The Vokar 35mm rangefinder camera is odd, and scarce.
Its history is shrouded in some mystery.
Two versions were made in Dexter, Michigan, 1946, at the close of WW II:
the Vokar I, and the Vokar II.
There is controversy regarding company history... some people claim there are ties to Argus Camera Company, some say not.
The camera is elegant looking in design, but surprisingly hefty in the hand, bigger than expected, and weighing in at nearly 2 pounds.
Very little cast metal was used, but there is a lot of heavy sheet metal fabricated into uniquely fashioned internal and external parts. Mechanically, most parts are engineered in uniquely creative ways.
Lens is a fast F: 2.8 / 50mm.
Shutter has a wide range of speeds, from 1 full second to 1/300, plus B.
Most Vokars, due to age and design, are not usable anymore.
It took a lot of coaxing to get this one to a functional state.
Film results show good sharpness in middle of frames, with considerable softening of focus toward the peripheries. Could be due to pressure plate or film plane problens, but I am suspecting bad design in the lens glass elements. But I do not know for certain.
Test roll was shot November 5 at old Camp Hi-Di-Ho, Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve, High Ridge, Missouri. Colors were coming out nicely.

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All images are ©2007 E.J.Kowalski