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Klopcic Klopcic
France Version française
Photos by JPP text by JPP. From the collection of José Paula. Last update 2018-10-27 par Michel Rochevalier.

Manufactured or assembled in France from (Before) 1922 to (After) 1932.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 21092

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Klopcic 

The Klopcic strut folding camera sold by Klopcic is a fully French camera introduced in 1922, and which resembles in some aspects the Nettel Deckrullo of the period. The patent has date of 1915 (shutter and camera: FR477805A), and further improvements were made to the shutter in 1923 and 1927 (FR551632A and FR617304A) by Jean Klopcic. The Klopcic introduced in c. 1903 (such as the Barby Klopcic of Photo Lux) is a 9x12 Mentor II strut folding camera equipped with the first version of the Janka Klopcic focal plane shutter (patent FR315816), and produced in association with Barby, Métais & Cie. Other cameras of diverse origin were fitted with Klopcic shutters.

The camera has important differences to the Decrullo and should not be confused, although (apparently) similar in aesthetic design. The focusing slot is double at both the top and bottom of the camera. The scissors struts are simple while those of the Deckrullo are double, and for closing the camera one has to raise the pointers at the two symmetrical scales in the body.  The additional lateral struts drawn in the patent of 1915 were finally not used for the camera construction. The viewfinder is simply a guide at the top and a frame wire on the front standard. This example is for 10 x 15 cm plates.

The Klopcic focal plane shutter in this camera is apparently the design according to the improvements made in 1923 (requested for patent in 1921). The slit width is set on the main knob, and according to the spring tension chosen (R – rapid or L – slow) the dual scale at the knob displays the real speeds. It delivers speeds in the range 1 to 1/2000 seconds plus P (T).

The focusing mechanism on the body allows the use of lenses without helical focusing, and thus other types of lenses can be adapted and retrofitted. In this camera there are three front standards. The first, presumably the original, has the frame wire and has no fitted lens. The others have older lenses without helical focus that were retrofitted. Lenses:

- Darlot Foy 18 Nº4 Paris Anastigmat Symetrique 1:7.5, No. 1943. This lens is probably from the last years of the XIX century.

- Carl Zeiss Jena Anastigmat f: 8, F: 110 mm, No. 33585. According to Hartmut Thiele’s data, this lens was made by Carl Zeiss in April 1899 for H. Bellieni.

Klopcic Klopcic
Klopcic Klopcic 10 x 15 cm with Darlot lens


Klopcic Klopcic
Two extra lensboards, one with the wire frame and the other with a Carl Zeiss of 1899


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