MERLIN

(1936) The Merlin was an early, odd-looking, cast-iron submini. It was made by the United Optical Instrument Company in England, and was one of the first attempts to make a viable small camera. But actually, there were several other subminis of the same period that had similar, odd film styles and body shapes. The Merlin came in three colors -- black, blue, red or green -- and produced almost square images of about 18mm. The film was loaded into tiny metal spools, similar to the 17.5mm Hit-style cameras -- with paper-backing. The camera was tiny -- only two inches wide -- and very basic. It had a pop-up viewfinder, a single speed shutter and an f16 lens. There is a tiny pop-up viewfinder on top and a small "ruby" window on the back to read the film exposure number on the back of the paper-backed film. The film was pulled onto the take-up reel using a small knob on the bottom. The reels are about 3/8" (22mm) tall -- slightly taller than Hit spools. The Merlin was also used as the "guts" of the Erac Pistol Camera.