Two
of the best-known and most commonly-seen camera names are Halina
and Hanimex.
Haking - maker of Halina cameras (and
many more) was founded in 1956 by Dr Haking Wong in Hong Kong. As
well as selling cameras under the Halina name, Haking make cameras
for other camera companies. Halina cameras tend to be engineered
down to a low price and this low price means they sold, when available
new, in large numbers. It is no surprise, therefore, to see that
they are common on the second-hand market now.
The fact they are easy to find makes them
attractive cameras for the collector who wishes to build a varied
collection at low cost. These are just a few Halina
cameras.
The Halina Prefect is a simple twin-lens
camera taking 12 pictures on 120 roll-film. It has a brilliant finder
with hood and an f/8 lens. The shutter is very simple, just T and
I. In 1957 it cost £3 17s. 6d.
The Halina A1 is a twin-lens camera with a
focussing 80 mm. f/3.5 Halina lens and three speed shutter. It takes
12 exposures on 120 roll film and cost 12 guineas in 1957.
The Halina Viceroy takes 12 or 24 exposures
on 120 roll film. It is a basic twin-lens camera with a non-focussing
f/8 lens, simple shutter (I and T) and brilliant finder. In 1960
it cost £3 19s. 6d.
The Halina Paulette dates from the mid-1960s.
It is a simple camera, with a Halinar f/2.8 45 mm. lens and a leaf
shutter. In 1965 it cost ££8 19s. 6d. The Halina Paulette
Electric is based on the Paulette but with the addition of built-in
uncoupled selenium meter. In 1966 it cost £11 19s. 6d.
The Halina 35x is a masterpiece
of design, in that it looks like an expensive camera. It's surprisingly
heavy for such a relatively small camera because of its cast-metal
body. It was introduced in about 1959. There is also a Micronta
35x and the Sunscope 35x, which are the same camera with different
names. The cameras have a Halina 45 mm. f/3.5 lens and a four-speed
shutter. In 1959, the Halina 35x cost £7 13s. 3d.
Unlike Haking, who are prolific camera
manufactuers, Hanimex never made any cameras themselves. The name
is derived from HANnes IMport EXport and it is an Australian company.
The founder, Jack Hannes, started importing European cameras into
Australia after 1945. In the early 1950s, cameras bearing the Hanimex
name started to appear. These were usually based on an established
camera.
The Electra II is the Hanimex version
of the Dacora-Matic 4D, and was made by Dacora Kamerawerk. It has
a Hanimar f/2.8 45 mm. lens and an automatic shutter which is coupled
to a Bertram exposure meter. On the front of the camera are four
shutter release buttons, each one engraved with a different zone
focus symbol. The lens rotates to the required focus. It was introduced
in about 1962.
The Hanimar is based on the Finetta 88.
It has a bayonet-mount f/2.8 45 mm. Finetar lens. It was introduced
in about 1953.
I have not been able to find any evidence of these
two cameras being sold in the UK.
The Hanimex Mini was introduced
in about 1972. It is the first 110 camera with "push-pull" film
advance, an innovation which was designed by Jerry Arnott (who worked
for Hanimex) and made by Haking. It has a fixed-focus lens and a
two speed shutter. In 1976 it cost £11.60. The Mini takes flash
cubes; a variant, the Mini 218 takes flip-flash.
Further Information.
Halina/Ansco for information about the company
and its current products