Univex Iris Deluxe

Univex Iris Deluxe, originally uploaded by John Kratz.

Yet another attractive camera from Universal, the Univex Iris Deluxe (c1938) is a fancy version of the Iris Standard. It's a fairly heavy camera, cast from a zinc-based alloy with a chromium finish, and covered in black leatherette. It produces 1⅛" x 1½" exposures on Univex #00 rollfilm, and has a 50mm lens in a telescoping mount. This particular camera is the fixed-focus version, though the vast majority of examples have a focusing lens.

According to Cynthia Repinski, author of The Univex Story, the fixed-focus Iris Deluxe was only on the market for one or two months, making it "very scarce and difficult for the collector to obtain".