Duplex Super 120 Camera — Concert Photos, Historical Images, Travel Photos & Camera Collecting Blog

As I've mentioned in the past, collecting cameras and other photographic items has always been a passion. While I enjoy stereo cameras for what they produce, I don't have many in my collection. The Duplex Super 120 camera is one I've always liked, more for the design of the camera, which I find appealing.

Of course, the design and manufacturing of The Duplex Super 120 in Italy. That's why it has such an appealing design. The camera was manufactured by Industria Scientifica Ottica S.R.L. (ISO) in Milan, Italy, in about 1956. The camera company produced other sleek and expensive cameras like the Leica copy Bilux and Reporter. These two cameras I'm still looking to purchase. The camera I'm showing is the third and latest version of this camera. There was the original Duplex 120, then the Duplex Super 120, and then the third version has the unique side lever, which I'll discuss later.

The Duplex Super 120 is not only a very sexy camera but also offers some pretty special and unique features. First of all, it's a vertical format camera, and it uses 120 roll film. The images are produced in pairs next to each other instead of skipping frames on 35mm stereo cameras to produce left and right images. The Duplex camera put the 24mm x24mm image on the same frame of film. This camera also allows the photographer to create 24 images on a roll of 120 film due to its set up, which is another unique feature.

When you load the camera, the take-up spool is on the top of the camera. On the back of the camera are two viewing windows to see the frame numbers. To take the first set of photos, you wind the film until you see the number in the bottom window. Take your stereo photo, then advance the film until you see the same number on the top window, then expose again for the next frames. This feature allows for twice the number of images on the same frame of film. There is an interlock to prevent double exposures.

The camera has a unique layout. The viewfinder on top with the camera name under it. If you are facing the camera, below the name is the shutter release on the left. The shutter cocking mechanism is just behind the focusing knob in the center. The camera has two 35mm f3.5 Iriar lenses in the center of the camera body. Below the lenses on the left are the shutter speeds, which go from 1/200 to 1/10, and "P" on other cameras would be "B." On the other side of the camera from the shutter speeds is the aperture control, f3.5-f22. Below the two lenses on the underside of the camera body housing is an eyelet that holds the two lens caps. The other side of the camera is the PC outlets for flash with both "M" and "X" sockets. On the back of the camera is a lever that allows you to take the back off to load and unload the film.

Some of the accessories I've seen for the camera are a pistol grip which mounts on the tripod socket, cable release with adapter, leather case, flash bracket, stereo viewer, film mounting press for both card and plastic mounts.

If you have comments, suggestions, or just general questions regarding this or any other cameras from my blog, I’d love to hear from you.

Camera Collecting Blog

For this camera collecting blog, I want to give you a little background on my interest in anything photographic.

I can still remember when my uncle gave me my first camera. I was nine 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 vacation to Alaska shooting 620 films and still have the negatives and photos.

Fast forward 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 three friends and I went to see bands at least a couple of times a month. 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 pictures from this period.

My passion for all things cameras and photographic started when I turned 18 and started working at the local camera store. I 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. During this time, I started to collect anything photographic, but the real passion is for cameras and lenses.

I've had a great career in the photo industry, which has lead in many different directions. My different positions were, Professional Photo Lab Manager, PrePress and high-end scanner salesman, Representative for Sinar and Broncolor, Leaf Digital back representative. The most recent job was the Profoto Rep for the US, West Coast, for almost 15 years. During these times, I've had the opportunity to travel. I always found some time to seek out cameras or photo items in the town I've gone to. I've also had the chance to meet and work with some fascinating photographers over my career. Mary Ellen Mark, Jim Marshall, Dan Winters, Annie Leibovitz, and many, many others.

Currently, my camera collection is around 500-600 cameras. It includes many exotic and colorful Kodaks like the full line of the Beau Brownies, the very rare, Super-Six Twenty, the 35mm Ektra model and lenses, and the string set models. I also have 10-12 Leica's from the original A, the hockey stick models, into the M4 black paint, and some of the newer digital. I own from the subcompact models through to many 8x10 cameras with exotic brass lenses.

I've devoured the McKeown's camera guides and own most versions of the camera bible going back to 1984. I own a collection of camera collecting books in the neighborhood of about 100, including camera manufacturing books. I collect cameras, but my photographic collection includes 200 or so panoramic images, several hundred Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, original glass negatives, camera advertising, figurines with camera, and many, many more items. I started the Camera Collecting page on Facebook.

When eBay started back in 1996 or so, I was an early adopter using its platform. In 1997 when I joined them, my seller number was 1034 and currently still sell on eBay under Clix, which is my seller name.

Due to recent tragic events from the Covid-19 lately, my career with Profoto ended, and I'm onto the next chapter. One of the options was to start writing articles on camera collecting, which has always been my passion.