King Regula camera family list

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King Regula camera list

King was established in Germany in 1936 as a machine shop and entered the camera world in the early 1950s. They made a long list of Regula-named camera models, from entry-level viewfinders to rangefinders, with or without light meters, and several pocket, 126-format and disk models. My records show only one box camera (made by Vredeborch) and no klapp / folders, which is odd compared to the model evolution seen in other camera makers. Perhaps their late entry into the market did not merit such models.

When the photography world turned to SLR models, Regula seemed to have copied a Leitz model, which had resulted in a lengthy and costly legal action by Leitz against them, in which they lost at a cost that had incapacitated the company. After a short foray into cheap point-and-shoot and disk models, The company closed in 1984.

King sold cameras under own branding and made cameras for an exceptionally long list of other distributors, such as Boots, Dixson’s, Sawyers, Foto Quelle, Naert, Baliphoto, Obergassner, Porst, Creter, Ferrania, Hanimex, Wesmuller, Woltje, Ringfoto, Tiranty, Schmidt, Kaufhof, Weitz, Photopia, Soligor, and USC. I am certain there are more.

On top of that, my database lists odd models under the King Regula brand: Azore, Brockmeyer, Ertl Auto, Fotoma Automatic, Winterhoff Colour, Campbell Rapid and Visiorex. These names do not comply with the naming conventions used by King Regula, so I assume they were models made for either the distributors listed above or others.

King had licensed production to IOR in Romania and National Instruments Calcutta in India.

I have tried to make sense of the 130-odd models listed under this name. I have three cameras left under Regula’s name, so detailed information would depend on other sources, which I find incomplete. Further, many differently named cameras seem to be the same or have minor differences, so such a mission is futile.

The King Regula cameras can be sorted into the following groups:

The early, classic Regula models are the Regula, Regula I and Regula II.
The Reagula III group followed with an updated style.
Mixed within these groups is the Regula Cita, which supposedly has higher specs models.
The classic style was replaced with redesigned bodies in the early 1960s. The early model naming convention was dropped. The last attempts at serious camera models were named Sprint / Sprinty / Sprintic, Regulette, Picca, Olymatic / Olympia.
The final camera run were #126 format, Disk, pocket and point and shoot models.

Please see the schematics below for the two early groups, the Regula I, II and III, as well as the Cita models. I would appreciate any additions/corrections.

To the collector, I have mixed feelings. The early cameras, made till the 1970s, are well made, able and fairly represent the technology of the time. There are plenty offered online, with only a few changing hands, so it looks as if others do not share this view.

Regula I and II

Regula III

Regula all models list

Model	Year	Type	AKA
Aidex	1973	Viewfinder
Alka	1963	Viewfinder
Alka Automatic	1963	Viewfinder
Alka Box	1953	Box	Vredebroch
Alka Vario	1960	Viewfinder
Azore	1954	Rangefinder	Regula Iia
Azore V	1954	Viewfinder
Brockmeyer	1959	Viewfinder
Campbell Rapid SL	1965	Viewfinder
Creter Automatic	1961	Rangefinder	Regula L
Dominant	1965	Viewfinder
Dominant Diplomatic C	1967	Instamatic type
Ertl Auto	1961	Viewfinder	Bali Auto, Okamatic
Fotoma Automatic	1961	Rangefinder
Marbus Automatic	1960	Rangefinder	Regula L Auto
Mastra V35	1958	Viewfinder	Photopia, USC 35 Iia
Regula	1950	Viewfinder	Kombi
Regula 110	1976	Pocket
Regula 118	1977	Pocket
Regula 1410		Pocket
Regula 210	1977	Pocket
Regula 218 L	1977	Pocket
Regula 218 LE	1977	Pocket
Regula 35 CM	1983	Rangefinder
Regula 35 FE	1983	Rangefinder
Regula 35 FM	1980	Point and shoot
Regula 35 ME	1980	Point and shoot
Regula 410		Pocket
Regula 430	1978	Pocket
Regula 510	1978	Pocket
Regula 515		Pocket
Regula 580 Motor	1980	Pocket
Regula Cita	1954	Rangefinder	Regula Gipsy, Hapo 36
Regula Cita II	1954	Rangefinder
Regula Cita III	1956	Rangefinder
Regula Citalux 300	1956	Rangefinder
Regula Diplomat C	1967	Instamatic type
Regula Disc 4001	1982	Point and shoot
Regula Disc 4001 MX	1982	Point and shoot
Regula Disc 4001 SX	1982	Point and shoot
Regula Dominant	1966	Viewfinder
Regula Electronic 35	1971	Viewfinder
Regula Gipsy	1955	Rangefinder	Regula Cita III
Regula II	1955	Viewfinder
Regula II ST	1953	Viewfinder
Regula IIa	1954	Viewfinder	Mastra V35
Regula IIb	1956	Viewfinder
Regula IId	1954	Viewfinder	Azore V
Regula III ST	1953	Viewfinder
Regula IIIa	1956	Viewfinder	Mastra V35
Regula IIIb	1956	Viewfinder
Regula IIIbk	1958	Viewfinder
Regula IIIc	1956	Rangefinder
Regula IIId	1956	Rangefinder
Regula IIId Auto	1956	Rangefinder
Regula Insta-King 124	1975	Instamatic type
Regula Insta-King 124 Automat	1975	Instamatic type
Regula Insta-King 124 Electronic	1975	Instamatic type
Regula Ipa	1954	Viewfinder
Regula J		Viewfinder
Regula KG	1952	Viewfinder
Regula L	1958	Viewfinder	Sosna Auto
Regula l A	1953	Viewfinder
Regula L Auto	1960	Viewfinder
Regula l B	1958	Viewfinder
Regula l C	1958	Viewfinder
Regula l CA	1958	Viewfinder
Regula l D	1958	Viewfinder
Regula l F	1958	Viewfinder
Regula l P	1953	Viewfinder
Regula l Pb	1951	Viewfinder
Regula l Po	1951	Viewfinder
Regula LE		Rangefinder
Regula LK	1959	Rangefinder
Regula LKB	1960	Viewfinder
Regula Miniking	1974	Pocket
Regula Miniking L	1974	Pocket
Regula Miniking LK	1978	Pocket
Regula Olymatic CdS	1965	Viewfinder
Regula Olymatic I	1963	Viewfinder
Regula Olymatic Ia	1965	Viewfinder
Regula Olymatic II	1963	Viewfinder
Regula Olymatic III	1963	Viewfinder
Regula Olymatic US	1963	Viewfinder
Regula Olympia Autoset I	1960	Viewfinder
Regula Olympia Autoset II	1960	Viewfinder
Regula Olympia Autoset III	1960	Viewfinder
Regula Picca C	1973	Viewfinder
Regula Picca CB	1973	Viewfinder
Regula Picca CBS	1972	Viewfinder
Regula Picca CLK	1972	Viewfinder
Regula Picca CS	1972	Viewfinder
Regula Picca-Mat	1972	Viewfinder
Regula R	1956	Rangefinder
Regula Rapid-SE	1964	Viewfinder	Rolltop 35
Regula Rapid-SL	1964	Viewfinder
Regula Reflex 2000 CTL	1970	Compact SLR	Kalimar Regula ;Ringfoto refle
Regula Reflex 2000 SL	1972	Compact SLR
Regula Reflex K650	1972	Compact SLR
Regula RM	1956	Rangefinder
Regula Rotor-S	1970	Viewfinder
Regula Sprint	1964	Viewfinder
Regula Sprint AF	1962	Viewfinder
Regula Sprint MDX	1962	Viewfinder
Regula Sprint Novacam II	1962	Viewfinder
Regula Sprintic	1962	Viewfinder
Regula Sprintic C	1964	Viewfinder
Regula Sprintic S	1964	Viewfinder
Regula Sprintomatic	1965	Viewfinder
Regula Sprintomatic S	1965	Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty	1963	Viewfinder	Kalimar A III, Prinz Pilot II, Prinz Pilot E
Regula Sprinty 300	1972	Viewfinder	Prinz Mastermatic
Regula Sprinty B	1963	Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty BC	1965	Viewfinder	No Name Regula
Regula Sprinty BC 300	1971	Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty C	1971	Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty C 300	1971	Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty CC 300	1971	Viewfinder	Universa
Regula Sprinty K		Viewfinder
Regula Sprinty LK 300	1971	Viewfinder
Regula Super	1959	Rangefinder
Regulette	1960	Viewfinder
Regulette 125	1963	Viewfinder
Regulette 250 S	1964	Viewfinder
Regulette 250 SB	1963	Viewfinder
Regulette 300 SB	1965	Viewfinder
Reporter	1968	Viewfinder	Kaufhoff
Reporter Olympia	1960	Viewfinder	Kaufhoff
Sport Automatic	1960	Viewfinder
Tickyphot 35BS	1959	Viewfinder	Schmidt
Visiorex	1964	Viewfinder
Wesmuller Auto	1961	Viewfinder
Winterhoff Colour	1963	Viewfinder
Woltje Auto	1961	Viewfinder
Woltje LK	1961	Viewfinder
Woltje LK Super	1962	Viewfinder