Ferrania Galileo Condor Junior

As discussed in my earlier Italian camera notes, the Italian photographic industry had woken up in the post-war years, with a host of start-ups having no prior foothold in the trade. The camera described her, part of the Condor line, was made by Officine Galileo, a well-established manufacturer situated in a Florence suburb.

I got the camera in a parcel from an estate sale, well-kept and preserved. It was marked “Ferrania/Galileo” on the back and stamped “Condor” on the top, so I entered it into my database as a “Condor”, where it rested unbothered for a decade. This week, I pulled it off the shelf, only to realize there is no such model, so it was born again as the “Condor Junior”. As the company has deep roots in the Italian industry, there is ample information about it, both online and in print, which is a refreshing change after fishing for slivers of information about other Italian cameras of the era.

Galileo was founded in 1862 and, prior to entering the camera business, had produced military and scientific optics, aerial cameras, survey equipment, and early electrical/electronic devices. Unlike most camera makers of the time, the company still survives and is an established supplier of modern optics.  In WWII, production was diverted to military equipment, primarily to meet the Navy’s needs. As the war was nearing its end, and the Allied forces progressed north, the plant was moved to Northern Italy, where the retreating Germans had it flattened.  In 1945, production resumed as the company set out to restore its glory, but by the Paris treaty of 1947, it was limited to the civilian market.

Camera making was close enough to Galileo’s background, and the anticipated demand seemed to justify an entry into this highly competitive field.  The first camera was introduced in 1947, just two years after the war ended. It borders on a miracle, as within such a short time, Galileo rose from the ashes and presented a completely new product. An added advantage was that the company produced both mechanical and optical components, so it was not dependent on external suppliers in the shaky post-war supply chain.

The choice of the name Condor for the new camera line shows far-flung ambitions, as the bird is endemic to South America. The name was used in several versions throughout the model line, save for the last model of 1955, the sub-miniature GaMi 16. Unlike other Italian camera makers that mushroomed at the time, Galileo had a century of industrial experience under its belt. However, while they were heavy on production knowledge, they were short on marketing expertise. As such, they joined forces with Ferrania, so the same models were sold under Galileo Condor and Ferrania Condor.  I guess it was a good solution for both, as Ferrania did not have a serious compact camera until the Astor of 1953, which still used the #120 format. It should be noted that outside the Condor line, Galileo made other cameras for Ferrania; perhaps the newly installed production infrastructure was underutilized with the Condor brand only.

After a period of labour unrest, which much hindered the company’s capacity, Galileo had given up the camera line.

• The Condor I rangefinder was introduced in 1947. Iscus Rapid shutter, collapsible lens assembly, Eliog 50/3.5. It had two further versions:
  • Condor Ib ,1952, Aplon Rapid shutter, Esaog 50/2.0.
  • Condor Ic, 1955, Aplon Rapid shutter with self timer, Eliog 50/2.8.
• Condor II, 1951, rangefinder added a lever winder and faster glass, Esaog 50/2.0.
• Condor Junior 1951, Viewfinder, f3.5, collapsible lens assembly. This model is marked as Condor only, which may confuse collectors, as it is often mistaken for an additional model. Many units sold online were marked as Condor only. This model is the subject of this page.
• Condoretta 1951, Viewfinder, downscaled Aplon shutter, 0 or f3.5 lens, fixed, not collapsible lens assembly. Fewer shutter speed options.
• An odd affair is the Candog of 1950, a rebadged Condor I for the Australian market. Perhaps a paisano there wanted to enter this market, but Galileo was leery, so they offered another brand instead.
• The last camera, 1955, was a 16mm film subminiature camera, the GaMi 16, short for Galileo Milano. It was one of the most feature-rich cameras of its class.
• Three extracurricular models were the Condor II Aeronautica Militare, the Condor II Industrial and the Condor Reflex Prototype, about which little is known. The Militare is sometimes seen for sale; watch for fake versions, as with the FED-turned-Leica models.

Other companies also used the Condor name. The Condor camera was a prolific Japanese manufacturer of the same period.  Single Condor models were also offered by Camera Construction, Nissan Kogaku, and Rietzschel; none of them is connected. A Condor K-1000 is mentioned on the fly, presumably a Pentax knock-off. Neumann and Heilemann, a French distributor, sold the Condor camera, but little information is known.

The Condor Junior is a straightforward, compact 35mm camera, with no frills or complex settings. It does not offer many setting options, just enough for the amateur photographer of the time.

• The body is all metal, some aluminum castings, and some steel punched. The body weight is about the same as others’, but with the lens retracted, the camera falls forward.
• The Camea seems very similar to the Condor I, with the top viewer housing sized the same, but without the rangefinder lenses.
• Top is nicely balanced with wind and rewind knobs, aptly marked. The winder stops after each frame. The trigger does not have an internal thread but an external thread on its base, to match specialized remote trigger cables. A sliding mushroom head behind the trigger selects between ‘A’ for advance and ‘R’ for rewind. Not sure whether the choice of letters is accidental or if it’s that way in Italian.
• The viewer is tiny, yet bigger than the French cameras offered at the time.
• The hinged back opens via a side sliding bolt.
• Inside are the common film bays, a single cog to keep the film in line, machined film tracks and a pressure plate mounted on the back. A spring arm keeps the feeding cartridge in place.
• Bottom has the mounting bushing, 3/8” thread, so I’ll take an adapter for the standard 1/4” thread. A manual reset frame counter and two pins to keep the camera balanced.
• The lens assembly is retractable; pull it out for shooting. To lock it in place, just pull it all the way until it clicks. To retract, just push back all the way.
  • Flush on the body is the focusing dial, with good travel and a finger rest.
  • On the retractable end are the trigger cocking lever, side-mounted, and a trigger arm that can be used for double exposure, a feature fancied prior to the Photoshop generation.
  • At the front is a dial over a fixed base. The dial sets the shutter speed, and a pointed lever sets the aperture values that are printed on the inner, fixed base.

For the collector, any of the Galileo models are highly recommended. The GaMi fetches most of the lot, followed by the Condor II. The cameras were well-made, and most survived the burden of time. These models are frequently offered for sale either on eBay, Catawiki or by specialized auction houses.