The Photax line of cameras started in France in the late 1930s, created by M.I.O.M., a maker of isolation material and cast plastic parts. Surprisingly for a European company, these curvy babes took 620 film only, and gave the standard eight 6x9 exposures. It had two apertures (1 and 2) and shutter speeds of 25, 100, and B.
Not your standard box camera, however, the Photax had a nice combination of attractive design and simplicity of use: the lens barrel rotates out from the body for use, and the shutter mechanism is in the front housing, behind the lens. All-Bakelite construction allowed for a curved back end (and don't we all, honestly, appreciate a curved back end?) to prevent vignetting, because the single-element meniscus lens wasn't the sharpest in the world.
Some models, such as mine here, the IV-F, had flash capability in the form of a PC connection on the front housing (that's what the F's for, by the way). Mine, however, doesn't appear to work with any of my PC-type flashbulb units, which is unfortunate but not important in the long run.
This prize of my collection came to me at the same time as the Elioflex 2 -- my acquaintance in Holland found a Dutch seller who wasn't charging a left arm for it, so he bought it on my behalf. I've used it a few times now, the most recently for Six-20 Camera Day 2011. The images are rather like what one would get from a Diana, but better, because while there's a distinct Diana-like fuzziness, there's no light leak.
Not your standard box camera, however, the Photax had a nice combination of attractive design and simplicity of use: the lens barrel rotates out from the body for use, and the shutter mechanism is in the front housing, behind the lens. All-Bakelite construction allowed for a curved back end (and don't we all, honestly, appreciate a curved back end?) to prevent vignetting, because the single-element meniscus lens wasn't the sharpest in the world.
Some models, such as mine here, the IV-F, had flash capability in the form of a PC connection on the front housing (that's what the F's for, by the way). Mine, however, doesn't appear to work with any of my PC-type flashbulb units, which is unfortunate but not important in the long run.
This prize of my collection came to me at the same time as the Elioflex 2 -- my acquaintance in Holland found a Dutch seller who wasn't charging a left arm for it, so he bought it on my behalf. I've used it a few times now, the most recently for Six-20 Camera Day 2011. The images are rather like what one would get from a Diana, but better, because while there's a distinct Diana-like fuzziness, there's no light leak.
