Soho Myna All Distance Camera

A fixed aperture, two stop, British, folding camera made for 120 film during the 1930s. Second-hand.

Availability: 1 in stock

Stock ID: 587

€30.00

Quantity:

What's for sale?

This is the Soho Myna All Distance Camera. It was introduced in 1929 by the British company Soho Limited and made during the 1930s alongside their SK12 model.

It has an all-metal body, with black, crinkled, silk effect finish and black bellows.

It has a fixed aperture lens with the two f-stops available by positioning the lens at one of two positions marked 'Near' and 'Far'.

It uses 120 film, which at 60mm wide by 90mm is a fairly large negative format and is also still available in 2019.

Some functionality to note:

There is a manual film winder on the top and a red viewing window on the back to see how much film remains.
To open the main door, press the push-button on the bottom and pull the door open until the two support arms lock.
Pull the black tags below the lens to manually pull the lens forward and extend the bellows. Lock it in place at one of the 'Near' and 'Far' notches on the sprung metal plate at the front.
The shutter release is at the 9 o'clock position when facing the lens.
To close, press down the 'Near' and 'Far' plate to unlock the lens and push backwards against the black tags beneath the lens.
To shut the door, first press down on the support arms to unlock them.
To insert and remove the film, a small, sliding button releases one end of the back, which then pivots down for complete removal.

Who made it and when?

It was made by the British company Soho Limited from around 1929. The plate around the lens reads:

soho myna
soho ltd london
british made
all distance

What condition is it in?

We collect old cameras as ornaments for display. We have not tested it with film and cannot state that it is light-proof and still a working camera. It appears to function correctly throughout. We allow returns on all our items; please see our Terms and conditions for details.

Second-hand
In very good condition
The red viewing window is clean and undamaged
The sliding release button for the back opens and locks
The reel is present and the winder works
The push button opens the main door and locks when it is closed
The door opens correctly, can be locked open and then released
The viewfinder and mirror are clean and pivot correctly
The lens and bellows pull out stiffly, can be locked at the two f stops and then can be closed again
The bellows are a little worn but appear to be intact
The support leg pivots and stays in the open and closed positions
The lens cover is clean and undamaged
The shutter works
The inside of the lens has many tiny dust particles on the inside, visible from the back