K. G. Corfield Ltd

K. G. Corfield Ltd emerged as a British camera and lens manufacturer based in Wolverhampton, with Sir Kenneth Corfield serving as the principal force behind its engineering direction and product development. The company's work belongs to the post-war period in which compact 35 mm cameras were becoming increasingly important to amateur and professional photographers. Corfield's designs followed some of the conventions associated with Leica cameras, particularly the compact body format and focal-plane-shutter approach, but sought to add technically distinctive solutions. The company's most notable creation was the Periflex series. Rather than using a conventional rangefinder system, the Periflex employed a miniature periscope for viewing and fine focusing. During film advance, the periscope descended into the optical path and presented an enlarged view of the central part of the frame. This arrangement helped the user judge focus precisely. When the shutter was released, the periscope sprang vertically clear of the lens path, after which the horizontal cloth focal-plane shutter operated. The mechanism was unusual among 35 mm cameras and became the central technical feature associated with the Periflex name. K. G. Corfield Ltd's activities extended beyond camera bodies. It made lenses and other photographic equipment, including the Lumimeter darkroom exposure meter. The Lumimeter used a visual comparison method: light reflected from the enlarger was compared with a variable transmitted-light source in a split-screen viewing arrangement. The user adjusted the variable component until both sections appeared equally illuminated, and the associated dial indicated the appropriate exposure. This product reflected the company's broader interest in optical measurement and darkroom workflow. In January 1959, the manufacturer moved from Wolverhampton to Ballymoney. The relocation was historically notable because it made the business, according to the cited account, the only camera manufacturer on the island of Ireland. The move did not resolve the company's competitive difficulties. Japanese and German producers exerted strong pressure on smaller British manufacturers through camera quality, production scale, distribution and pricing. K. G. Corfield Ltd ultimately failed in this competitive environment and ceased trading in 1971. The Corfield enterprise did not entirely disappear from photographic history at that point. Sir Kenneth Corfield later revived the firm for additional camera-related activity, including the construction of the Architect camera and participation in the production of Gandolfi cameras. The available reference does not provide a complete chronology of this later period or clarify whether a legally continuous company remains active today. Accordingly, the historical company is best understood as a defunct or later-revived photographic enterprise whose present corporate status requires further verification.

• 1971

  Original enterprise ceases trading

  [1]K. G. Corfield Ltden.wikipedia.org

  The company ceased trading after struggling against competition from Japanese and German camera manufacturers.

• 1959

  Relocation to Ballymoney

  [1]K. G. Corfield Ltden.wikipedia.org

  In January, the camera manufacturer moved from Wolverhampton to Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. The move was described as making it the only camera manufacturer on the island of Ireland.

• Later revival of the Corfield firm

  [1]K. G. Corfield Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Sir Kenneth Corfield subsequently revived the firm for the Architect camera and for involvement in Gandolfi camera production; the date of this revival is not specified in the reference.

An engineering-led British photographic manufacturer focused on compact 35 mm cameras, specialist focusing mechanisms and practical optical equipment. Its products occupied a technically distinctive niche influenced by Leica-style camera design while attempting to differentiate themselves through original mechanisms such as the Periflex periscope viewer.

• 35 mm film cameras

  Periflex series

  The Periflex cameras were the company's signature 35 mm products. They combined a compact design influenced by Leica cameras with a distinctive periscope viewing and focusing system. A small periscope descended into the lens path during film advance, magnifying the central image area for fine focusing. It withdrew before exposure, allowing the horizontal cloth focal-plane shutter to operate.

• Darkroom exposure meter

  Lumimeter

  The Lumimeter was an exposure meter intended for darkroom use. It compared reflected light from an enlarger with variable transmitted light observed through a split screen. The user adjusted the variable light until both sides appeared equally illuminated, after which the instrument's dial indicated the correct exposure.

• Camera

  Architect camera

  The Architect was a later camera project associated with Sir Kenneth Corfield's revival of the firm after the original company had ceased trading. The available source identifies the project but does not provide enough technical or commercial detail to describe its format, production scale or market positioning.

• Camera production

  Gandolfi cameras

  After the original business period, the revived Corfield enterprise became involved in the production of Gandolfi cameras. The supplied reference does not specify the exact models, manufacturing responsibilities or dates of this involvement.

• 1959

  Relocation of manufacturing operations to BallymoneyStrategy

  Background

  The company moved its camera-manufacturing operation from Wolverhampton to Ballymoney in January 1959.

  Action taken

  K. G. Corfield Ltd transferred its manufacturing base to Ballymoney, Northern Ireland.

  Aftermath

  The relocation gave the company a distinctive place in the history of Irish manufacturing, but the business later failed in the face of Japanese and German competition.

  Source

• Revival of the Corfield firm for later camera projectsStrategy

  Background

  Following the company's cessation of trading in 1971, Sir Kenneth Corfield later re-established the firm for further photographic work.

  Action taken

  The revived enterprise was used to build the Architect camera and to participate in Gandolfi camera production.

  Aftermath

  The reference confirms the later projects but does not establish their commercial scale, duration or present corporate continuation.

  Source

1. 1K. G. Corfield Ltden.wikipedia.org