Weird & Wonderful Scale Focusing 35mm cameras: 11 cool models of bygone era that are still fun user-collectibles!

Weird & Wonderful Scale Focusing Full Frame 35mm Cameras: These

11 cool 35s from a bygone era are still fun to collect and shoot with!

If you lined up all the scale-focusing full frame 35mm cameras thar were made between 1914 to the dawn of the digital revolution about 25 years ago, they would easily fill a 300-page book--one that would never make the NY Times best seller list! Instead, we’ve picked out 11 of our favorite user-collectibles and we hope they tickle your fancy too.

The Beauty 35 is a solid, well made, nicely finished, scale-focusing 35 with an engaging form factor and was one if the first Japanese cameras to feature a film wind lever in place of a traditional knob. It was the first 35mm fixed-lens viewfinder camera produced by the Japanese company Taiyōdō Koki in 1955 and was also sold under different names, including the Gen 35, Milo 35, and Ward 35, the last one a trademark of Montgomery Ward in the U.S. The company later became known as the Beauty Camera Company and produced a line of 35mm rangefinder cameras including the Beauty Canter and Beau Lightomatic series, from about 1959 to 1963.

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The Beauty 35: One of the prettier scale-focus 35s, it's solidly made and a fine street shooter, but can be pricey.

Specifications of the original full frame Beauty 35:

Lens: F.C. Beauty 45mm f/3.2 scale-focusing lens, a very good 3-element Cooke triplet type with front cell focusing down to 3.5 feet. Shutter: 5-bladed Prontor-type leaf shutter with speeds of 1, ½,1/5, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, and 1/300 sec plus B (bulb) and integral mechanical self-timer. Large Albada-style frame line viewfinder. Single stroke wind lever.

The scale-focusing Beauty 35 isn’t exactly rare, but finding one for sale can be challenging. Also, since It has become something of a cult classic some sellers are asking fancy prices of $200 and up! But if you’re patient and quick on the trigger you can probably; snag one for around 100 bucks or even less.


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Pigeon 35: It won't fly like an eagle, but it's well made and its 4.5cm f/3.5 Tri-Lausar lens isn't a lousy as it's name.

The Pigeon 35 is a robust, nicely finished scale-focusing 35 with a removable back, knob wind, and topped with a simple small inverse Galilean optical finder. First introduced by Shinano in 1952, most models feature a Tomioka Tri-Lausar or S-Lausar 4.5cm f/3.5 lens, which, despite the punny implications of its unfortunate name, is a decent triplet that focuses down to 3.5 feet. Specifications vary by model but generally include a leaf shutter with speeds from Bulb (B) to 1/200 sec with integral self-timer. Some models, like the Pigeon 35 V, incorporate a coupled rangefinder and a self-cocking shutter. The Pigeon 35 may not fly like an eagle, but it is a satisfying fun walkaround vintage 35 that’s readily available online a about $45 to $65.

The Regula I (including models I, I-A to I-P etc.) was a series of well made, distinctively styled scale focusing 35mm cameras made in Bad Liebenzell West Germany by King KG between 1949 and 1953.The first camera King ever made was the Regula I Subsequent models share the same basic body design but each one varies with different lenses, shutters and other parts such as winding knobs and frame counter.

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Regula I with 50mm f/3.5 Steinheil Cassar lens (a decent triplet) and Prontor SV shutter, a nice walkaround camera.

All Regula I models have the following elements in common: A small but chubby body made from aluminum, usually covered with a durable textured nylon leatherette. A manually cocked Prontor, Vario, or Synchro-Compur shutter A triplet lens usually made by Steinheil or Enna though some are marked King Regulon. Basic viewfinder with no frame lines; accessory shoe on top of the viewfinder hump. Frame counter (two different designs) and shutter release on the top between the viewfinder and film advance; double exposure prevention. Film rewind switch on the back. just under the film wind knob. Two small loops of metal on either side of the camera's top plate for use with split rings for a neck strap. Size: approximately 130mm x 80mm x 70mm (W x D x H); Weight: about 350 to 400g depending on model.

