Revueflex T

[sevesteen]

I found this Revueflex T on Ebay.   Google research told me it was Cosina or Chinon made, and from somewhere around 1971--but at first I couldn't find a matching non-Revueflex model.  



It has controls similar to the Ricoh Singlex, Cosina Hi Lite and Chinonflex TTL--but the body and top plate were significantly different shapes, especially the corners.  I finally ran across a picture of a Vivitar 220/SL with the same body and top shape...except with a top mount shutter speed and hot shoe.  Looking up that up on Google Images, I spotted a camera with both the right shape and control layout--a Cosina with the model name SLR.

 anusf.anu.edu.au/~aab900/photography/cameras/pics/cosina-slr.jpg

anusf.anu.edu.au/~aab900/photography/cameras/vivitar.htm

I think I've found  a match, other than some cosmetic items this appears identical. 

The model name makes it surprisingly difficult to find information, it's as if Ford had a model called Car. 

[Stephen]

The Revue Company was not a maker, just a German retail group who bought in badged branded cameras. This often confuses collecting, also in Germany, the name Porst appears on cameras sold under more international names. In the UK Dixons Group use the Prinz name on a string of Japanese and Russian cameras.

Also a curious fact, Vivitar never made anything, they were purely a buying in company.

Chinon and Cosina between them made cameras for about 200 makers models. It is fairly easy to make a new shaped top plate, the give away was the same features and control positions, demanded often by the use of further bought in shutters from Copal, and Seiko etc., where the control positions were per-set.

Stephen.

[sevesteen]

I've known the various brands in this story--but I've generally had a much easier time finding the original version of a private branded camera.

In the mid 90's when Woolworth's went out of business I bought a Vivitar 135 lens for my SRT101 for somewhere around $30. Had to send it to Vivitar for asticky diaphragm, while there I asked how old the lens was. They said "we don't know, our records only go back 10 years"....which explained both the sticky diaphragm and Woolworth's financial troubles. I remember being oddly disappointed to find that they were only a distributor.

[sevesteen]

And another picture I stumbled across led to a 2006 article here:

cameracollector.proboards.com/thread/4202/carena-who-knows

...shows the Carena 1000 as another version of this camera, private label of Porst.