a Leotax ad from 1957

April 1947 Popular
Photography ad for the
Leotax imitation of a
Leica

Toronto. To gain traction on the world markets after the war ended, camera industries  began to imitate the more famous German brands. One of the Japanese brands that was almost identical to the Leica screw mount camera it imitated, was the Leotax.

My good friend George Dunbar tracked down an ad for the Leotax camera in the April 1947 issue of Popular Photography.

Half a century later, a growing body of collectors actively sought these quality imitations of famous German cameras. Most companies imitated all or part of the screw mount Leicas or the Contaxes. Some companies like Canon and Nikon are now recognized for their own innovative designs rather than their imitations!

 

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