Mystery Camera Unboxing.

[tunalegs]

Who hates these kinds of threads? I received a package containing a vintage scale focus compact 35 camera. Two hints: it's from Germany, and it is not a Rollei.

Let's see if anybody can guess what it is before it's revealed.

 

[xayraa33]

is it a Pentacon Electra?

but that was not much of compact camera though.

 

[giganova]

Is it a Minox?

 

[nukecoke]

Voigtländer Vitessa 500

 

[BLKRCAT]

Vintage scale focus 35mm camera from Germany thats not a Rollei? That narrows it down to what, only a few hundred options?

 

[xayraa33]

Boots the chemist chain stores had the East German made Beirette scale focusing 35mm camera for our cash strapped cousins in the UK in the 1970s.

Twelve and a quarter pounds sterling and no case bought you a primitive 35mm camera of sorts.

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/camera-6780-Boots_Beirette B.L..html

 

[Alfonso B]

Judging by the candy cane logo on the box, it has to be something sweet and attractive, yet not a luxyry item per se. Werra?

 

[tunalegs]

I'll give another hint which should narrow it down considerably: this company survived the early 1970s, unlike most German camera companies.

 

[tunalegs]

also this particular camera continued in production elsewhere after it ceased being made in Germany.

 

[Arbitrarium]

Zeiss Contessa of some sort?

 

[tunalegs]

Zeiss Ikon camera production didn't survive the early 1970s.

 

[Solinar]

A Rolleiflex SL35, pre-1973 ??? <edit> Since you state that it isn't a Rollei, I go with with the Agfa, as guessed below. </edit>

 

[johannielscom]

Must be an Agfa then?

 

[tunalegs]

Not Agfa, but ...

 

[tunalegs]

It's a Regula Picca C - made in Germany 1973 through 1979. Was also produced under license in Romania and India.

 

[tunalegs]

I found this one complete with box, soft case, and manual.

 

[tunalegs]

Despite having made some rather complicated cameras in the 1950s, Regula had to go downmarket to stay competitive by the mid 1960s. And by the 1970s they were really going for the bottom of the market, the Picca series of cameras are plastic bodied and feature ISCO triplet lenses. But they do a pretty good job considering. There's a decent bright-line VF (better than some of the pricier Japanese made competition even) a compact and well designed body, which despite the cheap materials, the fit and finish of it are still decent. The C model was the base model, lacking a meter, but other variations could be had with coupled or uncoupled metering. The shutter is an odd contraption, with four blades, which provide the shutter and aperture functions simultaneously (there is no diaphragm for the aperture) the shutter opens wider for large apertures, and opens narrower for small apertures. How accurate this is in practice I have no idea yet. I suppose it may have save Regula a few pennies on the production line.

Despite all this it is still distinctly old-fashioned by 1970s standards. But then again, for the price you'd have had a hard time finding a camera with more modern features.

Picca production ended in 1979 in Germany, but Regula turned out a few more models until the mid 1980s.

 

[Darthfeeble]

Thanks for the fun education.

 

[Solinar]

West German Quality and Precision

 

[johannielscom]

It's a Regula Picca C - made in Germany 1973 through 1979. Was also produced under license in Romania and India.

You got me, I wouldn't have guessed it!