Braun Gloria

Photos by JM text by JM. From the collection of JM. Last update 2024-01-18 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1954 to 1957.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 3015

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Braun

Although the company existed as an optician since 1915, it wasn't until 1948 that Braun (Karl Braun AG or Carl Braun) started selling cameras. The initial models were fairly simple box cameras. The construction of some boxes was outsourced to Linden, a metallurgical company. Throughout the 1950s, the number of camera models built by Braun increased. The box camera range was quickly complemented by a series of folding cameras with technical levels dating back to pre-war times. The 35mm cameras from the Paxette series found success for almost two decades. However, facing competition from Asia in the 1960s, the company soon ceased this activity to refocus on the production of slide projectors, with the popular Paximat series since 1955. The company became Braun Photo Technik GmbH in the early 2000s. As of 2023, the company still exists and manufactures binoculars and action cameras.

This company, based in Nuremberg, has no connection with the household appliance company (Braun AG, later Braun GmbH), founded in 1921. The confusion between the two companies arises from the fact that Braun GmbH also built slide projectors (such as the Braun D7).

The main series of Braun cameras were :

Box	Box 6x6 or 6x9
Norca	Folding 6x6 and/or 6x9 on film 120
Gloriette	Compact film 135
Paxina	Compact 6x6 on film 120
Paxette	Compact film 135
Paxette 28	Compact film 126
Paxette 35	Compact film 135

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This Braun Gloria, very well crafted, features a neat design, but it appears somewhat dated. The lens, mounted on a tube propelled by a spring, pops up with the press of a button on the top cover. Pressing the button again is necessary to retract the tube into the housing.

The central shutter is located within the lens block.

The camera is equipped with two viewfinders, one Galilean type for framing, relatively small but clear. The other is the uncoupled rangefinder viewfinder, functional in the presented camera but somewhat cramped. The optics of this second viewfinder provide a close-up image similar to that of a telephoto lens with double the focal length of the other viewfinder.

Focusing is done by adjusting the large right-hand wheel, with the eye glued to the rangefinder viewfinder, and then transferring the indicated value to the lens distance ring. Film advancement is achieved with the large left-hand wheel.

An accessory shoe allows for attaching a flash, with the contact located on the lens. At the back, the non-actinic window, closed by an internal flap, allows checking the film's progress.

Built in a traditional manner, this beautiful tool boasts no fewer than 15 visible screws on its housing, all still securely in place over fifty years later.

The Braun Gloria seems to have succeeded the Paxina 6 x 6 (1950-57) in a way. Simultaneously, Braun produced a line of 35mm cameras named Gloriette.

It appears that the Braun Gloria is the last 6 x 6 model produced by Braun, as the brand subsequently definitively opted for the smaller format.

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