Monade Flex

[Berndt]

I have to apologize for my long silence, but somehow, I became busy with other things and stopped collecting cameras for a while. Well ... and then time was just passing by too fast. So, I was surprised myself that my last camera purchase was more than one year ago.

However, we moved to a bigger apartment this year ( means more space for my cameras ) and I am back with my newest baby, a Monade Flex from 1953.

camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Monade_Flex

A lucky find for small money and it is in surprisingly nice condition ( still perfectly working, clean lenses, etc. ) even declared by the seller as junk. Always a happy day for every camera collector when this happens.


Monadeflex by bokuwanihongasuki, on Flickr

[belgiumreporter]

Allways nice to find such oddball cameras at garage or yard sales, this one really looks good, a bit dangerous though with those sprocket gears round the lenses, looks like your sleeves (or worse!) could get cought in them while focussing :-)

[Stephen]

Gear coupling like that was common on TLR cameras , especially Japanese TLR, it got around Rollie patents, and the complex business of moving the focus board in accurate movement back and forth. No focus board!, and they move in sync on opposite handed threads. Some makers hide the gears in the body, far neater, but many left them exposed.
The camera looks very solid and all metal construction? Another obscure but interesting Japanese production from post war.

Stephen