Manufactured or assembled in France from 1944 to 1944.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 11272

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Chronology of cameras Lumiere 

The ELJY cameras, with only three models (which can be reduced to two), remained in Lumière's catalog for nearly 25 years, from 1937 to 1960.

The name is a phonetic contraction of Lyon Joinville (LJ). To understand this, we need to go back many years. After introducing the cinematograph (often remembered for the famous "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat") and pioneering early motion pictures, the Lumière brothers from Lyon partnered with the Jougla company in Paris in 1911 to produce plates and films. Lumière later used the premises of Jougla, located in Joinville, for setting up the Hemax production after Hemax's bankruptcy. This might explain the "J" in the name, although it's a hypothesis that's difficult to confirm.
In 1937, Lumière introduced one of the very first 24 x 36 mm cameras in France. Two models, the Eljy and Super-Eljy, were simultaneously available in their catalog. These models would evolve until 1951 when they were replaced by the Eljy Club. For several years and likely until the existing Eljy and Super-Eljy stocks were depleted, all three models coexisted in their catalogs, allowing customers to compare their pricing differences.

The Eljy and Super-Eljy are generally identical, with small variations. They are extremely compact cameras designed to use specific non-perforated film that yields negatives of 24 x 36 mm. They measure just 78 x 42 x 40 mm and weigh 150 grams (although dimensions and weight can slightly vary among different variants). Due to their small size, they are limited to 8 exposures per roll.
The cameras are constructed from stamped metal, partially covered in synthetic leather. Until the end of World War II, Eljy cameras were black, while Super-Eljy cameras featured chrome parts. It's challenging to confirm if this black color continued post-war, as catalogs no longer mention it and only show illustrations of the Super-Eljy, which was chrome-plated.
Both cameras have a thicker central portion where the chamber is located, tapering toward the ends. The top and bottom are flat and symmetrical. On the top, you'll find a Galilean-style folding viewfinder, which is of mediocre quality, and a film advance knob. The viewfinder can be slightly tilted forward to minimize parallax errors when photographing close subjects. On the right side, there's a small distance scale lever.
The lens and shutter are attached to the end of an extendable tube that must be fully extended for the camera to be operational. The Eljy and Super-Eljy differ mainly in terms of their lens and shutter specifications. In 1937, both models used the same Lypar 3.5 lens, but the Eljy's lens soon changed to an f/4.5 aperture.
Focus can be adjusted from 0.50 meters to infinity by rotating the front lens element. Shutter speeds varied throughout the models' production runs, and sometimes an Eljy might have a maximum shutter speed equivalent to an earlier Super-Eljy model from the same year. In general, Super-Eljy cameras had faster shutter speeds than Eljy cameras released in the same year.
Another difference between the Eljy and Super-Eljy is the design of the red window cover for the film counter. It's either absent or basic on Eljy cameras, while it's more refined on Super-Eljy models. Super-Eljy cameras were also sometimes supplied with a cable release, at least in the early years. The presence of a tripod socket is another differentiating factor, although it's not clear if this difference remained consistent throughout the models' production.
While the cameras are labeled as Eljy, identifying the exact model can be tricky. Lumière likely aimed to have a range with two price levels, with the Super-Eljy being the more expensive option.

To add a bit of collector intrigue, there are hybrid versions that blur the lines between Eljy and Super-Eljy, with combinations of lenses and shutters that don't strictly adhere to the aforementioned distinctions. Nobody's perfect!
Interestingly, the Eljy and Super-Eljy were exported to the USA, at least in 1940 and 1941, where they were sold as Eljy (with the Lypar 3.5 lens) and Eljy Jr. (with the Lypar 4.5 lens). The Eljy was priced at $25, while the Eljy Jr. sold for $16.50. These cameras were distributed by Tetra Co.

The Eljy Club, introduced in 1951, is a modernized version of the Eljy. While only slightly larger (80 x 50 x 55 mm), it's heavier (290 g). The Eljy Club retains the extendable tube design attached to a cast metal body, but the body's shapes are more angular, with a streamlined casing that incorporates an extinction meter and the viewfinder. The viewfinder is positioned at one end of the camera, opposite the winding knob.
The Lumipose meter is centrally located along the optical axis, and there are settings on the top of the camera to adjust it. When looking through the Lumipose meter, letters spelling "LUMIPOSE" appear depending on the light intensity. By matching the first readable letter to one of the dials on the camera's cover and selecting the type of subject, you could determine the aperture value to set on the lens based on the chosen shutter speed.
It appears that the Eljy Club always came with an f/3.5 Lypar lens, available in either 40 or 45 mm focal lengths, and these lenses were treated.
The shutters on Eljy Club models allowed for higher maximum speeds and included slow shutter options. A luxury version of the Eljy Club featured a faux crocodile leather covering. Some models also came with colorful leather coverings.

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