Photo-Duc camera

[Dany]

This mini camera is quite scarce, even in France where it was manufactured and released between 1930 and 1937. The body is made of brown plastic ( bakelite?) and it produces eight 30x32 mm views on special films. The meniscus lens is protected by the single speed shutter located in front of it.
It looks like a toy camera but films were produced especially for it and it is well finished
This modest item came to me with two unexposed orthochromatic film rolls and the original user's manual.
For a hardly negotiated price of seven Euros, I did not hesitate.....
(camera listed page 782 of the McKeown's guide last edition)

 

[smithdan]

This one is too cute Dany. Fortunate find with case, film and instruction sheet too.
If the 29 is a DIN number this was fast film for the time indeed. Any idea what the square cutout is for?

But you know me, I wouldn't sleep until I figured out how to coax a picture out of it.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I like this one - unusual! wonderful find.

Maybe that square opening was for a strap? Seems odd being at one end but the camera is so small maybe it was meant to attach to your belt, kind of like an old fashioned watch fob.

 

[jcdeboever]

I like this one - unusual! wonderful find.

Maybe that square opening was for a strap? Seems odd being at one end but the camera is so small maybe it was meant to attach to your belt, kind of like an old fashioned watch fob.

Not sure if your joking but isn't that the eye viewer?

 

[smithdan]

Not sure if your joking but isn't that the eye viewer?[/QUOTE]

..but of course! (whacks palm firmly on forehead)

 

[Dany]

The chapter 6 of the operating manual states that the square opening at one extremity of the device should be used as a viewfinder. The user must locate his eye 5 cm (2 inches) far from the viewfinder square opening and must keep the subject in the viewfinder center.
The result was for sure rather inaccurate....
The film sensitivity marked on the rollfilm ( 29°S) is very probably expressed according to the Scheiner scale of sensitivity
The German scientist Jules Scheiner, was a pioneer of sensitometry. The logarithmic Scheiner scales were very popular in Europe and were the basis of the DIN scale.
Two Scheiner scales existed: the American and the European one.
Considering the European scale, 29°S corresponds to 32 ASA or 16 DIN