Amateur Photographer - UK (2021-11-27)

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John Wade unveils a
still very usable English

roll film reflex

Corfield 66

THE CORFIELD company was best
known for making Periflex 35mm
cameras, first launched in 1953.
Although of unconventional
design, the cameras were very
successful. But in the 1960s,
with these cameras losing out to
Japanese 35mm models recently
landing on the British market,
Corfield turned in a different
direction. The result was a
camera that aimed to challenge
Rolleiflex and Roilleicord twin lens
reflexes. Enter the Corfield 66, a
single lens reflex for 12 6x6cm
negatives on 120 roll film.
This is a sturdy camera, made
from aluminium die-castings, with
steel and brass fittings, and
weighing in at nearly 2 kilograms.
The focal plane shutter, wound by
a knob on the side, is speeded
1/10-1/500sec. The reflex mirror
reflects its view to a large
focusing screen on the top of the

BLAST FROM THE PAST

LAUNCHED 1961

PRICE AT LAUNCH £ 76 10 s 6 d
(£ 76. 52 ½)

GUIDE PRICE NOW£ 120 - 150

Tech Talk

body. With the shutter wound,

pressing then releasing a small

knob on the front of the body

raises the mirror, fires the shutter

and then drops the mirror back

into place. The film is inserted

into a detachable magazine

protected by a dark slide that

must be removed before

exposure. Unfortunately Corfield

didn’t make the magazines.

Instead they were bought in from

Germany, and appear to have

been adapted from magazines for

the 6x9cm format. This means

the magazine is longer, and

therefore the camera body is

taller, than expected, giving a

slightly ungainly appearance.

The four-element 95mm f/3.5

Lumax lens is interchangeable on

a unique mount, but no others

were made. The waist-level

viewfinder is interchangeable too,

but no alternatives were made.

Rare accessories include a lens

hood, extension tubes and a

hand grip. Only around 900-

1,000 cameras were made, but if

you find one today in working

condition, the lens has a

reputation for quality.

What’s good Inexpensive

route into medium

format reflex

photography.

What’sbad Very

heavy, lack of

accessorylenses,

shutter fires with

dark slide in place.

Below: The Corfield

66 fitted with a

contemporary

Corfield Perilite, one

of the first electronic

flashguns built into a

single unit, rather

than having the flash

tube separate from

the powerpack

Right: The

camera broken

down into its

component parts

Left: The back

of the camera

with the film

magazine open

for loading