Regula I Basic model specifications: Lens; Sreinheil Munchen Cassar triplet with apertures f/2.8 to f/16, focusing to just under 3.5 feet (about 1 meter), depth of field scale. Shutter: Prontor SV with speeds of 1 to 1/300 sec plus B, integral 8-sec self-timer, NX sync with PC contact,

Any Regula I makes an attractive, well-balanced walk-around 35 that comfortable toehold and shoot with and capable of satisfying overall imaging performance. The Regula i is widely available online in clean working condition at prices ranging from $50 to $150.

The Smena 2 is a simple, charmingly funky plastic (bakelite) full frame 35mm viewfinder camera produced from 1955 to about 1962 by GOMZ (State Optical-Mechanical Factory) and later by MMZ (Minsk Mechanical Factory) both in the USSR. It features a non-removable 4cm f/4.5 triplet T-22 lens that stops down to f/22 and focuses down to a blistering 1.3 meters (4 feet, 3 inches), a behind-the-lens leaf shutter with speeds from 1/10 to 1/200 sec. plus B (bulb), a small squinty optical viewfinder and a big circular frame counter on top. “Smena” means “young generation” in Russian, and the Smena 2, which added a self-timer and flash sync to the first model, was designed as a mass-produced "starter" camera for the masses, and more than 1.5 million units were produced.

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Smena 2: This is the "black front" version. Scale focusing and cartridge-to-cartidge film transport for the masses

As you’d expect, the Smena 2 is reasonably light, weighing it at 290 grams (10.2ounces) despite its chunky form factor. But once you slide the back lock open and lift off the removable back you immediately notice there’s something is missing, namely a tale-up spool! Oh, there’s a short, 2-pronged take up shaft at the top of left-hand chamber, but there’s no rewind knob! So even you installed a spare take-up spool in the take-up chamber you’d need to unload the camera in a darkroom or changing bag when you finished the roll. The solution: buy some reloadable 35mm cartridges (the kind typically used for bulk film loading) attach the film leader to the take-up shaft with tape reassemble the take-up cartridge and insert it in the take-up chamber. Voilà, cartridge-to-cartridge feed, just as the commissar intended.

Granted, many potential Smena 2 fans won’t be inclined to put up with this inconvenience (and also having to ask your film processor to return the cartridges), but those who do will be pleasantly surprised. The Smena 2 is remarkably capable camera given its modest specs, and so long as you can live without shooting subjects closer than 4 feet, it’s great snapshot camera and an even better conversation starter.

You can acquire a clean Smena 2 in working condition on the leading online auction sites for around $30 to $75. Later Smena models with conventional loading and rewinding include the Smena 8 and Smena 9, generally available at $50 to $100, but not the Smena 6 and Smena 7.

The Minoltina P. This charmingly svelte, compact scale-focusing full frame 35 was introduced in 1963 or 1964 as a full frame competitor to the wildly successful half frame Olympus 35s, and despite its sterling virtues, it hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. At 5 x3 x2 inches (L x H x W) it isn’t quite as tiny as a Rollei 35 or a Contax T but this solidly built (15.5 oz.), well finished (in silver or black) gem slides easily into a trousers pocket or the smallest handbag and it’s a fine picture taker thanks to its excellent 4-element, 3-group semi-wide-angle 38mm f/2.8 Rokkor lens.

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Minoltina-P: A charming and competent critter, it had match-needle selenium metering but limited manual options.

The Minoltina employs a selenium cell match-needle metering system coupled to a Citizen-L programmed shutter that operates over a range of f/2.8 at 1/30 sec (EV 8) to f/22 at 1/250 sec (EV 17) with the exposure setting window atop the camera next to the zone focus widow, which displays a pointer and distance symbols. You can also focus down to 0.8m (2.6 feet) using the distance scale on the lens. According to the user manual “the shutter speed and aperture can be manually set” but this implies thy can be set independently, which is misleading. You can set the full range of apertures manually, but only at the 1/30 sec flash sync speed, and you can choose an EV number, but then metering is done via the programmed match needle settings. This is perhaps the only drawback for serious shooters considering the Minoltina-P.

