Bentzin Primarflex |
Version française |
Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1935 to (After) 1935.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 10433
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Bentzin
The Curt Bentzin PRIMARFLEX is a key camera in the history of the European photographic industry as it is considered the precursor to the Hasselblad. It is likely that when Victor Hasselblad was sent to Dresden for an internship by his father, he became aware of this camera. When the Swedish government contacted him to develop a camera for military purposes, he drew strong inspiration from it.
The Primarflex is a single-lens reflex camera with a 6 x 6 format and interchangeable lenses. Launched in 1935, it underwent several variations before undergoing significant changes with the Primarflex II, which was produced until the early 1950s. The presented model is a Model 1 with a dual viewing system: reflex with the addition of a Fresnel lens and sports viewfinder.
It features a curtain shutter with speeds ranging from 1 second to 1/1000th. The lens is an impressive Carl Zeiss Tessar 13.5 cm with an aperture of 3.5. The focus is adjusted through a helical screw with a minimum distance setting of 1.5 meters.
The weight of the entire assembly is significant: nearly 1.9 kg, with the lens alone weighing 900 g. A major weakness of the camera is its shutter: not only does the curtain often succumb to the effects of time, but the complex mechanics of the body make repairs challenging.
Interesting links or bibliography :
La Photo pour tous de 1939 | PhotoRevue de 1936 | The British Journal Almanac de 1936 |
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