‘Photocor — 1’ is the first mass camera in the USSR. It was produced in 1930-40ss. Before its appearance, amateurs and professional photographers were forced to use expensive foreign models. There were frequent articles in the press of the time asking for the mass production of a cheap camera. The Moscow artel ‘Fototrud’ produced small batches of EFTE cameras, similar to the ‘Photocor’, but this did not solve the problem of the cameras’shortage: instead of the planned 500 pieces, only 25 were manufactured by the end of 1929.
The development and production of the new camera was started by specialists from the Leningrad State Optical and Mechanical Plant (GOMZ). The design of the Photocor camera resembled the German Zeiss Ikon camera. Compur valves had to be purchased in Germany for 7.5 gold rubles apiece. In 1930, 4000 Compur valves were obtained to start mass production. In order to help the Leningrad GOMZ Plant to master the production of cameras, a civic-based photo loan of money was organized.

First cameras “Photocor — 1” went on sale in 1930. Due to the wide range of exposures, “Photocor” was used for filming both outdoors and indoors. Professional photographers used the camera for pavilion filming, it became possible to shoot high-quality architecture, and to carry out macro photography.

More than 20 thousand Photocors with German shutters were produced. By 1932 engineers P.G. Lukyanov and A.A. Vorzhbit developed the GOMZ shutter. Starting from that moment only domestic components were used for the production of “Photocor — 1”. This has significantly reduced the price of the popular camera. However, the quality and reliability of the shutter GOMZ was completely different from German ones, which caused massive complaints from holders of the “photo loan” bonds. Since the loan was quite massive, the number of complaints was huge. The officials of the Plant could not ignore such a wave of criticism, and the result was demonstrative “Technical trial” over “Photocor”, organized by VOOMP and held in the spirit of that time. Academician S.I. Vavilov headed the court. By the way, by the decision of the court there was also the following resolution: “… Consider the implementationof elementary photography workshop to the middle school course to be very useful”.