Mystery Camera

Image size - 30x40mm.

Definitely not 28x40 (828), if anything it's closer to 31mm across. And it's nowhere near any Imperial inch sizes (1 3/16" x 1 9/16" ??)

Sheet film - cut pieces ranging from 38x45mm to 46x90mm.
No perforations.
Too thick to be 120-type roll film, unless it was cut from a roll for 4"x5" - aerial film, I don't know the thickness of that.

The largest of the cut negatives has two images side by side with a clear 2mm space between them. All the others are singles.

They were all shot on the 8th January, 1939. I don't think this camera had much use after that. My dad used quite a range of small format cameras in the period but there's never any clue given in his logbook.

The film gate size should be the obvious indicator for these photos, but none of the film format lists I've found mention 30x40mm.

Who knows the answer?

p7_57_doublex by Sandeha Lynch, on Flickr


The two shots of a Vickers #Valentia were taken in Malakal, Sudan, in January 1939. It's an aircraft of #RAF 216 Squadron that was doing a regular route from Khartoum to Nairobi.

More on my Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sandeha/albums/72157714487027898

I would gave said that was 127 film. Film is 46 mm wide, full frame image is 40 by 60 mm and half frame image is 40 by 30 mm

Peltigera said:

I would gave said that was 127 film. Film is 46 mm wide, full frame image is 40 by 60 mm and half frame image is 40 by 30 mm

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My goodness - I think you've got it. 127 half-frame is a perfect explanation, and certainly something I hadn't come across. Indeed, this one, the largest of the film fragments, is 46x90mm and several others are 46mm 'tall'.

Quite a few contenders out there:


Many thanks !!

I have a little Bencini Comet that shoots half-frame 127. Not mentioned on your list though...

img585 by terry, on Flickr

Tel said:

I have a little Bencini Comet that shoots half-frame 127. Not mentioned on your list though...

img585 by terry, on Flickr

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That's neat. I see now that the link is just a limited selection. I hadn't known there was also a Voigtlander Perkeo 3x4. There may have been many more 127s, filling the gap before 35mm cams became more available.

My dad used quite a range, but by the end of this period he had settled on 35mm, and I'm told that in 1950 he had a decent Retina.