Meopta Etareta Camera The Etrareta is a lovely little 35mm viewfinder camera, a sterling example of old-world workmanship, an era when cameras were made to last, not to be ‘upgraded’ and replaced every 24 months or so. A very well built, meticulously finished, sure not typical to the mass-produced East Block products of the 1950s. Made in the now-defunct Czechoslovakia,...
Bencini Comet / Koroll Online information about Bencini feels like time travel. Sources state different, sometimes contradicting activity and model dates. Antonio Bencini seemed engaged with everything camera in Italy in the early 20th century. He was involved with FIAMMA and Filma before branching independently with ICAF, later named CMF. From his work, it seems that Bencini liked acronyms, classical...
Bolta Photavit Preamble Using online sources for camera research is challenging, as available information does not always tally. In extreme cases, it seems like the tale about blind people describing an elephant, where each portrays the part he touches. Consulting the printed guides, one may find different classifications for a camera line, which adds to the uncertainty. Cameras in focus,...
Voss Diax Cameras in review specs Diax camera family list Diax Standard images Diax Ia images Diax IIa images Diax accessories More on Diax IIb The city of Ulm in southern Germany sits where two ancient trade routes meet, one following the Danube, flowing from the Swiss Alps to the Black Sea, and the other the Alb Valley route, crossing...
Manimex Hanimar / Finetta 88 The Finetta 88 / Hanimex Hanimar was the first real upgrade camera in the Finetta dynasty. Although it retains the previous generation’s overall looks, it has finer lines and a solid feel. The body is metal, unlike the early bakelite, and is much heavier, 475 gr vs 370 gr, which contributes to the impression of...
Finetta Super The Finetta Super followed the early models two years after the line’s inception. It suffers from an identity crisis, having the body style of the IV D and the top cover of the later Finetta 88. The lens assembly is still the 2.8/45, zone focusing and the same speeds as the IVB D. It has the Same front-hugging...
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...
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...
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...
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...