Traduction de Sylvain Halgand

Photo-Plait was, before the second world war, one of the largest distributers of cameras in France. It diffused cameras of mark, but also of the cameras bearing the name of the company. That could be folding cameras, detectives etc…
The reference works mention little the production “Photo-Plait ”. The catalogs of the distributer are only true help. It is thanks to those that I could identify this detective.
It is small and basic.The plates make 6,5 X 9 cm and are six. The camera has only one instantaneous speed and the exposure B. The selector speed is in frontage. There are three apertures. They are holes on a strip which should more or less be drawn.
The body of the camera is made of wood (tulipier) covered with imitating fabric of leather.
Its small size confuses it with a box.

As often at the distributer, the name “Prima” was given to different cameras, during years. If name “Prima” appears during the 20s, it is only since 1933, that it is carried by this precise model.

Natali, Collo & Company was the name of a subcontracting manufacturer, not a commercial brand of cameras. All the production was sold under more well-known brands like Manufrance, Plavic, etc. These were distributors or players in the photography market who aimed to add affordable cameras to their catalog.

The cameras manufactured by Natali and Collo were of the Box or Detective type, as the materials used were not suitable for other forms. The wood used was lightweight and not very durable. The covering was limited to decorative paper glued to the wood, which over time tended to wrinkle. Some unusual features for the time are worth noting, such as imitation reptile skin in blue color.

The manufacturing quality was low in order to produce budget cameras. This is the primary characteristic of Natali and Collo cameras. Certain technical characteristics were consistent across the manufacturer's cameras. The shape of the shutter speed selector (P/I) resembled a racket; this design was found on several models. The film advance key was simple, often a bar passing through the axis of the winding spool. The locking mechanism for the back door of detective cameras was circular with a circular notch that allowed it to lock onto a simple nail. On other models, a metal piece with a small hole was positioned over a nail head. The shutter release button was sometimes absent and was simply the end of a rod.

While these features were not universal, these unique characteristics serve as a good basis for identifying cameras from Natali, Collo & Co.