The Steinheil Detective camera is an early concealable plate camera produced by the Munich optical firm C.A. Steinheil & Söhne in the late nineteenth century. Detective cameras of this period were box-form instruments designed to be used discreetly, typically loaded with dry plates rather than roll film.

With only two recorded UK auction hammer results — wholesale saleroom prices that exclude commission — the Steinheil Detective camera has sold for £750 and £880, giving a median of around £820. Today, in 2026, that thin sample suggests examples in collectable condition are worth roughly £750–£880 at auction, though completeness of the original plate holders and case strongly influences what any individual camera sells for.