The Wrayflex was a 35mm SLR made by the British company Wray after World War II. There were two different models, the first had a low profile appearance and used a system of mirrors to provide the reflex viewing image. It used the 24×32 mm format. Sadly this was rather dim compared to the pentaprism used on competitive cameras, and produced a laterally reversed image. The second version had a higher profile top plate and used a pentaprism, and also adopted the universal 24×36mm 35mm format - it was known as the Wrayflex II. Both used the same series of lenses. The cameras used normal 35mm film cassettes. The 24×32 mm format was a problem for slide material films.
List of lenses in Wrayflex mount:
- 35/3.5 Lustrar
- 50/2 Unilite
- 90/4 Lustrar
- 135/4 Lustrar
The Unilite lens design was covered by Patents, later there would be a dispute with Corfield when the latter company introduced their 45mm Lumax f/1.9 lens for the Periflex camera range. Corfield unwittingly had infringed the Wray patent and were obliged to acknowledge this fact.
Links[]
- John Wade has published a book on the camera and its lenses - see www.wrayflex.co.uk for a copy
- Wrayflex user manual at Marriott's World
- instruction manual PDF manual at Mike Butkus' Orphancameras.com
- Wray patents
- US patent: "Reflex camera with curtain shutter", describes the Wrayflex