My other passion is Japanese 35mm cameras from the 50's, or anything that looks good or was different from the ordinary, here are just some of my favourites.
Nikon S from 1951
with Nikkor 50mm f1.4
A very heavy but well built camera. It would set the path for Nikon to become a market leader as a supplier of professional camera equipment.
Minolta 35
MODEL -E
from 1951
A good looking camera with good lenses, but of dubious reliability.
Nicca IIIA from 1951
with Nikkor 50mm f2
A true Leica copy.
Canon IVSB from 1952
with canon 50mm f1.8
An extremely well built camera of outstanding quality. Still working well after 60 years.
Olympus 35 IVA from 1953
A small for the time 35mm camera.
Olympus did not make a 35mm rangefinder camera untill 1955.
Ricoh "35" from 1955
A 35mm rangefinder camera with knob and trigger wind.
To this day, Ricoh continues to make solid, and sometimes imaginative cameras that are mostly cheaper then the competition.
Asahiflex IIB
Konica (1)
Built in 1948, it was the first 35mm camera from Konica
It had a rangefinder and pop out lens, but no double exposure prevention or flash synch.
Leica I(A) converted to a I(C) from 1930
VP Exakta from 1938
Interchangable lens SLR for 6.5 x 4 on 127 film
Welta Perfekta from 1934
A complex folding mechanism was used to fold this 120 film TLR to a size not much smaller then when it was fully open (above), the complexity made this an expensive camera in its day.
Not a lot of these were sold.
Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta A
from 1934
A folding 4.5 x 6 for 120 film
Zeiss Ikon Super Nettel from 1935
A folding 35mm camera.
This camera was made as a cheaper option to the Contax I, it shared the same focal plane shutter.
Zeiss Ikon Contessa 1950
Another folding 35mm camera
Zeiss seems to have made a camera for every niche market.
Robot IIa 1939
A German camera for 24mm x 24mm pictures in special 35mm cassettes.
It had a spring wind mechanical motor drive and interchangable lenses, plus a viewfinder that could be switched to use from the side at 90 degrees.
Why???
Stainless steel construction made it very heavy for its size.
