When electronics came seriously to single lens reflexes (SLRs) in the 1970s, five big names rose to the top: Canon, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax. Well, you’ll find no signs of those names over the next six pages. Instead, here’s a look at the wealth of other cameras, whose mechanisms were mechanical (though some needed batteries for built-in meters) and whose names are now all but forgotten. Some of these have become collectors’ items, which keeps their prices high. But a whole load more are now cheap to buy and still fun to use.
Zeiss Ikon Contarex
LAUNCHED: 1960
GUIDE PRICE: £250-350
You might hear this camera also referred to as the Cyclops or Bullseye in reference to its large, round meter cell mounted over the lens. The camera is big and heavy, but with the Zeiss name behind it you’re guaranteed quality engineering and optics. Bayonetmounted lenses, with focal lengths from 21mm to 500mm, come with top names that include Planar, Distagon, Sonnar and Tessar. An aperture scale, inset into a curved window above the meter, displays f-stops controlled by a thumb wheel beside the lens and a 1-1/1,000sec focal plane shutter is set using a ring around the film advance lever. Courtesy of the selenium meter that requires no battery, they together control match-needle indicators in the viewfinder and top plate window, while a split image rangefinder aids focusing. Interchangeable film backs allow the photographer
