The Imperial Reflex Duo Lens 620 is a pseudo-TLR from the late 1950's or early 1960's. It has one shutter speed, which is probably something like 1/60, and is fixed-focused. The camera was made by the Herbert George Co. of Chicago Illinois.
I imagine the Imperial Reflex would be more popular in lo-fi circles if it didn't require one to spool 120 film onto a 620 spool, or else to buy expensive film where someone else has done the spooling. At least for me this camera is one of the most satisfying of the lo-fi cameras that I have used. It seems to have a nice amount of vignetting and softness in the right places.
There also are occassional surprises.
The Imperial Reflex Duo Lens 620 does have a bright viewfinder and this has made it a camera that many use for TTV(through the viewfinder) images.
The most famous thing associated with this camera is that a version of it was used to take some backyard photos of Lee Harvey Oswald with his rifle.
The camera used by Marina Oswald to take the backyard photos
I believe this is part of the Warren Report concerning the camera.
THE OSWALD BACKYARD PHOTOGRAPHS
The Imperial Reflex Duo Lens 620 shows up on Ebay fairly often and is generally inexpensive. So if you don't mind making your own 620 rolls it may be worth a try.
Imperial Reflex Duo Lens 620 Gallery
Though I'm no fan of lo-fi photography, I have to admit I like the color you're getting from this box.
ReplyDelete