Foto-Quelle (Germany) Information?

[das]

As most already know, Foto-Quelle was a West Germany-based retailer that imported a variety of Japanese, East German and Soviet cameras from the late 1950s to the 1980s. I could find a good answer to this question, but I was wondering why Foto-Quelle felt the need to "rebadge" the cameras under names like "Revue" and "Revueflex"? I have also seen that at least some Revueflex models incorporated some cosmetic (but usually not functionality-related) changes to certain original imported products. Was this some way to get around taxes and/or import duties at the time? Did Foto-Quelle commission the "Revue" or "Revueflex" models from the originating factory or did it do modifications to the cameras after they came into Germany? Thanks!

 

[KoNickon]

I am sure it was similar to what Sears, Roebuck (the big, now defunct retailer in the US and Canada) did-- rebadge others' products with their own name. The products were functionally identical to the original manufacturers' products, and cosmetically largely identical also, except for the names.

Sears originally called their cameras, which were primarily if not entirely Japanese-made, Tower. Later they just called them Sears. I can't tell you about taxation matters, but I expect both Sears and Foto-Quelle did it for cachet -- "see, these are our own cameras, made especially for us by well-known manufacturers."

 

[santino]

Tough question and probably no definitive answer to it. Soviet cameras were probably delivered „blank“ and Quelle applied silk screening to them. Engraved versions were probably already modified at the factory.

I know of Prakticas that have a total different pentaprism housing under the Revueflex name so they were probably made that way at Pentacon.

As to taxes etc I don’t know. It was probably rather something that had to do with brand entity (there was Quelle photographic film that was probably made by Agfa, washing machines under the Privileg brand and so on). Ikea still does it.

 

[splitimageview]

Can’t answer this but the big retailers of the time did this in the US, Tower/Sears as mentioned, also Montgomery Wards (“Wardflex” and rebadged Konicas, among others) and K-Mart had special Minolta SRT model designations although still Minolta badged.

 

[das]

Thanks for the responses! It seems like what many have suggested -- the "house brand" marketing idea -- may have been the likely primary reason. I would also suspect, but I do not know, that the US-rebranding by Sears and Montgomery Ward might have also had something to do with the unfamiliarity of the American public with brand names such as Pentacon, Chinon, Cosina, Minolta, etc. Or maybe to attempt to get around some anti-Communist or anti-Japanese sentiment or stereotypes existing at the time.

 

[santino]

When it comes to the US, soviet stuff entered through Panama under the Kalimar brand. Panama was a free trade zone and so Kalimar was able to bypass the US embargo against the soviet union. In this case relabeling, I guess, was even mandatory.

 

[JSteed#2]

I have an educated guess. At the time, there was a prejudice against eastern european goods, while (West) german goods were assumed to be of the highest quality. The rebadge may have been a disguise for marketing purposes. Just a guess. No evidence.

 

[Photon42]

I am always surprised what people are digging out 😎. Here and here are two links. Cosina, Pentacon (GDR), Mamiya ... they used everything which needed a little more sales volume.

 

[analogish]

The reason for the rebranding is that Germany had until 1974 fixed prices ("Preisbindung") as a law. The manufacturer declared the prices and dealers were not allowed to make their own prices. There are up to date fixed prices e.g. for books and tobacco/cigarettes in Germany. Quelle sold products under their own brand in order to get around the fixed prices of the original manufacturers, because if it is another brand then it is also another product that allows another price. It sounds a bit silly, but Quelle was very successful. When Quelle sold cameras and lenses under the "Revue" brand, then the product was labeled with "Quelle" as the manufacturer, instead of the original manufacturer.

 

[Harry the K]

When I was 12, in 1971, the Revueflex-B aka Zenit-B was the only offer on the market that I could afford to buy. It cost me 99 Deutschmarks only, including the lens. It was and felt rather primitiv, but it worked. The Japanese quality products were much more expensive and out of reach for me, Foto Quelle was my source of photo products.
A couple of years after I had bought the SLR they produced a metered version, the Revueflex-E.
My original Revueflex-B got lost at some crossroads of my life, I bought the camera in the picture secondhand for 19 Euro out of sentimentality. And it still does it´s job.
The Revue-3 aka FED-3 was a present from one of my sons. Because of pinpoint holes in the shutter curtain I had it serviced by Oleg. Also works perfectly.

 

[p.giannakis]

The reason for the rebranding is that Germany had until 1974 fixed prices ("Preisbindung") as a law. The manufacturer declared the prices and dealers were not allowed to make their own prices. There are up to date fixed prices e.g. for books and tobacco/cigarettes in Germany. Quelle sold products under their own brand in order to get around the fixed prices of the original manufacturers, because if it is another brand then it is also another product that allows another price. It sounds a bit silly, but Quelle was very successful. When Quelle sold cameras and lenses under the "Revue" brand, then the product was labeled with "Quelle" as the manufacturer, instead of the original manufacturer.

When you say Germany, do you mean East or West Germany?

 

[Berger]

Westdeutschland

 

[santino]

I think West Germany.

 

[das]

The reason for the rebranding is that Germany had until 1974 fixed prices ("Preisbindung") as a law. The manufacturer declared the prices and dealers were not allowed to make their own prices. There are up to date fixed prices e.g. for books and tobacco/cigarettes in Germany. Quelle sold products under their own brand in order to get around the fixed prices of the original manufacturers, because if it is another brand then it is also another product that allows another price. It sounds a bit silly, but Quelle was very successful. When Quelle sold cameras and lenses under the "Revue" brand, then the product was labeled with "Quelle" as the manufacturer, instead of the original manufacturer.

Thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense!