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German Cameras

The first Voigtlander  Brillant was released in 1932. This early model resembles a TLR but it is functionally closer to a box camera, since it cannot be focused in the viewfinder. It uses 'zone-focusing' for which one has to estimate the distance to the subject. To assist this estimate, three situations are marked around the taking lens: Porträt, Gruppe and Landschaft (i. e. Portrait, Group and Landscape). While TLRs of the same period have a rather dim ground-glass viewfinder, the Brillant has a so-called brilliant finder made of plain glass.

The 1932 version has a metal body. From 1937 onwards, Brillants were made ofbakelite, a polymer, and introduced an accessory compartment for an optical light meter and filters.

The next major step took place in 1938, with the introdcution of the Focusing Brillant. A small opaque spot is added in the brilliant finder to focus on. The viewing and taking lens are coupled outside the body through gears. After the introduction of this focusing model, the zone-focusing models continued to be produced

The Bessamatic was launched by Voigtländer in 1959, a few years after the 1953 Contaflex and the 1957 Retina Reflex, all from Germany. This is by far the biggest and heaviest of these three leaf-shuttered SLR cameras, at more than 2 lbs. or 0.935kg. The late arrival on the market had helped Voigtländer improve the ergonomic design taking advantage of previous designs. Nevertheless, it has all the shortcomings found on these cameras, the finder blackout after exposure and the limited range of interchangeable lenses.

The Bessamatic is easy to handle and the controls are sound and reliable. The shutter is the behind the lens SLR Synchro-Compur, as found on its fellow competitors, with the EV cross-coupled shutter speed and aperture rings. The viewfinder is bright and the focusing screen has a split image rangefinder, probably the same as found in contemporary Contaflex cameras. The focusing ring is at the front of the lens. The selenium meter cell window is above the lens, in front of the finder prism where it out of the way for light-obstructing fingers. The light meter needle is visible to the right in the viewfinder, as is a follower pointer with a small circle at the tip. They are easily brought to coincide using the large aperture-control knob under the smaller rewind knob. 

The Edixa Reflex cameras were West Germany's most popular own series of SLR's with focal plane shutter. The original name of the first Edixa SLR was Komet. The Wirgin company had to change the name after complaints of two other companies with equally named products. Since 1955 the cameras got additional slow shutter speeds, and since 1956 cameras with aperture release shifter for the M42 lenses were available. Until 1959 four lines of Edixa SLRs were introduced:

  • Type A with shutter speeds upto 1/1000 sec.

  • Type B with aperture release mechanics

  • Type C with meter

  • Type D with exposure times upto 9 sec.

In 1960 the types B, C and D got the rapid mirror and improved shutter mechanics. Type A was replaced by the type S which had a slower shutter. A special feature of this camera series was the exchangeable viewfinder unit. A simple top-view finder and a pentaprism finder were available. 

Agfa Colorflex

Manufactured around 1960 these heavy, well-made, and robust cameras were Agfa's second-tier 35mm SLR models. They were fitted with either an interchangeable prism finder or waist-level finder, a three-element Agfa Color-Apotar 50mm f/2.8 standard lens, and they have Prontor Reflex 1 to 1/300 second shutters.

The Colorflex has an uncoupled exposure meter, and a fixed, or non-interchangeable lens.

These cameras were sold as Agfaflex in the States, and as Colorflex elsewhere, but are otherwise identical, differing only in the name above the selenium cell on the front.

Voigtländer Perkeo I is a medium format viewfinder folding camera made by Voigtländer and produced between 1951-55.

The Perkeo means a pigmy. The pre-WW2 model was Perkeo 3x4. The post-WW2 models of Perkeo were very compact and light cameras for use of medium fomat true to Perkeo's name. They just look like normal 35mm cameras. 

Welta Weltini camera, is fitted with a Schneider Xenar lens and a coupled rangefinder. They were contemporaries of
the Kodak Retina, whose Stuttgart factory in West Germany
was much better known than that of Welta's East German one,
though there is nothing second rate about their build quality. 

Zeiss Ikon Contina L' first completely new postwar product, made since 1948 as Ikonta 522/24. As Zeiss was unable to produce sufficient Tessar lenses (due to war damage to their production facilities), this is one of the few Zeiss models ever to feature a non-Zeiss (Schneider Xenar) lens. The model was continued in 1953 as Contina, as one of the first cameras of the new Contina series of 35mm viewfinder cameras (one was a rangefinder) made in Germany by Zeiss Ikon. The first models were folders, later models were rigid. Some had linked shutter/aperture rings, using the Light-value system. The folding models had knob wind, frame counter and rewind fitted to the bottom; the later ones had top-mounted 180° lever wind, knob rewind and frame counter around the shutter release. 

Zeiss Ikon. Contina 11Stuttgart, Germany. Year of manufacture: 1956 - 58.

Zeis Ikon Nettar 521/2

 

  • Year of release: 1934

  • Type: rangefinder folding camera

  • Film/framesize: 120 / 6×4,5cm

  • Lens: Novar 1:3.5/75 mm, Xenar 1:3.5/75mm or Tessar 1:3.5/75mm

  • Shutter: Compur 1 - 1/300, Compur-Rapid 1-500 or Synchro Compur 1-500 shutters in #00 size.

  • Finder: folding alabada finder. 

The Agfa Isolette (Jsolette) [1] is a horizontal-folding medium format camera made by Agfa Kamerawerk AG, Munich, Germany.

This folding camera first came on the market as the Isorette (Jsorette) but the name changed to Isolette (Jsolette) quite soon. From late 1937 the name writing form of I (like J) changed again to Isolette. This means that very early 1936/37 models have a Jsolette writing on the front plate leatherette of the camera. Isolette production lasted till 1942.

This model was called in Germany during the WWII times the "Soldatenkamera" (Soldiers' Camera) also. One of the very distinctive feature is the top-plate which is made of a plastic called "Trolitan". There were many different lens/shutter combinations.

There are two distinct models of the first Isolette 

All Isolette series produced between 1936/37-1950. 

Agfa Super Solinette

Manufactured from 1953 to 1957, this compact 35mm folding rangefinder camera is fitted with a Solinar 50mm f/3.5 lens in a Synchro-Compur shutter.

Film advance is by simple knob-advance, and the shutter must be manually cocked for each exposure The Super Solinettes were well-made, and well-specified cameras, capable of returning fine pictures.In the States an identical camera was sold as an Ansco Super Regent. The Solinar lens is of a four-glass design, broadly similar in performance to the Zeiss Tessar or Schneider Xenar lenses.

The Contaflex family of 35mm leaf-shuttered SLR cameras was introduced in 1953 by Zeiss Ikon, utilising the newly developed Compur reflex shutter. By doing so, a completely new 35mm camera emerged, a concept probably first used in 1929 in the Mentor Compur Reflex. The Contaflex name was made famous and became highly respected due to the spectacular 35mm twin lens reflex Contaflex, introduced in 1935 and only produced a few years. 

Vendo camara steiner-bayreuth -mod. steinette-alemana  

1950 bei Steiner-Optik, Bayreuth

  • Zeis Ikon Baby Box

  • 1930-38

  • This type is also known as Baby Box Tengor and it was offered with two styles, plain leather front and metal front plate

  • On all models except the earliest, the shutter won't work unless wire front sight is lifted 

Zeis Ikon Contina 1B

Baldafix

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The Baldafix folding camera was introduced in 1950 by Balda and in its standard mode provided eight exposures of 6×9 cm per roll of 120 film However the camera was supplied with a mask for its film gate which allowed the photographer to switch to making sixteen 6×4.5 cm exposures instead. Two red windows were provided on the rear of the camera for the two formats. My one has a 

The Altissa Altix V was introduced in 1954. Other than the interchangeable lens mount, it was nearly identical to the fixed lens Altix IV. Many slightly different versions of the Altix V existed. For instance, early models have Altix engraved in the top housing in capitals, later models in italics. Export models had a Prontor-SVS shutter instead of a Tempor and a small window in the top housing that showed the selected flash sync setting. Arguably the most interesting and certainly most collectable (and expensive) range were the coloured-leather Altix, including blue, green, red, orange and brown versions. These even had matched-colour accessory viewfinders, which are extremely rare these days.

Altix

The Agfa Billy I is a folding camera manufactured by Agfa in the 1950s, first variant in 1950, another in 1952. It should not be confused with the inter-war Agfa Billy Jgetar 8.8 which was also named the Agfa Billy I from 1931 onward.

The Baldafix is a robust and well finished folding camera that was built in Dresden and marketed in 1954.
The first Baldafix available on the market were fitted with a pop-up folding frame viewfinder . The variation shown here has been the lastone launched and shows an optical viewfinder.
The special feature of the Baldafix is a metal mask allowing to switch from full frame (8 neg. 6x9 cm) to half frame (16 neg. 4,5x6 cm) with a 120 film.
The optical viewfinder is also fitted with a small lever that sets in position an internal mask allowing the switch between the two formats.
While selecting the format with this lever, a number (8 or 16) appears inside a tiny circular window opened on the basis of the viewfinder and indicates the total number of exposure available on the film.
Two red windows on the hinged back of the camera allow counting exposure in either format. They are fitted with metallic sliding doors with respectively “8 exp” and “16 exp” stamped.

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