Other features: Clear, bright inverse Galilean viewfinder with bright frame line and parallax correction marks, single stroke 180° film wind lever, automatic zero return frame counter, film speed settings ASA 25 to 800, built-in self-timer.

The Minoltina P is a stylish and competent walkaround camera that’s widely available in clean working condition at prices in the $35 to $80 range in silver. The snazzy black version is gorgeous, but it will set you back about $125 to $150.

Druopta Vega: These basic scale-focusing 35mm cameras were made by Druopta (literally “all optical”) in Prague Czechoslovakia, mostly in the ‘50s to early ‘60s. They exemplify the stunted aspirations and severe restrictions of trying to manufacture anything decent and worthwhile under the tender mercies Soviet socialist collectivism. All Vegas are inexpensive, elemental 35mm viewfinder cameras with collapsible pop-out or pull-out-and- twist, noninterchangeable, front-cell focusing triplet lenses dubbed Mirar, Druoptar, Etar and Rex. They also have manually cocked multi-speed leaf shutters labeled Metax, Chrontax, Vebur, Druo, and Etaxa, and (you guessed it) workable but inconvenient cartridge-to-cartridge film feed.

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Druopta Vega III: Not the last word in quality constriction but its 50mm f/3.5 ETAR triplet lens is pretty good.

Most user reviews of the Vega range from dismissive to savage, with comments like “cheap and nasty”, “the paper -thin punched steel top,” “the lens pulls out very roughly,” and “the typical small, squinty viewfinder.” However, there are few comparably harsh comments on the lenses, and one Lomography review even extols the 50mm f/3.5 Etar lens on a Vega III as yielding “reasonable sharpness and a charming vintage rendition.” The Vega IV of 1958 we examined has a 1-1/250 sec plus B Vebur shutter with release on the lens barrel, a 50mm f/3.5 Etar collapsible lens, an X sync contact, and a cold shoe. At the front, next to the wind knob there’s a lever you must pull after each frame to allow winding, a crude method of double exposure prevention used on many cameras from the ‘30s through the ‘50s. Despite its foibles, the Druopta Vega was produced in 6 iterations so somebody must have loved it,or at least tolerated it.

If you’re motivated to rescue one of these hapless Czech waifs from the dustbin of history and give it a loving home in your collection the Druopta Vega (especially models III, IV and V) is readily available in nice shape, and often with case , at online prices ranging from $35 to $65.

Pontiac Baby Lynx. This handsome manual focus 35mm viewfinder camera was made by Pontiac of Paris France starting in 1948. It’s made of solid aluminum, one of the few metals then widely available due to material shortages in France after World War II. It came with a variety of collapsible lenses, most commonly by the renowned French optical company SOM (Société d'Optique et de Mécanique) Berthiot. It has a simple, elegant body with semi-rounded ends and not surprisingly was only produced in silver finish.

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Pontiac Baby Lynx from Paris France is chic, impeccably finished, and sports a lovely 50mm f/3.5 Berthot Flor lens,

The Baby Lynx (which has a charming picture of a baby girl holding one on the cover of the manual) sports a collapsible 50mm f/3.5 SOM Berthiot Flor lens (a high quality 4-element, 3-group Tessar type) that provides front cell focusing down to 0.8m (2 feet, 7.5 inches) andhas a 9-bladed diaphragm. The shutter is a Prontor II leaf with speeds of 1 to 1/250 sec plus B and T, and the camera measures a petite 119 x 69 x 58 mm (W x H x D) (with lens collapsed) and weighs in at portable 376 g (9.74 ounces). As you’d expect given its provenance the Pontiac Baby Lynx is very well made and beautifully finished. Note: this camera was also manufactured in French Morocco, ant there was also a more pedestrian looking Lynx II and a gorgeous (and expensive) Super Lynx with interchangeable lenses.

