S.F.O.M (Société Française d'Optique Mécanique) made a spy camera in World War II (1939-1941) for 45 exposures 8x11mm negatives on un-perforated 9.5mm film in a dual cassette similar to the Minox. The metal focal plane shutter is 1/20 to 1/250. The optical viewfinder is corrected for parallax as the lens is focusing. Early models are bright metal finish and later ones had a dark finish and usually found without a lens as they were auctioned off by the French government in the 1960s. In 1949 SFOM introduced the Sfomax was made until 1955. It is now rare, made of cast aluminium for 20 exposures 14x23mm on un-perforated 16mm film. The early versions are in black or grey leatherette with shutter speed of 1/25-1/400 and the later versions where made in black or blue leatherette with shutter 1/30-1/400. The lens is a Sfomar f3.5/30mm lens, focusing from 0.4m to infinity with a sliding built in yellow filter. It has a split range finder. Original red leather case The metal cassettes are virtually unavailable. (Serial no: C 148, c.1949)
Ebay 2007/10/13 550EUR |