Dieter Schwartz was very proud of his Yashica movie camera, though he was even more proud of the carrying case he made to put it in. Using plywood covered with tent material along with some leather attachment straps, the case was toted around the mountains mounted on his chest which did, by his own admission, make it rather “awkward on steep routes”.

The Yashica 8-111 was made in Japan around 1959 and featured the revolving lens system which meant you didn’t have to keep changing the lenses for different optical paths, just twirl them. There seems to have been quite a lot of these cameras around, though technology has moved on with second hand ones selling for around £80 in 2025, collectors seeming to be the main market.

Thanks to Hans-Dieter for donating his camera and treasured bespoke case, we’ve asked him if there’s some footage available that he took with it.