Corfield Periflex Camera – A British Gem

By Dan Cuny

The Corfield Periflex is a relatively new camera to my collection. I’ve only had it for a few months, but I’ve desired to own one for many years. The opportunity arose to purchase one of the earlier models that was in good working condition and at a reasonable price for this camera in its condition, so I grabbed the opportunity and purchased it.

When the camera arrived, it was in good working condition and in the cosmetic condition described, so I was pleased with the purchase. I knew from purchasing the camera that my aim was to do a blog post on it, as the camera has many unique features that have not been seen in cameras before or since.

The Periflex is a 35mm camera with an appearance that resembles a Leica only because of the size and initial shape of the camera. Unlike the Leica cameras, the Periflex doesn’t offer the photographer rangefinder focus, sprockets film advance, removable baseplate, or take-up spool, but it does offer the same lens thread mount and excellent optics in a small and compact camera made in the United Kingdom.

The Company

Sir Kenneth Corfield (1924–2016) was a British engineer, entrepreneur, and photographer whose work significantly influenced the photographic industry in the UK, mainly through his company, Corfield Ltd. Known for his pioneering approach to camera design, Sir Kenneth’s legacy is deeply intertwined with the Corfield Camera Company, which he founded in the mid-20th century. His innovative ideas, especially those focused on making quality, compact cameras, helped the brand gain a reputation in the photography community, although its operations ended in the 1970s.

Kenneth Corfield was born in the UK in 1924 and trained as an engineer. He developed a passion for cameras and photography from an early age, and this interest led him to create camera equipment designed to fill the gaps he observed in the photographic tools available at the time. His mechanical expertise and curiosity about precision instruments motivated him to create Corfield Ltd., a company that produces cameras for professional and amateur photographers alike.

Sir Kenneth Corfield

Corfield founded his company in the post-war period when there was increasing demand for affordable, portable, high-quality photographic equipment. Starting in the 1940s, Corfield Ltd. initially operated as a small workshop but soon expanded to meet the needs of a growing photography market in the UK. Unlike the more prominent, established companies primarily located in Germany and Japan, Corfield’s British roots gave his products a unique appeal in the domestic market. They also partnered with British Optical Lens Co. in Walsall, which designed and made the Lumar optics for Corfield.

The company’s first significant product was the Periflex, introduced in 1953. This camera became known for its innovative use of a periscope-type viewing system. This device made the Periflex one of the more unique 35mm cameras available at the time, as it allowed users to see the image through the lens without needing an expensive reflex mirror. The camera was compact, affordable, and relatively simple compared to other rangefinders, and it catered to a market that wanted quality at an accessible price.

Ad for the Corfield camera

The Periflex series became the backbone of Corfield Ltd.’s reputation. The first model, the Periflex I, was followed by several iterations, including the Periflex II, III, and Gold Star. Each version introduced new features and enhancements to meet photographers’ increasing demands, such as improved shutter speeds, lens mounts, and more durable designs.

The defining characteristic of the Periflex cameras was the periscope-like focusing mechanism. This mechanism, placed directly above the lens, allowed photographers to focus accurately without the bulk or complexity of a traditional single-lens reflex (SLR) system. This feature made the Periflex a unique hybrid of a rangefinder and SLR qualities, appealing to those who valued compact design but still wanted accurate focus control. Although some photographers found the system unorthodox, others appreciated the camera’s compactness and precision, making it popular among professionals and amateurs.

Despite its successes, Corfield Ltd. faced stiff competition from German and Japanese camera manufacturers, producing high-quality cameras on a much larger scale. Companies like Leica, Nikon, and Canon dominated the market with advanced SLRs, and Corfield’s unique designs needed to catch up with the rapid technological advancements. While the Periflex series had gained a loyal following, it required more sophistication and reliability than its competitors, ultimately limiting its market appeal.

In the 1970s, Corfield Ltd. ceased producing its cameras, and the Periflex series also ended production. Although the brand did not survive, the innovations introduced by Kenneth Corfield influenced camera design and highlighted the potential for high-quality British-made photographic equipment.

Kenneth Corfield’s contributions to the photographic world extended beyond his camera company. Even after Corfield Ltd. ceased operations, he continued to be active in the photography industry. Later in his career, Corfield was involved with Gandolfi, a British large-format camera manufacturer, and his influence continued to be felt through his consulting and design work in the field.

Corfield’s legacy is remembered by photography enthusiasts and collectors who admire his innovative approach to camera design. The Periflex cameras, in particular, are valued among collectors for their uniqueness and historical significance. Sir Kenneth’s work reflects a time of British ingenuity in the photographic industry. It is a testament to a small, independent company’s impact on a competitive global market.

Bev Parker has a wonderful website dedicated to The Corfield Company.

