Introduction & contents

Compass Cameras Limited of London England had the Compass 35 made by Jaeger LeCoultre & Cie., Sentier, Switzerland in 1937.

The ultimate compact 35mm range finder camera system. A finely-machined aluminium bodied camera incorporating a large number of features in such a tiny volume.

The 1938 advertisement declared "Compass the embodiment of scientific system in miniature cameras. Built like a watch - as simple to use." In the 2 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 1 1/4" it embodied "as an integral part of its construction almost all the accessories which normally are carried separately."

• f/3.5 35mm fully focusing lens
• shutter from 4.5 sec. to 1/500 sec., 22 speeds
• range finder
• right angle finder
• panoramic and stereo heads
• spirit level
• extinction meter
• filters
• ground glass focusing
• lens cap
• depth of focus scale

24x36mm negatives on glass plates or on roll film with optional roll back for special Compass 6 exposure rollfilm. Ilford marketed three types of film and Wallace Heaton made a special adapter so that Compass film could be enlarged in a Leitz Valoy enlarger. There was also an aftermarket rollback for 828 film made by T A Cubitt of London in the 1960s. Standard accessories included a tripod, cable release with special bayonet mount and processing outfits.

The Compass was designed by Noel Pemberton-Billing, aircraft builder, pilot, politician and businessman ( http://www.plimsoll.org/Galleries/Biographies/NoelPembertonBilling/ ). Pemberton-Billing began work on designing the Compass around 1930 and it was finally patented on 16th May 1936. The Swiss company Le Coultre et Cie was chosen because of their skill in watch making. The manufacturing required setting up and the camera was finally launched in March 1937 with a retail price of 30GBP. By 1944 this had risen to 39GBP (ref. No. 2507 8th August 1944 B. Salter  & Son Shewsbury, England).

There are two distinct versions of the Compass. The later version having a folding focusing magnifier on the ground glass back. Nearly, if not all Compass I cameras were upgraded to Compass II and perhaps fewer than 150 Compass I cameras were made. Production started probably at 1000 and less than 4000 where made; however a surprising number turn up for auction.

The differences are:-

• No bayonet fitting around the shutter release button to take a cable release
• Words Time and Inst where engraved concentrically around the buttons rather than along the rim of the lens.
• Lens improved from CCL3 to CCL3B
• Minor internal changes including improvements to the shutter guides
• A magnifying lens was added to the plate back-roll film back had a safety flap fitted to guard against accidental release and the wind crank was changed from a crank to a double ended key.

Outfits with camera plate back, rollback, case, and instructions have sold for 2500-4000USD.

The cameras are also engraved in French and German and carried national identifiers opposite the focal distance tab including CH, CS, D, F, GB, P, D, OC and US.

References

David Todd, "The Remarkable Compass" in Photographica World No.47 (November 1988), p 15-16 and No.48 (March 1989), p 9-11 has exhaustively researched the Compass and for the first time identified what differed between the Compass I and II.

 Ebay 2003/01/14 3551USD (boxed with tripod), 2003/02/01 2938.88USD (#2850), 2003/-5/-9 3251.99USD (#39xx, box), 2003/04/10 1580USD (#2912 rangefinder cloudy, filters bad, part roll back), 2003/07/06 635GBP (no lens cover), 2003/10/18 1525USD,  2004/05/08 2760USD (box, instructions, tripod), 2004/08/04 1875USD, 2005/01/10 1902USD (#2298), 2006/08/01 40GBP (roll film back), 2006/08/03 1120GBP (No.2218?), 2007/06/24 113GBP (plate back), 2007/12/18 2727.27USD (No 1510), 2011/10/26 4025.26USD (No. 4007) 2019-06-08 B+ $2983 2019-06-08 B+ $2034 2018-11-24 B-A $2983 2018-11-24 B+ $2034 2018-11-01 B+ $3370 2018-04-26 B+ $4118 2016-11-26 B- $2373 2016-11-19 A-B $3780 2016-06-11 B-A $3226 2015-10-29 C+ $1805 2015-06-13 B-A $3526 2014-11-22 B- $2254 2014-06-01 B $4322 2014-03-25 A- $4317 2014-03-25 B-A $3653 2013-11-22 A-B $5006 2013-11-22 B+ $4338 2013-11-22 B+ $4338 2013-06-15 B $3308 2012-05-12 B-A $3576 2011-11-27 C $1880 2011-11-12 B+ $3144 2011-08-07 B- $2129 2011-03-18 B $1260 2010-12-04 A-B $3538 2009-12-05 B- $1691 2009-05-23 B-A $3387 2008-06-07 B+ $2510 2007-05-26 B $2798 2007-05-12 C $2369 2007-04-22 C+ $3514 2007-03-28 B $3047 2007-03-28 B+ $3325 2007-03-28 B+ $3601 2006-11-18 B $2376 2006-11-11 B $2949 2005-11-05 C $2922 2005-05-21 B $2638 2003-02-28 B $2071 2002-01-01 B ~$1200

Instruction manual 2005/11/08 52USD (in French)

Roll film instructions 2003/06/13 68GBP 

4 page advertisement & report 2003/12/28 53USD

box for camera and film back parts 2007/10/08 223.50USD

How to take snap-shots with the Compass Camera I 2005/01/20 95GBP, 2006/01/10 102.50 USD (Instructions for the use of the Compass Camera And II, How to take snap shots with the Compass Camera I)

leather case 2004/02/11 152.50USD (blue)

I don't know how Noel Pemberton-Billing sounded but in the voices of "Jeeves and Wooster" Fry and Laurie

"Jeeves. I want to use a camera but they are so big. I want something to fit into my tweed pocket."

"Sir. Like this?" Compass 35

"It has to have filters. I don't want to carry them around."

"Sir. As you requested." Compass 35

"I want a range finder."

"Sir." Compass 35

"I want a light meter."

"Sir. Extinction meter." Compass 35

"I want to see around corners."

"Sir. Right angle finder." Compass 35

"What about panoramic?"

"Sir." Compass 35

"A little dabble with stereo photographs?"

"Sir. Stereo heads" Compass 35

"How do I know if I am holding it level."

"Spirit level Sir." Compass 35

"How do I know if I am in focus?"

"Sir. Depth of focus scale and ground glass focusing." Compass 35

"How to protect the lens?"

"Lens cap permanently attached. Sir" Compass 35

"Yes. Yes. But I want it simple to use."

"Ah. Sir does like his little jokes."

Last updated 15th January 2021