The cameras that followed
That first model of the camera became known as the Periflex 1 when the next generation of cameras arrived, starting in 1957. Here’s how they lined up
1957 Periflex 3
With a radical change of design that would be maintained as the basis for all the 35mm cameras that followed, the Periflex 3 integrated the periscope into the body, rather than as a separate entity on the top plate. The device was no longer operated manually, but moved down automatically as the film was wound, then returned as the shutter was fired. The built-in optical viewfinder had interchangeable front elements for different focal lengths of lens and the slowest shutter speed was increased from 1/30sec on the first model to one second, still with a top speed of 1/1,000sec.
1958 Periflex 2
Following the example of Leica, which released the M3 followed by the slightly lower specified M2, the Periflex 2 was a cheaper version of the Periflex 3, featuring a maximum shutter speed of only 1/500sec.
1959 Periflex 3a
This was similar to the Periflex 3, but with a lever film wind in place of a knob.
1960 Periflex 3b
The only major difference between the 3a and the 3b was that the latter was available only in black lacquer.
1961 Periflex Gold Star
A replacement for the Periflex 2, this camera featured a focal-plane shutter speeded 1-1/300sec, which might seem like an unusual move when previous cameras were speeded to 1/1,000sec. There was, however, a good reason. Until then, on most cameras, movement of the first blind of a focal-plane shutter was used to trip the second blind. This inevitably meant that the release of the second blind interfered briefly with the movement of the first one, sometimes resulting in uneven exposure across the image. In the Gold Star’s shutter, the two blinds were released independent of one another. Today, the system is commonplace in focal-plane shutters.
1961 Periflex Interplan
A new series of cameras, these were produced as simplified versions of the Gold Star, without the now-famous periscope but with interchangeable viewfinder lenses. There were three versions with different lens mounts: Interplan-A with a Leica screw thread, Interplan- B with an M42 screw thread for Pentax, Edixa and Praktica lenses and Interplan- C with an Exakta bayonet mount.
1961 Periflex Maxim
Planned as a simple amateur camera without a periscope and shutter speeds of only 1/30-1/500sec, the Maxim was abandoned in the face of the rising competition from Japan. Only six prototypes were made.
1961 Corfield 66
In the early 1960s, the factory’s first foray into the mediumformat rollfilm reflex market resulted in the Corfield 66. This camera took 12 exposures on a roll of 120 film and featured a 95mm f/3.5 Lumax lens with shutter speeds of 1–1/300sec. It was heavy, awkward to use and never attained the success of the earlier Periflexes. Only around 300 were made. The camera is pictured here with a Corfield Perilite attached. One of the earliest electronic flashguns made for the consumer market, this took eight 30 volt batteries in its all- metal handle which, arranged in series, produced 240 volts of direct current (DC). It was not an instrument to take out in a thunderstorm!