Druopta Vega camera

Druopta camera list

Czechoslovakia was a country artificially put together in 1918 in a shotgun marriage as a break out of the fallen Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was made up of several reluctant ethnic groups, much as the make of post-war Yugoslavia. It was disintegrated in 1993, split into Czechia and Slovakia, the largest ethnicities.

In an overall look at the two parts, the Czechs were the industrial partners, and the Slovaks were on the rural side. I would dare say that the Czech industries were a significant motive for Nazi Germany to invade Czechoslovakia rather than the claim of protecting the ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland.

The optical-related industry there goes back to the late 1800s, with Goldwein, Hess & Sattler and Loukota; the early 1900s with Kolar, Koblic, Bradac, Vojta, and later Meopta and Dufa; and with Druopta, which is the subject of the article.

The Czechoslovakian photo industry died in the mid-1960s when the surviving manufacturers moved on to other optical instruments, like all old-world camera makers, in a market now controlled almost entirely by the Japanese.

The most prolific manufacturer was Birnmbaum, which did not survive WWII. Meopta took the lead after the war, making cameras of all sorts, from cine to 35mm to miniatures.

Druopta, literally translated as ‘All-Optical,’ was established in 1950 as a cooperative repair shop, moved into making low-end cameras, and lasted for about a decade and a half. The ‘cooperative’ definition should not point to comradery or long-lasting friendship; this was the incorporation mode under which the Socialist powers allowed any form of enterprise. Born under the Socialist regime, Druopta had modest inspirations, unlike Meopta, which had aimed higher. The company still has an online presence, which reveals little about today’s activities and looks like a front with nothing behind it.

The first production models were taken over from other prewar manufacturers, which were nationalized after the war, including ATAK, DUFA, Foka, and Eta. See the camera list below. The Vega described here was borrowed from Meopta. I do not see any evidence that Droupta sold any cameras outside Czechoslovakia.

While Druopta cameras had no pretensions, the company was creative with shutter and lens names. They specified shutters under Metax, Chrontax, Vebur, Druo and Etaxa. Lenses under Mirar, Druoptar, Etar and Rex.

The Vega was an entry-level, say cheap, basic, 35mm viewfinder camera. It had six generations:

The model on my desk is a Vega IV. As mentioned above, it would not be a candidate for the Photography Hall of Fame. It looks almost apologetic. If weight is a hint of quality, it is light. If finishes are an indication, it is dull.

• The top is made of paper thin punched steel, perhaps the lightest I have seen.
• The top has a cold shoe, a manually reset frame counter, and a winder knob.
• There is no rewind knob as the film feeds from a feeding cartridge to a take-off cartridge. It is seen in the early 35mm cameras, where self-loading was common. Accordingly, there is no take-off pivot.
• To allow rewind pull up the winder knob.
• The back is released via a side slider lock marked with blue and red arrows. A pressure plate is mounted on the back cover.
• The inside is bare, especially compared to the Mimosa, the previous camera I looked at. All there is is a plastic cog at the top of the film path that stops the film at each frame. The cog is not connected to the shutter.
• At the front, by the winder knob, is a fin that takes pulling after each frame to allow winding, thus eliminating double exposure. It is a crude way of doing it; I guess it was sufficient.
• The viewer is tiny, on par with the era cameras.
• The collapsible lens pops out at a pull and locks in place with a slight left turn. In other models, it smoothly slides out. Here, it is rough.
• The shutter trigger is on the lens at 10 o’clock, and the cocking lever is at two o’clock. In between is the synch port.
• The aperture setting lever is at the left.
• The shutter speed dial is next, offering a modest but typical time of B, 1-250.
• The focusing dial is at the front, marked meters.

For the collector, it is a safe pass unless you are dedicated to cameras made by the Soviet satellite states. It is a poorly made camera, so it is not recommended for shooting film today.

Druopta camera list

	Corina	1954	120
	Corta	1953	120
	Corina 2	1960	120
	Druex	1954	120
	Druoflex I (ATAK Inka, copy of Brillant)	1950	120
	Druo	1949	35mm
	Efekta	1950	35mm
	Etareta (Meopta Eta)	1946	35mm
	Fokaflex (FOKA)	1945	120
	Pionyr (Dufa Fit)		120
	Pionyr II (Dufa Fit II)	1950	120
	Pionyr III		120
	Pionyr IV		120
	Rix	1954	120
	Stereo Camera (Meopta?)
	Vega (Meopta)	1950	35mm
	Vega II	1953	35mm
	Vega III	1957	35mm
	Vega IV	1958	35mm
	Vega V	1960	35mm
	Vega A		35mm