Full scale production of the Leica did not begin until 1925. By that time there were at least a dozen other 35mm cameras available. The success of the Leica was attributed by contemporary photographic writers, not only to its small size and to the precision of its construction, but to its relatively high price which established it as a "prestige" item among both photographers and people of fashion. Obviously the concept of negative price elasticity was as prevalent in the flapper era as it is now...... This search is pushed until 1932, year of presentation of Contax I, the high level rangefinder camera of '30 years.

Click on picture to see large model

Produced
Model
Innovative characteristic
Lense
Picture
Goerz Test Camera - 1925 Test Camera "Goerz". A never seen before camera for 35 mm film for round exposures. Spreads of the camera 14 1/2 in. Dimensions of the lens board 3 1/2 x 4 in. Lens by Astro, Berlin: "Tachar 1,8/25 mm", no. 6.125. This cine lens was patented in the USA in 1925. Lens mount is engraved "C.P. Goerz, Berlin, Serie C, No. 00". "General" shutter. Cable release lifts up an auxiliary shutter and opens the film transport. Optical viewfinder and frame finder with auxiliary lines. Very interesting and spectacular special camera or test camera which is with its long film magazine a forerunner of the Leica 250. One of the last Goerz designs before Goerz has been integrated in the Zeiss Ikon company in 1926.

Made in Germany		 Tachar 1,8/25
Mollier & Demaison Le Cent Vue
Dial set Compur - 1925		 In 1925 Tartara constructed a camera in a limited exemplary number with a curious shape named Fototank. Little later Mollier, in France, will put in production one much similar named ' Cent Vues '. 100 exposures 18x24 on 35mm film in special cassettes, Dial set Compur central shutter 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, very few of them have been made. This is the second version, with rounded leather covered body, made in 1926, while the first version, with square cornered vertical body, was in 1925.

Courtesy of the Voncabbage collection

Made in France		 Hermagis Linx 1:3.5/40

Hermagis Anastigmat 1:3.5/49
Mollier & Demaison Le Cent Vue - 1925 In this successive version Rim Set Compur succed to Dial set Compur of precedent version.

Courtesy of the Voncabbage collection

 Hermagis Linx 1:3.5/40

Hermagis Anastigmat1:3.5/49
O.T.A.G. Amourette PROTOTYPE- 1924 50 exposures 18x24 on 35mm film in special cassettes, central shutter 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, forerunner of the Instamatic and other cassettes.

Made in Austria		 Double Miniscope 1:6.3/35



O.T.A.G. Amourette - 1924 50 exposures 18x24 on 35mm film in special cassettes, central shutter 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, forerunner of the Instamatic and other cassettes.

Made in Austria		 without lens



O.T.A.G. Amourette - 1925 50 exposures 18x24 on 35mm film in special cassettes, central shutter 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, forerunner of the Instamatic and other cassettes.

Made in Austria		 Double Miniscope 1:6.3/35
O.T.A.G. Amourette / Lutin - 1925 Amourette has been sold in France with "Lutin" label, 50 exposures 18x24 on 35mm film in special cassettes, central shutter 1/25, 1/50, 1/100,

Made in Austria		 Double Miniscope 1:6.3/35
ERNEMANN Unette 35mm - 1925 Box camera 22x33mm on 35mm film, also under Zeiss Ikon logo, simple central shutter.

Made in Germany		 Ernemann Unoptikon 12.5/40
Ernst Leitz Leica I - 1925 Shutter times: Z - 20 - 30 40 - 60 - 100 - 200 - 500.

Made in Germany		 Leitz Anastigmat o Elmax o Elmar 50 mm f3.5
Ernemann Bobette I - 1925 Very rare camera for cinefilm, Bobette Iwas a strut folding camera, fitted with various lenses. Frame Size: 22x33mm.

Made in Germany		 50/4.5 Ernoplast
40/8 Erid
50/9 Frontar lens
Carl Zeiss Bobette - 1926 Rare camera for cinefilm with paper back roll, Bobette was absolutely the same of Ernemann, but with Zeiss logo. Frame Size: 22x31mm.

Made in Germany		 50/8 Frontar lens
Bebr Bopp Prototype Made in Germany 2,3/50mm Tachar Astro
Ernst Leitz Leica Compur A - (or Compur Dial) - 1926 Made in 2 different versions, Model A has a Compur Dial Set.

