2007
- December
- Walz Envoy 35
This month I get out and about with the Walz Envoy, a somewhat uncommon rangefinder from the Walz trading company of Japan. I must confess to knowing little about the Walz cameras as they are rarely seen in Australia, bu...
- November
- Yashica Lynx 1000
This month’s camera is the Yashica Lynx 1000.During the late fifties through to the late seventies the Japanese camera industries stole the baton from the European manufacturers by producing copious quantities of ...
- October
- Pentax Spotmatic
This month I take out what is probably the most influential SLR to come out of Japan, the Pentax Spotmatic.I already hear you say... what about the Nikon F? While the Nikon changed many perceptions about the quality of t...
- September
- Agfa Ambiflex
This months camera is the Agfa Ambiflex.Agfa introduced the Ambiflex series in either 1958 or 59, depending upon who you listen to. It was designed to be a direct competitor to the Zeiss Contaflex, Kodak Retina and Voigt...
- August
- Voigtlander Brilliant
It’s mid winter here in Australia so it seems a good time to use another TLR, well a sort of TLR, the Voigtlander Brilliant. I say sort of because the Brilliant looks and tastes like a TLR but is just really a glor...
- July
- Ensign Selfix 820
This month’s camera is from Great Britain, manufactured by that prolific producer of folding cameras... Ensign.Ensign started making cameras around 1936 and tended to produce designs for the lower to middle section...
- June
- The Rollei 4X4 or Grey Baby.
The “ baby” Rollei’s or 4X4’s were introduced not long after the Rolleiflex around 1931 and continued to be made until the late fifties where the Grey Baby was the last of the line. This camera ga...
- May
- Kodak 620
Out and about with an old Kodak folder, the Kodak 620 from 1933.The impact of the Eastman Kodak company on popular photography is immeasurable. Just as Henry Ford put the masses on wheels, so did George Eastman put a cam...
- April
- Polaroid SX-70
This Month I go a little left field and feature the Polaroid SX-70.The self developing SX-70 cameras appeared in 1972 and represented the apotheosis of the instant photography system devised by Dr.Edwin Land.Lands’...
- March
- Exakta VX
This month’s camera is the unique left handed Exakta VX.The Exakta line started with the VP Exakta which saw the light of day in 1931. This camera took the then popular 127 sized film, hence the name VP, or vest po...
- February
- Zeiss Contarex
This months feature camera is the Zeiss Contarex.I’ll start this page with a quote from that doyen of camera collecting, Ivor Matanle. “ there is really no quality among SLR’s to match that of the Conta...
- January
- The Rolleiflex
So much has been written about this iconic camera that I'm not going to delve too much into the history of these cameras. The original Rolleiflex appeared in 1928 and featured a f4.5 Tessar lens with Compur shutter. ...