The Pontiac Baby Lynx is widely available online (mostly from European sellers) at prices in the $150 to $350 range, and it’s assuredly a great user-collectible

Edinex 35 camera range: These uniquely configured thin bodied scale-focusing viewfinder 35mm cameras with distinctively bulbous rounded ends and collapsible tube-mounted lenses were originally made by Wirgin Brothers of Wiesbaden Germany, introduced in Europe in 1935 and marketed in the U.S. by 1936. When the Wirgin brothers (who were Jewish) fled Nazi Germany for the U.S, the. Wirgin enterprise was absorbed into Adox, and by the late ‘30s, that company was selling the same camera as the Adrette. After WW II, Wirgin regained control of the factory and reverted to the Edinex name. This engaging camera was also marketed in the U.S, as the Midget Marvel and Candid Midget until the ’50s, and from the mid-50s into the ‘60s, by Sterling-Howard (then a leading U.S. retailer and distributor), that advertised it as the Edinex Synchro and the Adox-Edinex. All these cameras had the same distinctive form factor, which was very thin between the film chambers, and all employed lens barrel that pulled out to shooting position with a pair of textured finger grips. The top-of-the-line models if all these cameras have fast unit-focusing lenses, such as the 50mm f/2 Schneider Xenon, and high grade Compur shutters. Lower-end models had slower, front-cell-focusing lenses in Prontor or Pronto shutters mounted on the end of the telescopic tube. Postwar models added a body shutter release, an improved frame counter, a viewfinder faired into the top of the body, and a standard accessory shoe. It is not possible to cover every variant of the long-running Edinex line here, so we’ve selected a typical postwar example commonly offered online.

The Edinex II was manufactured by Wirgin Kamerawerk in Wiesbaden, West Germany and produced around 1951. FYI Edinex cameras

present some identification problems because most do not bear any model name on the camera, but only in catalogs and advertisements The issue is further complicated by different model designations being used or the same camera by different advertisers. At any rate herewith the specs for the Edinex II camera shown here:

Wirgin logo on the lens shutter barrel. No model number. The lens and shutter unit is mounted on a telescopic tube with handles for pulling it out to shooting position. Lens: 50mm f/2.8 Steinheil Cassar VL that accepts slip-on filters. Apertures f/2.8 to f/16 set with lever and scale on the lens shutter barrel. Focusing range: 3.5 to 60 feet and infinity.

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Postwar Edinex II: This middle-tier version sports a 50mm f/2.8 Edinar lens in a Prontor SV shutter with self-timer.

Manual front element focusing by distance estimation, Prontor-S shutter with speeds of 1 to 1/300 sec plus B, shutter release on the lens shutter barrel. Cable release socket and cocking lever: on the lens shutter barrel. Frame counter window on the top plate, manual reset, advance type. Winding knob on the right of the top plate. Small top-mounted inverse Galilean finder Rewind knob on the left of the top plate with adjacent rewind release (set To R for rewind). Flash PC socket: on the lens shutter barrel, provides M and F sync via adjusting lever on the lens shutter barrel. Cold shoe. Self-time (by setting the M-F lever to V). Back cover and bottom plate: removable separately; bottom plate opens by a folding lever on the bottom plate; A to open, Z to close; and back cover partially removable by turning knob. Film loading: load the film cassette from bottom, then push the film leader toward the opened back and insert to the take-up spool Tripod socket: ¼" x 29. Body: metal; Weight: 387g (13.7 ounces).

