Germany Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Facts, notes and thoughts about vintage cameras and other trifle matters

November 20, 2023

Finetta 99

Finetta 99 Since its inception as a camera maker in 1949, Finetta made entry-level cameras. Styled differently from other cameras of that time, they were quirky, with little upgrades from one model to another. Yet it must be remembered that the company came and went within eight short years, so whatever they did in this period is outstanding. Finetta still...

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November 18, 2023

Finetta family list

Finetta family list As with many other companies that branched into camera making post-WWII, Finetta-Werk, or as known by its earlier name Saraber/Goslar, saw a future in this industry, just to fold down after a few short years. Founded by Piet Saraber, a Dutchman, the company set shop in the medieval mining town of Goslar, Lower Saxony, Germany. The location...

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November 18, 2023

Finetta IV D

Finetta IV D The Finetta IV D is part of the third-generation Finetta models. The first generation had a fixed mount, fixed aperture lens and two speeds, while here, it has a removable, focusing lens and four speeds. It is not a significant leap forward but a change in the third production year. See the Finetta Family page for more...

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November 15, 2023

Bilora Radix

Bilora Radix My journey over the German viewfinders shelf nears an end with the Zeiss and Robot models, which would require lengthy research. Meanwhile, I hovered about an odd-looking camera, hesitant to explore it, assuming that such an esoteric style would yield no information. Again, I was wrong. The little Radix has quite a following online as well in my...

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November 12, 2023

AGFA Optima III

AGFA Optima III AGFA used the Optima for several generations of automatic compact cameras. The first Optima name appeared on a 1932 Billy Optima, as a klapp model, replacing traditional glass plates with film sheets 7.5×10.5 cm. It was an odd experience that did not float long. The Next Optima models were a line of viewfinders and rangefinders, where the...

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November 11, 2023

AGFA Silette SLE

AGFA Silette SLE AGFA was the European equivalent of Kodak, supplying a full range of photography inputs, from chemicals to paper, film and cameras. Just like Kodak, they stopped short of progress v into the powerful SLR models, and in AGFA’s case, the few SLR models they sold were Japanese rebrands. The roots of AGFA go back to the 18th...

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November 10, 2023

Wirgin Edina / Edixa

Wirgin Edina / Edixa In the 1950s, camera makers turned towards the up-and-coming amateur user base, hobbyists who wanted a simple-to-use camera at a matching low cost. The manufacturers responded with cookie-cutter models, cheaply made, with no soul. At Wirgin, the famed Edinex line was long in the tooth, and the outstanding SLR model line was still on the drawing...

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November 8, 2023

Wirgin Edinex

Wirgin Edinex Preamble Every article about the Wirgin company begins with four German Jews, the Wirgin brothers, that fled the country once the Nazi party came to power, and when the war was over, they came back and got it again. I wonder. Wirgin, pronounced Virgin in German, is not a common Jewish name. Furthermore, four Jewish brothers would be...

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October 29, 2023

Carl Braun Gloiette

Carl Braun Gloriette / Gloriette B Carl Braun was established as a machine parts manufacturer in 1906 in Nurnberg, Germany. Like many other machine shops, they seized the post-war market revival and branched into making cameras and slide projectors. They followed the usual path of evolving from box models through a few unremarkable Norca klapp models to viewfinders and rangefinders,...

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October 27, 2023

Dacora Dignette

Dacora Dignette Established in 1946, the Dacora mainly made cheap cameras. In Europe, it sold under its name and made cameras for Porst, Ringfoto, Universa, Ferrania, Ilford, Lumier and others; in the US, it sold under its name. The company had changed hands several times, and the factory had moved to different cities until it closed in 1972. Early models...

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