Miom Photax III

Photos by Sylvain Halgand text by Sylvain Halgand. From the collection of Sylvain Halgand. Last update 2022-10-07 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in France from (Circa) 1946 to (Circa) 1961.
Index of rarity in France: Very usual (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 8

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Chronology of cameras Miom

Traduction de Dirck DuFlon, USA

Before the second world war, the use of moulded materials (bakelite, trolite, etc.) allowed camera manufacturers to free themselves from the rectilinear shapes that, up until that time, had been unavoidable in the manufacture of inexpensive cameras. In the United States during the Thirties, Kodak manufactured the Bullet or the Baby Brownie. In Germany, Agfa manufactured the Trolix.

In France, it was a company that specialized in the manufacture of electrical insulators that undoubtedly used the most moulded material (Cégéïte) in the years preceeding the war. MIOM, Manufacture d'Isolants et d'Objets Moulés (Manufacturer of Insulators and Molded Material), initially created a few rather angular cameras (Jacky, Lec junior) before proposing, in 1938, a camera with a decidedly modern design (the Stream Line). The lens could be retracted due to its helicoid shape, and was made of bakelite. This camera was the Photax II.
Its success would be enormous (coming at the beginning of the holidays) before, then after the war. After the war, its shutter was improved and it became the III.

The Photax III became "Blindé" (armoured) when it was sold with an included bakelite cap which covered the entire front face of the lens tube.

Photax are more beautiful effect in a collection. Before acquiring them, it should be checked that bakelite neither is notched,

Interesting links or bibliography :

Science et vie de 1949

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