Pseudo TLR

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Glossary Terms

For a list of pseudo TLR cameras, see the Category: Pseudo TLR.

A pseudo TLR is a camera that imitates the look of a TLR (twin lens reflex). However the viewfinder is not a true reflex finder, with a ground glass indicating correct focus; instead it is simply a large reflecting type viewfinder. The taking lens is typically fixed-focus, but sometimes can be scale focused, with no help from the viewfinder image.

The vogue for these cameras was around the 1950s and 1960s, when the Rolleiflex was a typical camera for professionals to use. Pseudo TLRs were produced by many companies in the US (e.g. Kodak Duaflex), Germany (e.g. most Voigtländer Brillant models), France (e.g. Olbia), and the United Kingdom (e.g. Ensign Ful-Vue).

The pseudo-TLR idea made an unexpected re-appearance in 2008, with the Blackbird, fly, a plastic toy camera for 35mm film. There is also the Bonzart Ampel, which is not a pseudo-TLR in the same sense; this is two digital cameras combined in one body, each lens having its own sensor, but styled to resemble a TLR camera.