My Corfield Periflex Camera

My Corfield Periflex camera isn’t the first model, as the first 200 Periflex camera had a black top and bottom plate like mine. Still, they were covered in brownish pigskin on the body. I believe mine is the third version, as the engraving has been moved to the periscope but still has the black top and bottom plate, black leatherette covering, and chrome lens.

My Periflex camera is 5.5″ wide by 3.25″ tall, including the periscope, and 3.25″ deep from the back of the camera to the front of the lens focused to infinity. With the standard Lumar 50mm f3.5 lens, it weighs 1 lb 1.4 oz. The camera is made from aluminum, as opposed to brass, which was a more common construction material at the time. Aluminum was easy to work with for both the body and lenses and was less expensive.

This hybrid camera doesn’t have a rangefinder to focus. Still, it has a very small mirror that drops down into the camera and points out through the lens, allowing the photographer to focus on the subject, which is very similar to a single-lens reflex camera. The periscope is achieved by the center tube over the lens, which has a small knob on the back that you pull down and look through the optics on the top to view your subject.

Pressing down the “periscope” into the camera

I was very skeptical at first, but it does work and focuses very crisply on the subject as it should. There are some things that could be improved in this system. First, you need to open the aperture to get the brightest image to focus on, so you don’t do this quickly. Once the camera is focused, you stop the lens down to the desired aperture setting to get the proper exposure, move your eye to the mounted viewfinder on the top to frame your subject, and then take the photo. Once you do it a few times, it becomes manageable. But it would be best if you remembered to reset your aperture, which I didn’t do on a few frames. That’s just a matter of getting to know the camera and using it more often. I DID like looking through the lens in a small compact camera to focus on the subject.

My Periflex has shutter speeds from 1/1000 to 1/30 sec exposure times along with “B” for timed exposures. Above the shutter speed indicator is a knob that needs to be turned to cock the shutter before making an exposure. Advancing the film DOES NOT cock the shutter. These are two separate operations and are not intertwined. You do, however, need to advance the film winding lever AND cock the shutter before the camera will fire. This makes it impossible to take a double exposure on this camera. At least, I am still looking for a way to do it. The shutter release button is on the front of the camera, similar to the Topcon cameras, so it’s more of a squeezing motion than a pressing down motion. There is a removable collar around the shutter release to attach a Leica-style cable release for time exposures.

Top view of Corfield Periflex camera. You need to turn knob around the shutter speeds to cock the shutter.

Another oddity about my camera, and I don’t know if this is the same for all the Lumar lenses, is that my lens doesn’t have aperture numbers, so I had to guess the size of the aperture needed to make a proper exposure. Looking again, there are aperture numbers and a very small “dot” on the lens that points towards an aperture number that associated in the depth of scale setting on the lens.

Small dot is almost pointing at 5.6. Something I didn’t realize until after takeing the photos.

Looking at the Periflex instruction manual, they discuss apertures and depth of field, but even on the photos in the manual. All my exposures were guesses of the size of the aperture needed. The focus on my lens is smooth, the aperture ring moves well, too, and the Lumar lens system has a Leica Thread mount, so the advantage is you can use any LTM lens with this camera.

Loading the film is very simple, and there is another camera oddity in the loading process on the camera. To open the back to load the film, you turn the chrome circle on the camera next to the tripod socket until the arrow points to the white dot. Once that is done, the camera’s back will slide downward, exposing the film chamber. I first noticed that there was no drive gear to advance the film, and the take-up spool (drum) on the camera was much larger than the usual 35mm cameras on the market. The take-up spool is actually a drum that advances 180 degrees per wind of the film advance, so as the film is pulled and wrapped around the drum, the spacing of the film frames becomes more significant as you go from the first to the last frame.

Film compartment in the Corfield Periflex camera. Notice, no drive gear to transport film.

Once the film is loaded, you slide the back into position on the camera and turn the chrome wheel on the bottom away from the white dot to lock the back onto the camera. To rewind the film back into the film cassette when finished taking the roll of photos. The drum/take-up spool release is a small chrome button between the shutter and film advance knobs. Press that n=button down, and you can rewind the film back into the cassette for processing.

My results

I took the camera for a walk in the neighborhood on a sunny afternoon to see what I could do with the camera. It took some time to think about the metering process on the subject. Opening the aperture, setting the shutter speed, pressing down the periscope to focus (which was fun and easy), resetting the aperture to a size opening I thought might be the correct aperture size, putting the viewfinder to my eye to compose the photo, then taking the photo. Certainly not like cameras today with autofocus, automatic light meter settings, etc. Something you slow down, take your time and compose the shot, which I enjoy doing.

Here are a few of the images from the camera.

