Iloca
Iloca cameras were produced from 1950 to 1959 by Wilhelm Witt of Hamburg. Early models were the Iloca I, Ia, II and IIa, which were small and relatively simple viewfinder and rangefinder cameras. The "Quick" series introduced automatic cocking of the shutter when winding the film. The name "Rapid" came from the adoption of a rapid winding lever. The cameras were sold very successful in the 1950s through the Sears mail order catalogue in the USA. However, the company was probably best known for their range of stereo cameras.
Their main claim to fame was the introduction of the first 35mm camera with an integrated electric motor wind. Unfortunately it was very expensive and sold poorly in Europe. It was much more successful in the USA where it was sold as the Graphic 35 Electric. The company was acquired by Agfa around 1960 and the Iloca Electric was re-introduced as the Agfa Selecta m - only this time with a fixed f2.8 Solinar lens in place of the interchangeable bayonet mount.
Iloca cameras
Iloca Stereo II image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights) |
- Iloca I and Ia
- Iloca II
- Iloca IIa
- Iloca Quick (including Quick-A, Quick L, and Quick R)
- Iloca Quick B and Photrix Quick-B (rangefinder focus)
- Iloca Rapid and Rapid A1 - 1952
- Iloca Rapid B / Sears Tower 51 - 1954
- Iloca Rapid - 1956
- Iloca Rapid IL / MPP Iloca - 1956
- Iloca Rapid II / Iloca Rapid IIL / Sears Tower 52 / Argus V-100 - 1956
- Iloca Rapid IIR and III - 1959
- Iloca Stereo
- Iloca Stereo Rapid / Realist 45
- Iloca Stereo II / Photrix Stereo
- Iloca Automatic
- Iloca Electric / Graphic 35 Electric - 1959
Links
- Iloca Rapid at Tigin's Classic Cameras
- Repair notes of the Iloca Rapid (A), Iloca Rapid B and Iloca IIa at Daniel Mitchell's camera site
- Iloca Camera pages at CJ's Classic Camera Collection
- Witt page at Collection G. Even's site (in French)
- Iloca Realist instruction manual in PDF format (English) from OrphanCameras.com
- Iloca Quick A instruction manual in PDF format (English) from OrphanCameras.com
- Iloca Rapid I - IL - IIL instruction manual in PDF format (English) from OrphanCameras.com
- Iloca stereo II instruction manual in PDF format (English) from OrphanCameras.com