Anyone heard of NAIGAI SRF Camera?

<p>Strange-looking compact camera with a pentaprism(?) and fixed lens. Anybody? Googled it and nothing came up. Even the guy who owns it knows nothing about it:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/khedara/6850601405/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/khedara/6850601405/</a></p>

<p>Any chance that the little window on the left-hand side of the lens (opposite the DIN/ASA label), could be a viewfinder window? Obviously giving the top of a camera the shape of a pentaprism to make it look like an SLR is easy, but there needs to be a finder window somewhere, and that's the only possible place in can see in this Naigai contraption. Even it's an SLR, I'd say that might raise it's value only to $4 (from $2 for a finder camera). ;-)</p>

<p>It looks like one of those little "disposable" novelty cameras sold in trinket shops for vacationers' kids....designed to emulate the look of an adult's camera, but having virtually none of the functions, other than a shutter, fixed focus and flash. Probably worth $5-6.</p>

<p>Here is a Goggle translation of a page giving more information on the camera. The translation is rather poor but may be of some help.</p>

<p>http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pluto.dti.ne.jp%2F~masaki-k%2Fcamera%2520Naigai%2520SRF.htm</p>

<p>Here is some info on the Fujica ST-F.</p>

<p>http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Fujica_ST-F</p>

<p>If I understand the translation correctly, the camera is indeed an SLR, and the mirror acts at the same time as shutter. Certainly an interesting construction, but evidently not very successful. Due to the uniqueness, I'd go as far as doubling my estimate of it's value!</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses! Indeed it seems to be a copy of the Fujica ST-F, although the lens assembly seems simpler. Collectiblend.com have mis-spelled it as "Naigal" and there is a quoted value of up to 300+ (!) USD if in mint condition. They are very unreliable in their estimates though most of the time, unless it is a truly rare (and hence valuable?) copy. There seems to be no mention of a Naigai camera company on line. There is also a "Great Wall" chinese re-iteration of the Fujica ST-F.</p>

<p>A near-copy of the Great Wall PF-1, which is itself a recent copy of the old Fujica ST-F.<br /> <a href="http://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2011/09/great-wall-pf-1-slr.html">http://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2011/09/great-wall-pf-1-slr.html</a>. Based on the placement of the metering button, it is slightly different from the PF-1, but essentially the same simple SLR. You can buy a new one from Ultrafine Online for $50.</p>