Primarflex

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The Primarflex was a medium format single lens reflex camera from Curt Bentzin, Görlitz. From 1935 to 1953 around 12,000 copies were built in several variants.

The company's founder, Curt Bentzin , had manufactured an impressive range of plate cameras as early as 1889. The Primarflex, introduced in 1935, enjoyed great popularity with ambitious photographers and the specialist press. For its innovative concept, it was awarded a gold medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1937. In line with the Bentzin philosophy, the camera was very solid and technically demanding. With its relatively large image format and the possibility of using interchangeable lenses, it was particularly suitable for taking pictures of distant subjects. Their design and technical concept were the inspiration for modern medium format cameras such as the Hasselblad , the Zenza Bronica and others.

variants

Several model variants of the camera were made: three pre-war versions and two post-war versions. All versions had several sub-versions, each with slightly different looks, but all were based on the first pre-war model. After the war, the appearance of the camera in particular was modernized before the last model version appeared in 1951, production of which was discontinued in 1953.

The pre-war cameras were named Primarflex, as were the very first post-war cameras. The post-war cameras produced for the GDR market were called Primarflex II, while cameras for export were called Primar-Reflex II. The camera was also sold in the USA, under the name Astraflex II and in small numbers under the name Peerflex.

After the war, the company was nationalized, restructured several times and finally part of the VEB Feinoptisches Werk Görlitz. The right side wall of the camera body therefore had different manufacturer names over the years, for the pre-war cameras: Curt Bentzin Görlitz, after the war: Camera Works Görlitz or Primary Camera Works Görlitz (with or without addition: VEB) and finally: Feinopt. Goerlitz plant. In addition, the company name Primar Görlitz was stamped into the leather of the light shaft cover on later cameras.

technology

In terms of design, the Primarflex was a compact cube with a lens added to the front. In terms of construction, the Primarflex was similar to the early, large-format wooden SLR cameras that Bentzin had built from 1905 onwards.

The early Primarflex cameras consisted of a central body made of light metal with side panels made of wood. Later models had a body that was made entirely of light metal. They were all covered with saffiano (= goat) leather. According to the reflex principle, the motif was thrown through the taking lens onto the focusing screen and could be viewed there in full size. In the early models, an additional sports viewfinder with a snap frame for various focal lengths was attached to the light shaft cover. In the post-war models, this was replaced by a simplified design. There was a built-in magnifying glass in the light shaft for fine adjustment when taking the picture. In later cameras, the light shaft cover was removable so that alternative viewfinders could be installed. These seekers were announced but never produced.

The camera took 6 × 6 cm recordings on 120 roll film, but could also be loaded with sheet film or plates. The main controls were on the right side of the camera. The four most important operations were carried out with a large rotary knob: the shutter was cocked, the film transported the length of a frame, the film counter switched to the next number and the mirror brought into the recording position - all with a single turn of the central knob. The shutter offered times from 1 to 1/1000 of a second, plus B and T. In the last 800 cameras produced, the shortest shutter speed was corrected to a more realistic 1/500 second. There was a self-timer. The mirror could be brought into the receiving position manually with a button without having to cock the shutter.

Lenses

The Primarflex was designed for interchangeable lenses. The camera had a large lens connection with a diameter of 70 mm. In the first models this was a screw connection; this was changed in 1939, starting with the third pre-war model, to an interrupted screw connection (which works like a bayonet).

A large number of high-quality lenses with focal lengths from 8 cm to 50 cm were produced for the camera. The well-known German manufacturers Meyer and Zeiss produced lenses for the Primarflex, there were also lenses from Arnz , Astro , Kilfitt , Novoflex , Piesker , Rodenstock and Schneider . Other lenses came from various manufacturers in France ( Berthiot , Boyer , Krauss ) and England ( Dallmeyer , Ross , Taylor Hobson ). All of these lenses could be easily changed and used on both early and late models.

literature

  • McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover).

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