MPP Microflex TLR camera with 77.5mm F3.5 Taylor Hobson Micronar lens. Comes with case, hood and booklet. Serviced in November 2021 by Newton Ellis (receipt available) which also inclded lens cleaning to remove a small amount of fungus.
The Microflex is a crank-wound 6×6 TLR made by Micro Precision Products, launched in 1958 and the last of MPP's medium-format cameras.
The Microflex has a pair of Taylor, Taylor & Hobson Micronar 77.5mm lenses; the taking lens is f/3.5, the viewing lens f/3.2. These had been designed by MPP, and they are therefore unique to the Microflex.
The lens elements were assembled and inspected by MPP. Optically, the Microflex is of excellent quality.
The shutter of the Microflex is a Prontor, but unlike that fitted to the Microcord II. The Prontor SVS shutter has speeds 1 – 1/300 sec., B, and delay.
The shutter speed and aperture wheels are linked, so that adjustment of the one adjusts the other for constant exposure value.
The screen has a grid, and some form of automatic parallax correction. The hood has a pop up magnifier and also the usual apertures to result in a "sports" or direct finder.
Production of the Microflex is thought to have continued until around 1960. What is certain is that shortly after the camera was released in 1958, the British government removed import restrictions that had priced the highly reputed Rolleiflex cameras out of the reach of all but the richest photographers. MPP was forced to sell off its stock of Microflex cameras at a low price.
Film loading: The Microflex has unusual requirements for film loading, carefully explained in MPP's instructions — which of course may be missing from any surviving camera. Simply, when the back is opened to remove an exposed film, the back should not be closed until a replacement film is loaded. However, if the back has been closed with no film, then when film is loaded it should be drawn into the take-up spool "manually" (the take-up spool not inserted but instead held in the hand). Only when the start arrows on the backing paper match the two red dots in the camera body should the take-up spool be inserted. Throughout this, the winding crank must not be moved.
MPP Microflex Serviced TLR camera with Taylor Hobson 77.5mm F3.5 lens
The condition is excellent. The camera was professionally serviced by Newton Ellis in November 2001, and has had two films put through it since. All the controls are working as you would expect, smooth and easy to operate. There a a few small chips of paint along the front panel above the word Microflex as shown in the photos.