Made in Germany		 Leitz Anastigmat f 3.5/50
C.P. Goerz Matonox Night-Camera - 1926 Exceptional night camera, Goerz lens "Photomaton 2/3 in.". Ilex shutter. F-stops: 2; 2,5; 3; 3,5; 4,5. With "Prism Tele Viewfinder for Matonox Night-Camera III inch". Camera and viewfinder with serial number 42, special lens hood as well (1042). Negative size 24 x 36 mm! With special case. Photomaton lens absolutely unknown! After the incorporation of Goerz into Zeiss Ikon in 1926 this development had not been continued !

Made in Germany		 Photomaton lens
Ernst Leitz Leica Compur B (or Compur Rim) - 1926 Model B has Compur Rim Set.

Made in Germany		 Leitz Anastigmat f 3.5/50
Ernemann Bobette II - 1926 Klapp camera 22x33mm on 35mm film paper back, this is the second version similar to first model except 22x33mm exposures. Shutter is CHRONOS. Frame Size: 22x33mm.

Made in Germany		 Ernoplast f4,5 F=5cm
Ansco Memo early wood The little half frame (18 x 23mm) Ansco Memo appeared in 1927 with various lens and shutter combinations. Over the years, most were leather covered, but a very few early versions were polished wood with a red mahogany finish. This example with Serial Number 1317 is one of those early models. The lens is a fixed focus f6.3 Ilex Cinemat in a working Ilex shutter with speeds from Time to 1/100 second. The camera uses a cassette to cassette film transport. It is interesting to note that Ansco was selling these special cassettes with film loads as late as 1954, so quite a few Memos must have been sold in the late 1920’s and 1930’s.

Made in USA		 Wollensak Cine Velostigmat

Ilex Cinemat1:6.3/40

1:50/3.5 Agfa Anastigmat
Ansco Memo Regular - 1927 Wooden vertical box body with leather covering. Tubular optical finder on top. Makes 50 exposures 18x23mm on 35mm film in special cassettes which were originally made of wood.Sliding button on back for film advance, automatic exposure counter. Ansco Memo cameras were produced in numerous configurations, first version without a shutter release guard. Variations included models with an f 6.3 lens, f 3.5 lens, focusing and non-focusing lenses, plain uncovered wood bodies, leather covered bodies, and a wood olive-drab painted Boy Scout model. There were models that focused to three feet, and others that focused to two feet. Lenses were provided by Wollensak, Bausch & Lomb, Ilex, Agfa and possibly other makers.

Made in USA		 Wollensak Cine Velostigmat

Ilex Cinemat1:6.3/40

1:50/3.5 Agfa Anastigmat
Ansco Memo Boy-Scout Special edition for Boy-Scouts, green, and with a special logo.

Made in USA		 Wollensak Cine Velostigmat

Ilex Cinemat1:6.3/40

1:50/3.5 Agfa Anastigmat
Wirgin Edinex - 1927 Non-rangefinder model with the addition of an access door on the back to facilitate film loading, Wiesbaden,

Made in Germany.		 Edinar 3.5/50
Walter Stark camera Walter Stark camera - 1928 24x36, Shutter: Guillotine

Made in USA		 Unknown

Cornu Ontoscope - 1928 24x30, Shutter: Guillotine

Made in France		 Zeiss Tessar 1:4.5/75
Kern Astro Small Stereo - 1928 20x20mm, Shutter: Guillotine

Made in Switzerland		 Kernon 3.5/35
Q.R.S. Devry Corp. Kamra ver.1 - 1928 Brick-shaped black bakelite body. 40 exposures, 24x32mm, on 35mm film in special cassettes. Single speed shutter trips by counter-clockwise motion on winding crank. as the manual says: "Q.R.S Kamra film is standard 35mm. motion picture film prepared exclusively for the Q.R.S Kamra in Q.R.S metal daylight loading magazine".

Pictures courtesy Tom Egnatz

Made in USA		 f5 Wollensak
Q.R.S. Devry Corp. Kamra ver.2 - 1928 Brick-shaped brown bakelite body. Like version I but different finder position on a flap

Made in USA		 Graf Anastigmat f7.7/40
DEVRY CORP Hollywood - 1928 simple shutter.

Made in USA		 Graf Anastigmat 7.7/40
Schneider Xenar 4.5/50
LA CINESCOPIE Bourdereau - 1928 Bourdereau, Paris. 35mm camera, size 24 x 36 mm

Made in France		 Optis Anastigmat 3,5/50 mm
Ansco Memo Regular - 1929 Like precedent, but this version has a shutter release guard. Lenses were provided by Wollensak, Bausch & Lomb, Ilex, Agfa and possibly other makers.

