Bauchet Mosquito Camera

Bauchet was established early in the last century as a manufacturer of photographic chemicals and papers, as well as basic consumer electronics; both disciplines were fresh and up for grabs. They had achieved good standing against mainstays such as Kodak, AGFA, Gevaert, and Ilford. During the occupation, the company’s production was seconded to Perutz of Germany, and upon liberation, it returned to the up-and-coming local market. When film replaced the earlier plates, they entered this market under the Rolla film brand.

To reinforce their market standing, they opted for a camera for the masses and approached Fritz Kaftanski, the Forest Gump of the camera trade, who left his mark on the industry in his native Germany, later in Czechoslovakia and France. The result was the two Mosquitos, assembled from parts and design elements borrowed from the FEX models. Both were made by Kaftanski’s company, FEX Indo. The Mosquito I and the Mosquito II were presented close to each other.

The Mosquitoes were not much of a camera, just the basics.  Borrowing from the motorcar industry, where the OPL Foca can be compared to the Citroen DS models, way ahead of their time, the Mosquito can be classified as Citroen’s 2CV, both cars sold at the same time. While the DS was at the apex of technology and design, the 2CV was basically a tin can on four wheels.

The Mosquitoes took a #620 roll, similar to the #120 roll but with a thinner pivot pin. The ‘I’ had B and instant speeds and a punched two-position disk for aperture. The ‘II’ added extra speed, a cold accessory shoe, and a sync port. A third model, the Bauchet Box, did not mature to production.

For the collector, both are anecdotes that do not merit a hunt. They are very basic mid-last-century models that carry no significance.