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 information is limited to the list of models made, with no background. I will be ever grateful for any data about it.

It is mentioned that the company was established in 1924 and lasted until sometime in the 1950s. They made three distinct groups of cameras: the stereo models, most under the Ontoscope name, with variants under Aeroscope, Brevet, and Manoscope. What puzzles me is that, for the stereo models, production dates back a decade or more before 1924, so, as usual, published information needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

The next group are the TLR models, under the Ontoflex name, offered in 1933.

The last group is a collection of 35mm viewfinder cameras made between 1941 and 1957, whose lineage is confusing.

The two early groups are rarely seen for sale and may fetch high prices. The third group is modestly available for resale, with some models attracting specialized collectors who may pay well above real-world value, as with the Fama II kit sold in 2023 for 1,400 euros.

The cameras in the third group, which is the subject of this page, are all 35mm compact viewfinders and clearly stem from the same tree. I have one unit of the lot, and it seems that all share a very similar cast-aluminum body, with only minor variants. In different guides, the evolving submodels are labelled I, II, and III, with versions within each submodel numbered 1, 2, and so on. However, in the guides I have consulted, there is no agreement on the versions, so I have omitted them from the table below. I believe the different submodels were not planned that way, but assembled with lenses and shutters available at the given time, pressed by unreliable supply chain constraints in the post-war years.

First in the group were the Reyna models, of which there are different opinions. Some guides attribute them to Cornu, others to SEM. These models bear some resemblance to the SEM Kim. There is a detailed article about the Reyna Cross and Weekend Bob in Collection Appareils, which can be easily translated into English.

Next came the Ontobloc line, literally translated as “monoblock,” produced between 1946 and 1948.

Last were the Fama models, Latin for fame, of which there are again different opinions of their origin. The Cornu list closes with the oddly named Weekend Bob, a name as peculiar as the Norca Pin-Up. It looks like the French had a weakness for American-sounding names, much as Japanese camera makers did. Note that Ernemann/Zeiss had Bob-named models; nothing to do with this Bob.

There is no evidence that any of the Cornu models were sold outside France.

The table below lists the models of this group.

The camera on my bench is the Ontobloc II. It is smallish, with slanted edges, too small to hold safely in one hand. It is not a pretty camera, but considering it was made a few years after the war had ended, it is acceptable. The body is made of cast aluminum, finished in Hammerton Black paint. The winder knobs and the lever are in a bare aluminum finish.

This camera seems to have suffered much abuse over the years. Either that, or the build quality was not up to snuff. All was stiff; it took a few syringes of lighter fluid to bring it back to life. But now that parts are moving, the front lens assembly turns freely as well. It will take some care to get it to an accepted condition. Meanwhile, it will stay on the shelf.

The shutter on this camera is Compur Rapid, which is not listed for the Ontobloc II on any of the guides. It reinforces my view that manufacturers had to make do with whatever parts they could get.

• The top has a winder and rewind knobs, both marked with an arrow. A rounded hatch showing the frame counter is by the winder. I have no clue how to reset it. A trigger post is by the winder.
• The hinged back opens via a sliding bolt on the side.
• At the back is the minuscule viewer, the smallest I have seen. Either that the French at the time had good eyesight ot the designers flopped. A fin at the viewer housing allows for double exposure on a single frame. An exposure guide table is on the back.
• Inside are the film cartridge bay and the offtake pivot, with a double cog film guide. A pressure plate is mounted on the back.
• All the settings are on the front lens assembly.
  • A shutter cocking lever with a remote trigger port.
  • A serrated dial sets the shutter speeds.
  • On the same dial, below the lens, a fin sets the aperture value.
  • The front focusing ring, marked in meters, has a long travel.
  • The trigger is actuated via a lever set pushed by the trigger button. The levers are covered with a metal cover, a common feature of many era cameras.
• A push button at the bottom releases the winder clutch, allowing for rewind.

For the collectors, it is an interesting camera, not a breakthrough model, but similar to a group of post-war French models.