Wrayflex

The Wrayflex was a 35mm SLR made by the British company Wray after World War II. There were two different models, the first had a low profile appearance and used a system of mirrors to provide the reflex viewing image. It used the 24×32 mm format. Sadly this was rather dim compared to the pentaprism used on competitive cameras, and produced a laterally reversed image. The second version had a higher profile top plate and used a pentaprism, and also adopted the universal 24×36mm 35mm format - it was known as the Wrayflex II. Both used the same series of lenses. The cameras used normal 35 mm film cassettes. The 24×32 mm format was a problem for Slide material films.

List of lenses in Wrayflex mount:

• 35/3.5 Lustrar
• 50/2 Unilite
• 90/4 Lustrar
• 135/4 Lustrar

The Unilite lens design was covered by Patents, later there would be a dispute with Corfield when the latter company introduced their 45mm Lumax f/1.9 lens for the Periflex camera range. Corfield unwittingly had infringed the Wray patent and were obliged to ackowledge this fact.

Links

• John Wade has published a book on the camera and its lenses - see www.wrayflex.co.uk for a copy

• Wrayflex user manual at Marriott's World
• instruction manual PDF manual at Orphancameras.com
• US patent: "Reflex camera with curtain shutter", descibes the Wrayflex