Lumière Scoutbox

Scoutbox around 1950

Lumière's Scoutbox is a typical box camera for type No. 120 rollfilm, a camera of a type that was made by camera makers all over the world as one for beginners. It is switchable from instant to bulb mode, and three different apertures are selectable. It has the typical "three eye" box camera design with two brilliant finders, one for vertical and one for horizontal shots. The earlier versions of 1935 and 1939 have just one brilliant finder that can be pulled out of the camera to turn it 90 degrees. This feature gives theses models a characteristic look. The earlier models have also the advantage of a security mode for the shutter release.

The 1950s model is nicely covered with black leatherette with embossed rhombus pattern. That makes it easily distinguishable from other "boxes for scouts". Boy scouts and girl scouts were an ideal target group to spread beginners' cameras since scouts traveled a lot, saw a lot, and liked to make images of all that.

Links

• old Scoutbox versions with just one finder at Le Viel Album [1]
• photo examples at Flickr user vsnboots [2]
• Lumiere Scoutbox - all versions at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr