Gamma Italy Alba

Gamma camera family list
Gamma Perla

I have gone through the Gamma Roma’s history and background in my two earlier posts, so I will now narrow my focus.

Three years after Gamma Roma lowered expectations for its Gamma camera models and introduced the Perla, the company took another step downward in 1953 by presenting the Stella, essentially a Perla without the coupled rangefinder. The Stella had modest sales of about 1,500 units; it’s unclear whether it was withdrawn early or just unsuccessful. Another attempt, down to the very basics model, the Atlas camera of 1957, had even fewer sales. As a last resort, the Alba camera came on stage. Gamma may have hit the sweet spot as the Alba was second only to the Perla with sales of some 10,000 units. An Alba rebranded camera under the Atom name was likely made for a specific market or distributor, with an estimated 500 units sold. Another rebrand is the Photo Hall IIA; no further information is found. An Alba with an integral light meter was also made; little information is available.

Nonetheless, the Alba did not salvage the company. It was sold between 1955 and 1958, and the company had abandoned camera-making soon thereafter.

The Alba was offered with several shutter and lens combinations, catalogued as types A, B, and so forth, which I don’t believe matter to the casual collector. The lenses were Cassar, Kata and Radionar 3.5/50, Cassar and Radionar 2.8/50 and Ennagon 2.8/50. Oddly, my camera is Ennagon 2.8/45, which is not listed as an option. I would relate it to the shaky supply chain in the post-war years, where manufacturers had to make do with whatever was available. Shutters specified were Pronto or Prontor SVS, 1-200 or 300. Unlike other Italian camera makers, Gamma used German lens suppliers.

• The camera resembles the Perla or the Stella, but here the lens assembly looks toy-like, evoking the early Kodak Pony or the AGFA Silette models. Yet it feels right in the hand and has no mystery levers or dials, straightforward to use. The body is cast aluminum with punched aluminum trim.
• The top has large wind and rewind knobs, which are easier to use than on the earlier Gamma models. The frame counter is skirted around the winder, with two hard-to-grasp pins for resetting. The winder also cocks the shutter and stops at each frame. A push-down pin by the winder releases the rewind clutch.
• The viewer is tiny, far from the generous viewer of the Perla and the Stella, which I wonder why the designers omitted. This size viewer was typical of the era’s cameras, so perhaps they used it to save costs.
• The back is fully removable, released by a good-sized lever at the bottom. The lever has two arms, marked ‘A’ and ‘C’, assuming Aperto / open and Chiuso / close. The lever also serves as a support point, along with two fixed tabs at the bottom.
• The inside is a simpler version of the Perla, where here the two guide cogs turn with the winder, not pulled by the film perforation as at the Perla. A spring-loaded pressure plate is mounted on the back.
• The lens barrel is a step backward from the earlier models. It extends from the body and is covered with a metal collar. Then comes the aperture setting fin, and thereafter a serrated shutter speed dial. Both markings are meant for Falcon’s Eye users. The smaller front dial is the focusing one.

For the collector, the earlier Gamma Rome models are a better bet in terms of either quality, value and style. Nonetheless, the Alba could be an addition to the European mid-century shelf. They are cheaply available, can be found on eBay.it.