Around my neighborhood
Backlit bush
Our old boy, Ernie

Conclusion

I enjoyed shooting with the Corfield Periflex. It slows you down and makes you think about the process of creating an image rather than taking one. Not that the photos shown are any works of art, but I like the slower and more methodical process of taking the photo.

The camera is small and compact, has the shutter speeds needed, and has good optical sharpness. I only wish there were an aperture setting on the lens to make guessing exposures a bit easier. I can always add them later if needed.

Thank you for taking a few minutes from your day to read my review of the Corfield Periflex, a gem of a camera.

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About The Author

By Dan Cuny
A little background on me, and my interest in anything photographic. I’ll begin to add posts on my collection, my interests, and items in my collection. I can still remember the day that my uncle gave me my first camera when I was 9 years old. It was a Univex twin lens camera and I was mesmerized looking down through the waist level finder. Everything was backward, but my brain quickly figured out left was right, and right was left. I took that camera on a vacation to Alaska shooting 620 film and still have the negatives and photos. Fast forward a few years to when I’m 16. I find myself in the front row at concerts like Traffic, Humble Pie, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and all the classic bands of the ’70s. My 3 friends and I went to see bands at least a couple times a month and where I first was published in Rolling Stone, Musician Magazine, Guitar Player, and other publications. In later years, we published a blog on the shows we saw and also have images on my website. I’m in the process of writing a book on my experiences and images from this time period. My passion for all things cameras and photographic started when I turned 18 and started working at the local camera store. Having worked there for almost 20 years, I sold all the classic cameras of the 1970s and ’80s like Canon AE-1, Nikon F, Minolta SRT, Pentax Spotmatic, Topcon Super D, and many large and medium format cameras. To this day, I can tell these camera cameras even from the outline they have. This is where I started to collect anything photographic, but the true passion is for cameras and lenses. I’ve had a great career in the photo industry which has lead in many different directions, from Professional Photo Lab Manager to PrePress and high-end scanner sales to repping for Sinar and Broncolor, to Leaf Digital back representative, and onto the most recent where I was the Profoto Rep for the US, West Coast for almost 15 years. During these times, I’ve had the opportunity to travel where I always found some time to seek out cameras or photo items in the town I’ve traveled to. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet and work with some fascinating photographers over my career. From Mary Ellen Mark, Jim Marshall, Dan Winters, Annie Leibovitz, and many, many others.
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Comments

Bob Janes on Corfield Periflex Camera – A British Gem

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Nice review - very informative. I've often wondered about these cameras, but never found one at an 'experimental' price.
Some questions:
1. Given that spacing of frames is not constant - how many shots do you get off a 36-exposure roll?
2. Is there a danger of not raising the periscope before taking a picture?
3. The AGIflex cameras (roughly contemporary) had a cable link between wind-on and shutter tensioning which often breaks, leaving wind-on and shutter tensioning as two seperate operations - is the periflex two-stage operation definately intended or might your camera have a broken cable?
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Dan Cuny replied:

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Hello Bob, Here are the answers to your questions 1. I usually get 35 frames on a roll of 36. It has more to do with how the take up cylinder is used. It doesn't have the same pull the more film thats wrapped around it causing it to pull an uneven amount of film from the canister along with the growing diameter of film that's wrapping around it. I hope this makes sense. 2. No, because the "periscope is on a spring that pushes it upwards when not being used. 3. The Periflex is intended, t least that's my belief to be two-staged operation. I could be wrong, but that's my belief. Regards, Dan

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Jeffery Luhn on Corfield Periflex Camera – A British Gem

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Dan,
What a curious camera! Thanks for the article and pix. In the states, it's rare to find low production vintage cameras. We've always been a mass market place, which is good and bad. Good for utilitarian camera buyers, but bad for discerning collectors like you. Thanks!
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Dan Cuny replied:

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Hello Jeffrey, Thank you for taking the time to read about this wonderful camera, and I appreciate the comments. Regards, Dan

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Dan M. on Corfield Periflex Camera – A British Gem

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

As a collector and user of vintage cameras, I've always been curious about the Periflex. An excellent review! Am I to understand that all LTM lenses are compatible? Would this include Russian lenses also, (since there are quite a few, quality Russian lenses available)?
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Dan Cuny replied:

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Hello Dan, Great name. I don't see any reason why other LTM lenses wouldn't work. I haven't tried, but maybe I'll pull a few out and try now. Regards, Dan

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Geoff Chaplin on Corfield Periflex Camera – A British Gem

Comment posted: 24/12/2024

Yes an excellent review of a weird and yet very British camera. A friend of mine designed a camera with a similar wind-on idea with a small take up spindle - it took several of us to convince him that you couldn't use the same angle of turn from start to finish of the film. But as the Corfield shows if the take up spool has a large enough diameter you can get away with it. Interestingly that hollow spool has potential storage space .... for a spare film maybe or a wee dram?
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