Fixed lens SLRs?

[archeophoto]

What fixed lens SLRs do you know?
I only know the Zeiss Contaflex I. It had a fixed 45mm 2.8 Tessar. I like that it is a very compact SLR.

Are there any others like this?

 

[someonenameddavid]

Mamiya made the Nikkorex for Nikon, one version of which had a fixed 43-86 zoom on it... The worst of all possible combinations I think.
In my semi-respectable collection I have a Savoyflex: a nice and fairly scarce 1960 ish camera with a SOM-Berthiot lens and prontor type shutter.

David

 

[richardhkirkando]

Yashica Dental Eye comes to mind. SLR with a fixed macro lens and ringlight. Now i kinda want one.

 

[petronius]

The Hanimex RF35D with a 2,8/45mm fixed lens and a built in flash.

 

[Johann Espiritu]

I think the Canon Canonex had a fixed lens:

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/...nex.html?lang=us&categ=crn&page=1956-1965&p=1

 

[Johann Espiritu]

Looks like the Mamiya Auto Lux may have been the same camera:

http://herron.50megs.com/dechert.htm

 

[Greyscale]

Mamiya Auto-Lux and 528TL. There were several other leaf-shutter SLR cameras that had fixed rear elements and interchangeable fronts, the Topcon Unirex comes to mind.

 

[btgc]

Yashica Samurai half-frame and Yashica/Olympus/Chinon fixed zoom bridge SLR's. These are zoom lenses, but are fixed relative to cameras.

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

What fixed lens SLRs do you know?
I only know the Zeiss Contaflex I. It had a fixed 45mm 2.8 Tessar. I like that it is a very compact SLR.

Are there any others like this?

The Contaflex II was similar to the original SLR with the addition of an uncoupled light meter. The lens arrangement was the same, a 45mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Tessar. A portrait accessory, the Teleskop was available to boost focal length up to, off the top of my head, around 75 or 80mm, but was fitted to the front of the standard Tessar of the I & II models with the addition of a supproting bracket. (It's said to perform reasonably well.)

Mamiya Auto-Lux and 528TL. There were several other leaf-shutter SLR cameras that had fixed rear elements and interchangeable fronts, the Topcon Unirex comes to mind.

Later Contaflice models from the III to the S featured interchangeable front components with centre and rear lens groups either side of the shutter, integral to the camera. The front components were reasonably sophisticated, I have the relevant brochure, and in some cases featured up to an additional five discrete elements to ensure the entire array was well corrected for the total focal length. For a design with certain theoretical compromises these "Pro Tessars" as they are known for the most part perform surprisingly well.

A similar approach was taken with some of the cheaper Pantar lens models. The early Kodak Retina Reflexes also used the same approach as the later Contaflex with a mix of interchangeable front components and fixed body lens groups. Later Retina Reflexes went with the same design as the Voigtlaender Bessamatic used, Ie. behind the lens shutter with completely interchangeable optics.
Regards
Brett

 

[Spavinaw]

"Lea's Register of 35mm SLR Cameras 1935-1981" by Rudolph Lea lists thirty seven SLR's with fixed lenses and twenty SLR's with fixed rear element and interchangeable front elements.

 

[MIkhail]

What fixed lens SLRs do you know?
I only know the Zeiss Contaflex I. It had a fixed 45mm 2.8 Tessar. I like that it is a very compact SLR.

Are there any others like this?

I used to have Olympus something something... more than 10 years ago, I think. One zoom lens, permanently attached.

 

[BW400CN]

Contaflex 1st model prospect

Contaflex - Zeiss complete program 1955

Contaflex - Zeiss complete program 1956

 

[ruby.monkey]

Does the Graflex Series D/Super D count?

 

[Dwig]

Yashica Samurai half-frame and Yashica/Olympus/Chinon fixed zoom bridge SLR's. These are zoom lenses, but are fixed relative to cameras.

Also from that era and of that type, the Minolta 110 Zoom and 110 Zoom II models were fixed zoom lens SLRs.

Also, the Nikkorex models included one interchangeable lens model that took standard F-mount lenses. The other models were fixed lens, including the zoom model.

I don't think the original Exakta model should be considered a truly fixed lens camera, but it comes close. The focusing helicoid is fixed but the lens head is removable. I have yet to find any indication whether this counts as disassembly or whether other lenses were made.

 

[farlymac]

Continental TXL

Continental TXL

One of the many name variations of the Hanimex model that Petronius mentioned.


P1080782_2 Continental TXL Front by br1078phot, on Flickr

PF

 

[Greyscale]

One of the many name variations of the Hanimex model that Petronius mentioned.
P1080782_2 Continental TXL Front by br1078phot, on Flickr

PF

I have seen this camera sold as a "Tashica".

 

[Greyscale]

I used to have Olympus something something... more than 10 years ago, I think. One zoom lens, permanently attached.

Probably one of the IS series

http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~rwesson/esif/om-sif/is-series/is-series.htm

I see a lot of these on eBay, many have been retired from active duty as crime-scene cameras. They seem to have been the cameras of choice for many cop shops, probably because of ease of operation and excellent image quality.

 

[farlymac]

I have seen this camera sold as a "Tashica".

The names I know of so far, in sort of order of appearance:

Hanimex Reflex 35
Naigai SRF
Fujica ST-F
Aviva PF-1
Yumica PF-1
Bell and Howell RFX-1
Great Wall PF-1
Continental TXL

It was shopped around quite a bit.

PF

 

[PatrickONeill]

my parents used a Chinon Genesis 600 for almost a decade.

I almost miss that camera.

 

[Doug]

my parents used a Chinon Genesis 600 for almost a decade.

I almost miss that camera.

That resembles the Olympus camera I was thinking of... Same type of layout.