tojeem
Enthusiast
This may be a long post, so my apologies in advance.
The story starts when I decided to go camera-hunting at my local opp-shop. I managed to find this charming little camera: The Licom MXF-700. Here are some pictures.
There are only 4 aperture settings, ranging from f/6 to f/16: from "cloudy" to "sunny". The lens is fixed-focus, 50mm, and is made of glass. There's no shutter speed adjustment... Oh, and it says "Made in Taiwan" on the bottom. And that's pretty much it!
Then here's where it gets strange. Since I bought the camera, it's come to my notice that various other slightly different versions of the camera keep appearing online... but they're made by different companies. So far I've found seven:
The Konex MX-V
This one is identical to the Licom, except for the branding and what seems to be a light meter. Curiously, the placement of the light meter is of the same placement and size as a grooved plastic square on the Licom. Perhaps the camera body is sold to various retailers under different brands, with "addable" specs such as the light meter?
The Bentley WX-3
This one is very similar to the Licom, but is missing the prism-shaped top. The lens barrel, like the Konex, is identical to the Licom. Also the model numbers of these cameras seem similar: MX-700, MX-V, WX-3.
The Lavek LT-002
This one has a slightly different body design, especially around the grip. However the lens barrel is identical, and the viewfinder and strap lugs are identically placed. Note the red dot by the lens barrel; this too is another change from the first three cameras.
The Promax PX-600
Here the grip, lens barrel, rewind knob and prism-design are identical to the Licom. This version however has its viewfinder in the prism, and what seems to be a light meter next to it.
The Ninoka NK-700
An almost identical design to the Licom, with a few slight differences on the top and near the viewfinder.
The Elite MF-2X
This may be silver, but closer inspection will show that it is, in fact, another variation of the Licom. The shutter-release, prism top, strap lugs, viewfinder, trim, and once again the lens barrel are all identical here. One major difference is the light meter, which appears to be a copy of a Yashica design. There seems to be an accent above the "e" in Elite... perhaps this is a non-English model?
So that's it. Seven cameras, from seven different companies, which appear to be identical (or sharing identical parts). I thought I would share this discovery with you, in the hope that somebody may have information on these cameras: by whom they were made, when they were made, or, God forbid, if there are more variations with the same design! What do you think, RangeFinderForum?
Thanks for reading.
The story starts when I decided to go camera-hunting at my local opp-shop. I managed to find this charming little camera: The Licom MXF-700. Here are some pictures.
There are only 4 aperture settings, ranging from f/6 to f/16: from "cloudy" to "sunny". The lens is fixed-focus, 50mm, and is made of glass. There's no shutter speed adjustment... Oh, and it says "Made in Taiwan" on the bottom. And that's pretty much it!
Then here's where it gets strange. Since I bought the camera, it's come to my notice that various other slightly different versions of the camera keep appearing online... but they're made by different companies. So far I've found seven:
The Konex MX-V
This one is identical to the Licom, except for the branding and what seems to be a light meter. Curiously, the placement of the light meter is of the same placement and size as a grooved plastic square on the Licom. Perhaps the camera body is sold to various retailers under different brands, with "addable" specs such as the light meter?
The Bentley WX-3
This one is very similar to the Licom, but is missing the prism-shaped top. The lens barrel, like the Konex, is identical to the Licom. Also the model numbers of these cameras seem similar: MX-700, MX-V, WX-3.
The Lavek LT-002
This one has a slightly different body design, especially around the grip. However the lens barrel is identical, and the viewfinder and strap lugs are identically placed. Note the red dot by the lens barrel; this too is another change from the first three cameras.
The Promax PX-600
Here the grip, lens barrel, rewind knob and prism-design are identical to the Licom. This version however has its viewfinder in the prism, and what seems to be a light meter next to it.
The Ninoka NK-700
An almost identical design to the Licom, with a few slight differences on the top and near the viewfinder.
The Elite MF-2X
This may be silver, but closer inspection will show that it is, in fact, another variation of the Licom. The shutter-release, prism top, strap lugs, viewfinder, trim, and once again the lens barrel are all identical here. One major difference is the light meter, which appears to be a copy of a Yashica design. There seems to be an accent above the "e" in Elite... perhaps this is a non-English model?
So that's it. Seven cameras, from seven different companies, which appear to be identical (or sharing identical parts). I thought I would share this discovery with you, in the hope that somebody may have information on these cameras: by whom they were made, when they were made, or, God forbid, if there are more variations with the same design! What do you think, RangeFinderForum?
Thanks for reading.