Low- and middle-tier Edinex 35s, both prewar and postwar, with various lens/shutter combos are readily available online in clean working condition at prices in the $30 to $80 range though pristine examples with original cases can run higher—up to about $200. Top-tier models with unit-focusing f/2 lenses and Compur shutters are hard to find and generally command prices in the $300 to $400 range. If you’re looking for a cool user- collectible that stands out from the crowd, put the Edinex on your short list

Yashica 35-ME. This attractively unadorned, modern looking compact, auto-exposure viewfinder 35 was introduced in Japan in March 1972 by Yashica Co Ltd. It features a sharp 4-element, 3-group Tessar formula semi-wide-angle 38mm f/2.8 Yashinon lens, a stepless Copal electromagnetic shutter with programmed autoexposures ranging from f/2.8 at 1/30 sec (EV 8 at ISO 100) to f/14 at 1/650 sec (EV 17), and a CdS light metering cell in the lens surround to provide accurate exposures with mounted filters. It employs a zone focusing system with 4 zone focus symbols visible in the finder, provides film speed settings of ASA/ISO 25 to 400, and a hot shoe for flash photography at the 1/25 sec sync speed. The 35-ME was designed to use 1.35v mercury battery such as the long discontinued PX675 for power but a current silver-oxide 357 cell fits and works well. Known for its ease of use, it features a bright-line viewfinder with parallax correction marks and exposure readouts, a nicely contoured single stroke film advance lever, and a built-in self-timer. In short, this small, solid, convenient compact has everything a casual shooter requires but enthusiasts will bemoan its lack of manual exposure settings.

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Pleasant Pleasant: Yashica 35-ME has a fine 4-element 38mm f/2.8 Yashinon lens, no manual exposure settings.

The Yashica 35-ME is readily available in clean working condition on the major online auction sites at prices ranging from $35 to $75. The Yashica ME1 is a simplified plastic-bodied version in black that’s a great starter camera for, say, a teenager getting into film, and you can snag one for even less.

The Tuogodo Toyoca 35-S is a 35mm viewfinder camera produced

in 1957 by the Japanese company Toyohashi Y.K. Tougodo, not to be confused with the automotive company Toyota. The name Toyoca is a contraction of Toyohashi and the English word camera. Tougodo was founded in 1930 and made cameras and other goods until the early 1960s. The company was named in honor of Admiral Togo Heihachiro, a Japanese naval hero of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904 to 1905.

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Toyoca 35-S of 1957 has a cool "industrial" look but underneath the metal is a Bakelite chassis!

There were two variations of the Toyoca 35-S, the main difference being the film cartridge it used. The model described here took standard 35mm cartridges, the other (not shown) used unperforated, paper-backed 35mm film. The camera is fitted with a 45mm f/3.5 Tri-Lauser Anastigmat, a decent but unexceptional triplet made by Tomioka. The shutter is a manually cocked leaf shutter with speeds of 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, and 1/300 sec, plus B (bulb). The shutter cocking lever ls at 11 o’clock on the shutter speed ring with the aperture selector just behind it. The round shutter button is off to the side of the lens at the 10 o’clock mark and has a threaded cable release socket. The flash sync contact is on the opposite side at two o’clock. A film speed indicator set into the top of the film rewind knob, and to its righto there’s a cold shoe, an automatic frame counter, and the film advance knob. On the back, next to the viewfinder window. is the rewind release lever. Note: although the Toyoca 35-S sure looks like an all-metal camera, its chassis is made of Bakelite, with metal plates on the top, bottom, etc. The camera measures 12.4 x 7.8 x 6.2 cm (L x H x W) and weighs about 550g (19.4 oz.).

You can snag a clean working Toyoca 35-S online for about $40 to $60 and it’s a fine and unusual user-collectible.

Chinon Bellami. Chinon introduced the Bellami at the 1980 PMA show in Chicago, as an ultra-compact 35mm full-frame scale focusing point-and-shoot autoexposure camera to go head-to-head with the very successful Olympus XA2, the Minox 35 line, and other competitors. One of the smallest full-frame 35s of its era its signature feature is its unique fold-out “barn door” design. This svelte pocketable 35 sports a fine-performing 4-element, 3-group 35mm f/2.8 Chinonex Color lens that focuses down to 1 meter( 3.3 feet), a SEIKO Program EE shutter with speeds from 1/8 to 1/1000 second, and a coupled CdS exposure meter It uses two readily available 1.5v LR44 or SR44 batteries for power, and accepts a dedicated Chinon Auto S-120 flash unit.

