Photax Blindé
The Photax Blindé, or "armored" Photax is a series of molded Bakelite rollfilm cameras produced by the French company MIOM - Manufacture d'Isolants et d'Objets Moulés - from 1938 until 1950. In total, there are four variants of the Blindé with mostly only minor changes between the models. In general, the Blindé is a pretty simple camera. A fixed lens is mounted to a threaded, telescoping front tube that allows the camera to compact down when not in use. The cameras use 120 roll film to produce 6x9cm negatives. It's most distinctive feature is the molded Bakelite lens cap and it is the only spot that identifies the camera. Shutter speed options were limited, usually with only 2-3 settings depending on the model.
In the first model, the Photax I, the shutter release aligns with center of the Radior lens. There is no cable release socket and only two shutter settings, "Pose" and "Instant." With the Photax II, the shutter release is angled to point straight up from the barrel of the Boyer Paris Serie VII lens. The shutter has settings of 1/100, 1/25 and "T." The model also adds the ability to select between one of two different lens apertures. The Photax III is the most common model in this series of cameras and is quite similar to the Photax II, the difference being that it has a threaded cable release socket in the shutter release. This version is also featured in the photo of this very exhibit. Lastly, there was the Photax IV, which added a flash sync post in the face of the camera, a white film advance knob, and a new metal faceplate around lens.
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