Traduction de Manuel M

This camera has a little resemblance to Leica Standard, but in fact…. it is unique.
Its design is some of most strange, but functional and often… full with good sense.

35 mm for exposures 26 X 36 mm
Focusing by system with mirror, go down manually behind the lens. The adjustment will be made, only by searched of the neatness on the area (round), without another accessory. The reading is done by the top. This system will quickly be called “periscope” by allusion with the optical column of the submarines.    
Reflector view finder selected for each focal distance used and inserted in the accessory shoe
Lateral focal plane shutter with textile curtains allowing speeds of the 1/30 to the 1/1000 second + B pose.
Interchangeable lenses. Here, standard CORFIELD LUMAX f3.5/45mm + its reflector viewfinder of 45mm. Mounting is in 39 mm screwing.
Shutter release in fronting, above a synchro-flash socket
The back slides in its slides and disunites from body
The cocking + the advance of film, as well as rewinding are done by serrated rollers
A mechanical exposure counter is in the serrated roller of cocking
A specific cartridge and fixed, receives exposed film.

It is a very beautiful camera, original and not common.

It takes the continuation of very rare “original” of 1953 (200 specimens), whose coating is in pigskin… then “black” of 1954, whose hood is painted in black.  

Less than 3000 specimens of this Periflex 1, all confused versions, were manufactured. Apart from the United Kingdom and of Ireland, they are practically never seen.

I found and bought this specimen in the Island of Man at the time of “Tourist Trophy” at the end of the Seventies.  (Legendary race of motor bikes on open road…)
 

Corfield Ltd, a family company of the United Kingdom, located Merridale Street in Wolverhampton, was founded by Kenneth Corfield, in 1947.

Initially specialized in the manufacture of accessories and the distribution of German cameras (Leidox, Minox, Exakta), the brand decided to be launched in the manufacture of a 24x36mm. To have a chance of success this camera was to be efficient, high-performance and modern; but also simplest possible to manufacture. One thus did not do pass beside the focal plane shutter and the interchangeable lenses. Less than 250 parts, including those of standard optics, were carried to the specifications. With this intention, a technology as so astute as unique was introduced. That is a manually retractable mirror, which would allow focusing behind the lens. The descent of this mirror, manual on the first models was made a nickname quickly: The periscope. This mirror allowed a focusing with focal distances going from 28 to 400mm whose centring was ensured by additional reflector view finders. The technology used on these cameras had answered the expectations of its creator: easiness and reliability. The outdatedness of the factory encourages with the delocalization. It will be done on January 30th, 1959. The company moves for Ballymoney in Northern Ireland. But the pressure of the Japanese brands in the United Kingdom becomes very strong and Kenneth Corfield cruelly be lacking of capital to invest in the research… only mainstay of his Company. Guiness, which then seeks to invest in Northern Ireland brings the funds which will have to save the brand… but becomes also majority shareholder with the great despair of Kenneth, who withdraws itself. In 1961, an astonishing diversification is decided with the building of a cheap 6x6: the Corfield 66. The financial situation becomes catastrophic for the production of cameras and Guiness uses the factory to produce various parts, of which car electric elements… The Company will close its doors in July 1971 definitively. Eight principal models in 35mm will be built. They all are regarded as “Leica Copies” in the book written by P-H PONT and J-L PRINCELLE dedicated to this category of cameras.