Other features: Manual single-stroke film advance lever, slow shutter speed warning and battery check LEDs, folding rewind crank, programmed autoexposure from EV 6 to EV 17 at ISO 100, bright frame 0.5x magnification viewfinder, film speed settings ISO 25 to 400. Size: 2.36 x 1.73 x 1.30 inches (H x W x D). Weight: 7/7 oz. without batteries.

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Chinon Bellami: Cute, competent, and stylish with distinctive "barn doors" lens protector, this petite bonbon has become a pricey collector's prize.

Today the chic Chinon Bellami is considered something of a cult classic and clean working examples fetch prices in the $100 to $200 range. The good news: it’s powered by readily available 1.5v button batteries. The bas news for serious shooters: It’s auto-exposure only; manual f/stop and shutter speed settings are not possible.
 
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If I may pick a terribly minor nit, the Trip 35 wasn't launched until 1967, so I'm guessing you mean the Pen range. That said, the Minoltina is so cute, if I met one I'd be sidling up to it in a bar trying to buy it a drink.
 
I haven't tested this yet, but I think it may be possible to solve some of the Smena-2 hassles by using a regular roll of film tails-out, so it becomes the take-up side. And as far as the lab is concerned, it becomes just another roll of film.
 
If I may pick a terribly minor nit, the Trip 35 wasn't launched until 1967, so I'm guessing you mean the Pen range. That said, the Minoltina is so cute, if I met one I'd be sidling up to it in a bar trying to buy it a drink.
Thanks. You're correct, The Minoltina was conceived as a compact full frame alternative to the very successful half frame Olympus Pens (and other full-frame compacts) and I've edited the text accordingly.
 
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I haven't tested this yet, but I think it may be possible to solve some of the Smena-2 hassles by using a regular roll of film tails-out, so it becomes the take-up side. And as far as the lab is concerned, it becomes just another roll of film.
If you were to insert a regular roll of film in a standard 35mm film cartridge into the take-up chamber of a Smena 2 "tails out" you'd have pull out the entire unexposed roll and transfer it to the "film feed" chamber, all in a darkroom or changing bag--assuming of course that you could get it into a tight enough roll to fit and be able to close the camera! What most Russian Smena 2 users actually did was to load a fresh roll on film on the feed side, pull the leader across and attach it to the take-up spool of an empty cartridge, which was then reassembled before closing the camera--in short cartridge-cartridge feed. It was inconvenient all right but IMHO more convenient than what you propose.
 
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My favorite scale-focus is the Ducati Simplex. It was a cheaper alternative to the rangefinder equipped Sogno equipped with the 35mm f3.5 Etar lens that takes excellent half frame pics. Yes, the film cassettes are unique, and expensive, but the build quality Ducati put into these in the early 50's was exceptional.

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My favorite scale-focus is the Ducati Simplex. It was a cheaper alternative to the rangefinder equipped Sogno equipped with the 35mm f3.5 Etar lens that takes excellent half frame pics. Yes, the film cassettes are unique, and expensive, but the build quality Ducati put into these in the early 50's was exceptional.

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Lovely! I've never owned one, but Ducati cameras are elegant, beautifully made, and perform very well, just like the Ducati 750SS motorcycle (made by a different division of the same company) that I rode and foolishly sold!
 
I wouldn't call the Konica C35 V weird but it is wonderful!

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It's the scale focus version of the venerable C35 Automatic rangefinder.
I found a repairman in California who is factory trained for both.

Konica C35 V specs: Sharp 38mm f/2.8 lens; 4 elements in 3 groups.
Shutter speeds 1/30-1/650th second. Film speeds ISO 25-400.
Made to use a 675 mercury cell; I use 675 zinc-air hearing aid battery.
Program AE using a CdS cell. Half-pressing shutter release locks exposure.
Aperture and shutter speed indicated by a needle visible in viewfinder.
The focus symbol selected on lens barrel is also visible in corner of viewfinder.

Manual here: https://cameramanuals.org/konica/konica_c35_v-lang.pdf

Chris
 
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