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de la Fotografia Museo Fotográfico y Archivo Historico "Adolfo Alexander"
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Flexaret Trivia
Curiosity: Police Flexaret:
Not really a Flexaret, but a Robot 50S mounted in a leather case from Flexaret VI. Made for the Czech police. Robot lens is mounted in a lateral “focusing knob” at left side of case. Lens is covered by a special dissimulated filter. Focusing knob, really turns focus lens barrel. Diaphragm is operated by na external lever. Shutter is fired through “rewind button-spool retainer” at case corner. Capability of 50 pictures 24x24mm in each spring wind.
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Flexaret case with Robot camera.
Robot Star 50 S “Flexaret”
No finder nor rewind. Holding bayonet on body. Schneider-Kreuznach Xenon 1.9/40mm
http://www.robot-camera.de/
Flexaret Series
Flexaret Copies
Copies and Flexaret inspired cameras
German copies
Optimet from Lippish Kamera Werke used the film transport system of Flexaret II with the name inspired from Optiflex from Optikotehna
Optiflex prototype and commercial Optiflex at right.
Rollop Optina & Optimet
(1958) Lipca
Sensibly patterned on Flexaret II
Even the names remember old “Optiflex- a Flexaret forerunner”
Prontor S, SV, or SVS w/ or w/out LVS shutters.
Rollop from Lippish Kamera Werke used the film transport system of Flexaret III
Rollop Lipca crank model (1956)
Also patterned over Flexaret III .
Equal body, door closing device, hood and film advance crank
3.5 and 2.8 models Enna triplet lenses. Always Prontor SVS Shutters
Sometimes the copied one also copies the one who copies.
Japanese copies
Minoltacord used identical film advance and focusing system.
Minoltacord (1953)
Rokkor 3.5/75mm Seikosha Rapid or Citizen/Optiper shutters.
Minoltacord Automat (1954)
Rokkor 3.5/75mm Citizen shutters
Exact bodies, film advance mechanics door closing clutch and focusing system taken from FlexaretIII. Several features went to the following model the famous Autocord.
Do you remember Autoflex? One of Flexaret forerunners?
(Flex and Cord designation were intoduced by Rollei)
Ricoh (1960)
Ricoh Series Patterned after Minolta with practical side levers
Metric scale at charriot bottom like Minolta
Ricoh Diacord and Ricohmatic used the focusing system
Ricohmatic has lever advance and 35mm capabilities
Ricoh Diacord is a light metered Ricohflex
Kamarad Versions I and MII for comparison
These models gave origin to later Foreign copies
The German Flexora 1951 used case of Kamarad I with no frame counter, in other modesl own counter design and same focusing system of all Flexarets
The Japanese Ricohflex 1948 used case of Kamarad I with no frame counter and same focusing system of Kamarad Flexette Autoflex and first series Flexaret
Russian copy
“Rassvet” (1960)
Here we see three variations of the semi automatic twin lens reflex Rassviet (Morning light) planned to be made by БелОМО.
Twin matched Industar 58 3.5/75 and 1 to 1/250 + B interlens shutter with X synchro.Finder includes automatic parallax compensation. The focusing block and helicoid and lever matches those of Flexaret. The built-in exposure meter sets diaphragm and shutter simultaneously with choice of speed/aperture combination. These set are seen through an upper window. Automatic shutter cocking and frame stoping there were variants without exposure meter, There were only produced ten units of this camera.
Copy of the name:
Autoflex from Tokiwa Seiki 1957 / Autoflex from Bratři Bradáčové, 1938
Includes a Czech copy:
From Kola Kolaflex – Plastic body extremely similar to Kamarad MII
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, or go back via internet to the main Oddity page, then select the next desired camera to view.