 1961 and sold in the United States by Bell & Howell. When sold with the Bell & Howell name, it was known as the Canonet 19, but when sold by Canon, it was…
This is a Koni-Omega Rapid, a medium format rangefinder press camera that shoots 6cm x 7cm images on 120 and 220 roll film. The Koni-Omega Rapid is the successor to the original Omega 120 made by Simmon Bros Inc in 1954, which itself was based off an earlier military camera…
This is a Mamiya ZE-X, a 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera made by Mamiya Optical Co., Ltd. of Japan starting in 1981. The ZE-X was Mamiya’s most advanced 35mm SLR and came standard with a huge number of advanced electronic features, most notably an error-proof type of Auto Exposure which…
This is an AGFA Selectaflex, a 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera, produced by AGFA-Gevaert between the years 1963 and 1967. The Selectaflex was an evolution of the earlier AGFAFlex, and was a premium interchangeable lens SLR featuring a lineup of good to excellent AGFA lenses using the camera’s own bayonet…
This is a Fujicaflex Automat, a medium format Twin Lens Reflex camera produced by Fuji Photo Industries in Japan starting in 1954. The Fujicaflex was the company’s first and only attempt at a twin lens reflex camera, shooting 6cm x 6cm images on 120 format roll film. The Fujicaflex was…
This is a Konica FS, a 35mm single lens reflex camera made by Konishiroku Photo Industries, Ltd in Tokyo, Japan between 1961 and 1964. The Konica FS was the follow-up to the poor selling, but highly innovative Konica F from 1960. It was a simpler camera without an exposure meter…
This is a Zeiss-Ikon Ikonette, a 35mm scale focus camera produced by Zeiss-Ikon AG in Stuttgart, West Germany starting in November 1958. The Ikonette is a uniquely styled camera with an attractive curved light gray body that was primarily marketed as a lady’s camera. It was thought that by giving…
This is a Contax I, a 35mm rangefinder camera produced by Zeiss-Ikon in Dresden, Germany between the years 1932 and 1936. This particular version is considered by collectors to be a Version 7 or Type F model, offering several upgraded features from the original model, such as additional slow speeds,…
When it comes to collecting cameras, you have many options. Some people like myself can latch onto any camera as long as it appeals to me in some way, but others are more discriminate. Some people specifically seek out SLRs or rangefinders, some prefer ones from a specific brand or…
