West Germany Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Facts, notes and thoughts about vintage cameras and other trifle matters

October 2, 2023

Voigtlander Vito B

Voigtlander Vito B Voigtlander’s (Pronounced Foichtlander(1)) roots go back to the mid-1850s as a pioneer optics maker in Germany, deep to the Daguerreotype fame. In the early past century, prewar models were the classic types, folders, TLR and stereo cameras. The post-war era brought a demand for cheaper, friendlier cameras, so the Vito model line was born. The first Vito...

35 mm/Viewfinder/Voigtlander/West Germany Comment: 1

June 29, 2022

Oehler Infra

Oehler Infra Oehler Infra current value In post-war Japan, about half a million allied troops stayed for nearly a decade. The economy was in tatters, so the allied poured much effort and money to rebuild it, not the least of which was the soldiers’ buying power supplementing it. There were few outlets for that cash, as GIs would only buy...

Karat/Obscure/Viewfinder/West Germany Comments: 0

June 20, 2022

Vredeborch Nordetta 3D

Vredeborch Nordetta 3D Vredeborch Nordetta 3D current value For camera collectors, vintage cameras come in several interest levels. It ranges from the nobility, such as the Leitz and Rollei, to the plebeians. Somewhere by the bottom sits the short-lived, low-tech Vredeborch brand. Vredeborch produced about 90 models, perhaps even less, discounting name variants. Today, their cameras hardly show up for...

127/Obscure/Stereo/West Germany Comments: 0

March 21, 2022

Kodak Retina IIa – 016 / 150

Kodak Retina IIa 016 / 150 Retina IIa 150 user manual Retina IIa 016 current value Retina IIa 150 current value At the heals of the successful early Retina camera models, being viewfinders, came an improved model, a rangefinder, under the Retina II umbrella. The first models, the Retina II 122 and 142, were sold in Europe, with no official...

35 mm/Klapp/Kodak/USA/West Germany Comments: 2

October 18, 2021

Kodak Retina I (119)

Kodak Retina I (119) Retina I 119 current value Retina I 119 user manual, French The third Retina, made in 1936. See more on the Retina family. Similar to the 117 and 118, with wind and rewind buttons made smaller, the frame counter moved from the rewind to the wind side, on the top. The manual frame advance lever is...

35 mm/Klapp/Kodak/USA/West Germany Comments: 0

October 13, 2021

Nagel Ranca

Dr. Nagel Ranca Nagel Ranca 46/0 current value Nagel Ranca 46/1 current value I got this Ranca at the first break after the first COVID wave, following a long dry period of not adding any new camera. I drove upcountry for over an hour to pick up a Rollei when the seller pulled out “another old camera”. Nikon, Canon,...

127/Mini camera/Viewfinder/West Germany Comments: 2

March 23, 2021

Kodak Retinette family

Retinette family model list Model Model number Value Type Qty made Year Retinette 147 Value Klapp Viewfinder 20,000 1939 Retinette II 160 Value Klapp Viewfinder 41,000 1939 Retinette 012 Value Klapp Viewfinder 30,000 1949 Retinette 017 Value Klapp Viewfinder 31,000 1952 Retinette 022 Value Monoblock Viewfinder 50,000 1954 Retinette F 022-7 Value Monoblock Viewfinder 70,000 1955 Retinette I 030 Value...

Kodak/USA/West Germany Comments: 0

March 19, 2021

Kodak Retina family

Kodak Retina family model list Common wisdom cites Kodak as the creator of the home photographic hobby in the late 1880s and into the 20th century. It is correct, to a degree. Early cameras were massive contraptions of wood and brass, a kind of elite cabinet making, complemented with a crude lens and media holder. They were not easily portable, more...

Kodak/USA/West Germany Comment: 1

March 18, 2021

Zeiss Ikon Ikonta family

Zeiss Ikon Ikonta family naming convention Zeiss, in their various incarnations, made a long list of cameras. Counting cameras made by companies incorporated into Zeiss, there are well over a thousand. Similar camera styles were made across the industry. That means that the above companies made comparable models using similar technologies and design. Same as today, car models within a...

Medium Format/West Germany/Zeiss Ikon Comments: 5

March 10, 2021

Zeiss Ikon Contina family

Zeiss Ikon Contina family model list Zeiss Ikon of Germany was the equivalent of the American Kodak, where both companies had amalgamated several manufacturers under one roof. Zeiss Ikon was born out of the merger of Carl Zeiss, ICA, Contessa-Nettel, Ernemann and Goerz. The combined company kept using the original models’ names under the combined brand, which may confuse today’s...

35 mm/Rangefinder/Viewfinder/West Germany/Zeiss Ikon Comments: 0

Category: West Germany