Made in USA		 Wollensak Cine Velostigmat

Ilex Cinemat1:6.3/40

1:50/3.5 Agfa Anastigmat
LA CINESCOPIE Photoscopic (vers.2) - 1929 Advance film by an usual knob, frame Size: 24x24mm, 50 pictures

Made in Belgium		 O.I.P.Gand Labor 3.5/45

MULTIPOSE PORTABLE CAMERAS LTD Maton - 1930 Shutter: Gizo, 24x30mm on 35mm film.

Made in France		 Trylor 4.5/85
Rothgiesser & Schlossmann Rothschloss - 1930 Very rare TLR for 18x24 on 35mm film, sometimes with Steinheil "Triplar 2,8/5 cm", mostly offered with Rothschloss "Anastigmat 1:3,5", Compur up to 1/300 sec.

Made in Germany		 Anastigmat Rothschloss 3,5/50.
LA CINESCOPIE Cinescopic - 1930 Frame Size: 24x24mm, lense, shutter and finder are removable, all connected together, 50 pictures

Made in Belgium		 O.I.P.Gand Labor 3.5/45
Sconosciuto Prototipo Frame Size: 12x12mm on stardard leica film cartidge Dallmeyer Anastigmat Super Six 1,9/1''
C.F. Foth & Co Derby - 1930 Swing-up telescopic Newton finder, focal plane shutter 1/25 - 1/500 Sec., only first version format 24 x 36 on 127 film, 2 versions (after done) for format 3 x 4 on 127 film.

Made in Germany		 Foth Anastigmat 3,5/50
Ernst Leitz Leica I Hektor - 1930/32 First Leica with fixed luminous lense, Hektor 50: 2,5, only 1.300 pieces done.

Made in Germany		 Hektor 50 2,5/50
G. A. Krauss, Stuttgart Peggy I - 1931-1934 Chromed and black finish, without rangefinder. Had a Compur-Shutter, Tessar 3,5 & 2,8/50, and featured coupled filmtransport and shutter mechanism, an automatic film counter and a film cutting device.

Made in Germany		 Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 1:3.5 f=5cm
G. A. Krauss, Stuttgart Peggy II - 1932-1934 Chromed and black finish, featured a coupled rangefinder, an improved compur-shutter with the slowest speed of 1 second, and offered a choice of 5 lenses: Tessar 2,8 & 3,5/50, Xenar 2/45, Schneider Xenon 2/45, Biotar 2/50. Had a Compur-Shutter, Tessar 3,5 & 2,8/50, and featured coupled filmtransport and shutter mechanism, an automatic film counter and a film cutting device.

Made in Germany		 Schneider Xenon 2/45
Woldemar Beier Beira Model Ia - 1932 here in chrome finitures, for un-perforated 35mm film, without rangefinder, Shutter: Compur

Made in Germany		 Schneider Xenar 3.5/50

Rodenstock Trinar 4.5/50
Woldemar Beier Beira Model Ia - 1932 here in black finitures, for un-perforated 35mm film, without rangefinder, Shutter: Compur

Made in Germany		 Schneider Xenar 3.5/50

Rodenstock Trinar 4.5/50
Kolar Kola - 1932 One of the first multi-format cameras.... made in many versions with different shutters and lenses.

Made in Czechoslovakia		 Zeiss Tessar 3,5/60
Rodenstock Anastigmat Trinar 2,9/50
Ernst Leitz Leica II - 1932 First Leica with a built-in-rangefinder, standardized & interchangeable lenses, ranging from 35 to 135, it was 35's first system camera, focal plane shutter from 1/20 to 1/500.

Made in Germany		 Elmar 3.5/50
Ernst Leitz Leica Standard - 1932 Galileian viewfinder, no rangefinder. Technically as Leica I, but with extendible rewind knob.

Made in Germany		 Elmar 3.5/50
Zeiss Contax - 1932 Start Zeiss competition against Leica format ! Top rangefinder camera, including a black body. It had the longest rangefinder base (100mm) ever. The first Contax had a vertical travel, eleven blade, metal, focal plane shutter. Shutter speeds could be set, all from the same dial, up to 1/1000 second. A bayonet mount for interchangeable lenses available with speeds up to fl.5. Detachable back to accommodate the changing of film, Contax I was in production from 1932 to 1938, and by 1934 there were 12 lenses from 28mm to 500mm in the Carl Zeiss lens line.

Made in Germany		 Zeiss Tessar 3,5/50
Woldemar Beier Beira Okula - 1938 the upgrade: a Beira 1a with prismatic telescopic finder connected to lense advance.

Made in Germany		 Schneider Xenar 3.5/50

Rodenstock Trinar 4.5/50


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