Photoptic Fotic |
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Manufactured or assembled in France from (Circa) 1956 to (After) 1956.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 14413
See the complete technical specifications
Chronology of cameras Photoptic
Photoptic was a reseller located at 115 rue de la Convention, Paris XV. It sold photographic equipment, as well as tape recorders and special glasses. The main period of activity was the 1950s.
Some cameras were included in the Photoptic catalog under a specific name. This is the case with the Fotic, which are actually Drépy cameras.
In addition to the name change on the shutter and the small plate fixed to the hood, the Fotic cameras are often entirely black. Among the original Drépy cameras, there are no black versions. The Fotic cameras all have a hood covering; they are later than 1953. There were only two models: the Fotic, with a lens opening at 6.3, and the Fotic-Junior, with a meniscus lens.
This Fotic has the uncommon feature of not being entirely black in color. This is likely due to a manufacturing break in cases of this color. This Fotic has all the technical characteristics of the Drépy Standard 6/9, like it, it is a single format. This model does not have a stand. Only the distributor's brand and the decor of the optical block have changed.
![Photoptic Fotic](../../drepy/images/drepy_fotic.jpg)
André Ernest Pierrat, located at 16 boulevard Eugène Decros, Les Lilas (Seine), was a folding camera maker active from the second half of the 1940s until around 1960. On July 11, 1945 (359.496), he registered the Drépy trademark at the commercial court of the Seine. The name of the trademark was formed by the last syllable of AnDRE and the first syllable of PIerrat.
All Drépy production is based on a unique folding model that has been modified and improved several times.
An article in Le Photographe from March 1946 claims that it was designed between 1940 and 1942, during the German occupation, which would explain why examples were produced as early as 1945. Fantasy or reality? Note the peculiar spelling of the shutter's name.
It is a well-made all-metal and leather-covered camera. Despite the difficult period, the materials used are of high quality. For instance, the bellows are made of genuine leather rather than cloth used by some competitors. All components of the camera, whether it's the bellows or the lens, are manufactured within the company. André Pierrat filed a patent application in 1945 for improvements to photographic lens shutters (918,646) and in 1948 for a delayed central shutter (975,026). The camera is a folding 6 x 9, often also 4.5 x 6, and accepts 120 and 620 films. The folding mechanism is automatic. The shutter is cocked on the lens, but the release button is on the camera body. The camera is equipped with a safety feature that requires advancing the film before the shutter can be released.
The lenses and shutters have names beginning with "Dre." Drestop is the name used for the shutters, which was registered on July 11, 1945, at the same time as the Drépy trademark. Drestyl and Destar are lens names.
Until 1953, models had a folding viewfinder fixed on one side of the camera. Later, a hood incorporating a rangefinder/viewfinder and the release button completely covers the side, encouraging horizontal use.
Year (c.) | Lens | Shutter | Price (francs) |
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Folding viewfinder | ||||||
Drépy | ![]() |
1947-? | Pierrat 4,5/105 |
1 à 1/250, B, T, Timer |
6 x 9 and 4 x 61 |
12170 (1948) |
ET | ![]() |
1948-50 | Drestar2 4,5/105 coated |
1 à 1/250, B, T, Timer |
6 x 9 and 4 x 6 |
13135 (1948) |
B | ![]() |
1950-53 | Drestyl3 4,5/105 |
Drestop I 1/10 à 1/100, B, T, timer, synchro |
6 x 9 | 13740 (1953) |
BT | ![]() |
1950-53 | Drestyl 4,5/105 coated |
Drestop I |
6 x 9 | 14535 (1953) |
DT | ![]() |
1950-53 | Drestyl 4,5/105 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T timer, synchro |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
18075 (1953) |
FT (pansynchro) |
1949-? | Drestar 4,5/105 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T, timer Adjustable synchronization |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
20180 (1953) | |
FT (pansynchro) |
1949-53 | Drestar 4,5/105 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T, timer Adjustable synchronization |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
20180 (1953) | |
Viewfinder integrated into the top | ||||||
GT | ![]() |
1954-1956 | Rangefinder Drestar 3,5/100 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T, Timer Adjustable synchronization |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
29000 (1955) |
GT | ![]() |
1954-1956 | Rangefinder Drestar 4,5/100 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T, Timer Adjustable synchronization |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
24880 (1955) |
GT | ![]() |
1954-1956 | Rangefinder Drestar 4,5/100 coated |
Drestop II 1 à 1/250, B, T, Timer |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 6 |
24880 (1955) |
Standard 6/9 | ![]() |
Drestyl 6,3/105 | Drestop synchro |
6 x 9 | ||
Drépy Pansynchro | ![]() |
Drestyl 4,5/105 | Drestop Pansynchro 1 à 1/250, B |
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Drépy | ![]() |
1/25, 1/75, B | ||||
Drépy | ![]() |
Drestyl 6,3/105 | Drestop 1/25, 1/150, B synchro |
6 x 9 and 4,5 x 9 |
Letter T in the name means the lens is coated ( in french "Traité")
1 The catalogs are quite imprecise regarding the second dimension of the negatives.
2 with 4 lenses
3 with 3 lenses
A. Pierrat also sold accessories, including a flash, without it being known whether he was the manufacturer. A twin-lens reflex camera, the Dreflex, was listed in the catalog for some time, but it was a third-party production on which Pierrat only mounted his lenses.
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