Petri Half
Little is solidly documented about the Petri Half. Even its name is muddy. Period sources and the surviving instruction manual sometimes call it the “Petri Photo Machine,” and the two names appear to describe the same inexpensive half-frame camera. What seems clear is that Petri, a company better known for its SLRs, built this as a simple, pocketable point-and-shoot during Japan’s early-to-mid-1960s half-frame boom. It was meant to catch some of the demand that fueled the Olympus Pen and its ilk.
It shoots half-frame 35mm, which gives 72 exposures on a standard 36-exposure roll, through a fixed Petri-CC 28mm f/2.8 lens. Focusing is “free focus,” essentially fixed, and the design is deliberately minimal. Owners on forums describe it as a “much loved” camera with an “amazing little lens” for what it is. One calls it “the camera I always have in my pocket.” The metal body is reportedly prone to dents. The built-in meter (not intended as a professional instrument, per the manual) is a common failure point. High Fidelity (June 1961, p.61) was not reviewing cameras in this period, and no contemporaneous photographic press coverage of the Half has surfaced in the archive.
That is roughly the extent of the record. No original price, weight, dimensions, or full shutter/aperture specs have been found. Collectiblend places current market value around $25 - $50, noting a modest “status” following among half-frame enthusiasts.
Known specs:
- Half-frame 35mm (18×24mm frame, ~72 exposures per 36-exposure roll)
- Fixed Petri-CC 28mm f/2.8 lens
- Free focus
- One-stroke lever wind
- Built-in meter (basic, per manual)
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