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Spartus Vanguard

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This camera is one of those I picked up at a yard sale and never really got around to try out. However it is a sturdy little lightweight camera and well it looks kind of neat on the shelve until the day where I can get a hold of the right film and have plenty of time to try it out. This is the Spartus Vanguard produced by Herold Mfg. Co. of Chicago. Originally the Spartus was manufactured by Utility Manufacturing company of New York but was bought by Spartus in 1941 and moved to Chicago. In 1951 the company's head of sales (Harold Rubin) bought the company and renamed it to Herold Mfg. Co. and manufactured a long line of spartus cameras with a distinctive styling. You can find more info on the Filigree Garden blog and camerapedia.org .

Ikonta 35 - Contina I

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One of the first cameras I was running around with (not really my first but pretty close) was the Zeiss Ikonta 35 Contina I. It started out as Ikonta 35 but was later renamed Contina I and followed by... well not really rocket science the Contina II. I got this one as a gift from family so I am pretty lucky with this one. Not that it's worth a fortune since a lot of them were produced. But lucky because it takes some very nice photos in a good quality. A little tech on the one I have: Zeiss model number 522/24, Model 35 manufactured in 1952. The camera is equipped with a 45 mm Novar f3.4 lens and a Prontor-SV shutter. More info here . Here is a photo of the set with the camera folded: And one with the camera ready for action (well if there were film in it): As you may have noticed the carrying case is the original Zeiss eveready case model number 1213/24 which is very functional and gives instant access to the camera when needed and protects it pretty good. Another little gem is th