January 5, 2026

Gallus Derlux

Gallus Derlux / Derby Lux In a French streak, after the FAP Norca and the Cornu Ontobloc, I continued to the next compact model on the French shelf. The subject is the Gallus Derlux, an odd-looking camera, true to the way the French see the world. The history of this brand is shrouded in mystery, a common trait among early-...

Categories 127/France/Pop out/Viewfinder Comments: 0

December 31, 2025

Cornu Ontobloc

Cornu Ontobloc After I was done with the FAP Norca, an obscure French camera, I picked up the one next to it on the shelf, the equally obscure Cornu Ontobloc. I say ‘obscure’ because there is very little information about the brand, as if it had landed on Earth and then taken off after a brief visit. Online and in-print...

Categories 35 mm/France/Obscure/Viewfinder Comments: 0

December 25, 2025

ISO Duplex Super 120

ISO Duplex Super 120 Thinking about Italian cameras, what comes to mind are the mid-20th-century cameras for the masses, such as Bencini or Ferrania, which was my first-ever camera, circa 1962. Nonetheless, Italy was one of the few European countries that produced cameras since the late 1800s. The hard-to-read book Made in Italy lists over 100 manufacturers. Most early manufacturers...

Categories 120/Italy/Stereo/Viewfinder Comments: 0

December 22, 2025

GOMZ / LOMO Sputnik

GOMZ / LOMO Sputnik GOMZ(1), based in Leningrad / St. Petersburg, established in the 1930s, was one of the earliest optical equipment and camera factories in the USSR. In 1966, the company name had changed to LOMO(2).  In both incarnations, the company produced photographic and optical equipment for civilian and military use. The cameras made were basic, with one exception:...

Categories 120/GOMZ / LOMO/Rangefinder/Stereo/USSR Comments: 0

December 17, 2025

Lionel Linex Stereo

Lionel Linex Stereo Cameras are not considered objets d’art; nonetheless, they should appear their purpose, practical and eye pleasing, and well, look conventional, not avant-garde. As with any product convention, there are outliers. Take Charlie the Tuna, which could be forgiven if it was made as a premium product like so many drink cans. Take a camera that wants to...

Categories 16mm/Stereo/USA/Viewfinder Comments: 0

December 11, 2025

Revere Stereo 33

Revere Stereo 33 The Revere company was established in Chicago in the early 1920s as an auto parts machine shop. Tinming couldn’t have been worse, as it was straight into the great depression. I’m not sure how they have survived that period, but in the early 1940s, they introduced the Revere 84 and Revere 88, 8mm cine cameras, in direct...

Categories 35 mm/Rangefinder/Revere/Stereo/USA Comments: 0

December 9, 2025

Sawyers View-master Personal Stereo

Sawyers View-master Personal Stereo The company Sawyers was a distributor of postcards and related fancy paraphernalia, I would guess similar to today’s Hallmark. The line that led to this product was a 3D handheld viewer using daisy wheel slide cards, which I remember from my childhood in the 1950s, that offered 3D sets of images featuring subjects such as buildings,...

Categories 35 mm/Stereo/USA/Viewfinder Comments: 0

December 4, 2025

David White Realist

David White Stereo Realist Unlike most other Utilitarian cameras, there is plenty of online information about the Realist, so rather than recycling existing data, I will add the relevant links and top it off with my own views. To recap, the Realist was the most popular stereo camera of the post-war stereo craze. This fashion did not last long; it...

Categories 35 mm/Rangefinder/Stereo/USA Comments: 0

November 28, 2025

Kodak Stereo 35mm

Kodak Stereo 35mm Stereo cameras had fascinated users since the early days of photography, going back to the mid-1800s, with the classic mahogany-and-brass luggables. Viewing was via a crane-like, long-billed device, with a postcard-sized double image, looking through a mask. Artists took the liberty of adding extra features, as an angel hovering over a baby, a sample of which I...

Categories 35 mm/Kodak/Stereo/USA Comments: 0

November 22, 2025

Yashica Sequelle

Yashica Sequelle Looking back at the history of photography, there were two major stepping stones. The first, and most important, was the transition from plates to roll film, which meant moving from a specialized trade into a free-for-all, no-skill-required hobby.  The second turning point was the move from #120 and #127 paperback roll film formats to 35mm cartridges. The early...

Categories 35mm half frame/Japan/Viewfinder/Yashica Comments: 0