Ilford Sportsman 2

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Ilford Sportsman 2

The technical stuff:

Camera type: Compact viewfinder

Lens Type: Dacora 45mm f3.5 - f16

Shutter Type: Vario 3 Speed + B,25,50,200

There's something about these Ilfords that suggests that they were a bit below the standard. I suppose when you study the history of camera development at the time it becomes apparent. In the post war period, between 1945 and 1955 British camera makers were trying to get back up to production in a market which was less than affluent. Ilford had a superb British made camera in the Diplomat but it was expensive and other makers were now starting to import cameras from Germany at much lower prices. In response to this threat Ilford went in search of a German manufacturer but by now all of the big companies had their alliances set up. Ilford managed to track down a small manufacturer who was currently producing cameras in his own name of Dacora and were able to strike a deal. Dacora did have a small amount of export so welcomed the chance to expand. The camera was a re-badged version of the Dignette, in fact some were produced in such a hurry they carried both names with a badge stuck over the Dacora name. The earlier examples of Sportsman Mark 1 and 2 were fitted with a Dacora lens, the later Mark 4 has a Cassar lens instead of the Dacora, which is a better lens, all have the unusual front mounted shutter release.