Balda Frontbox

Photos by DF text by Sylvain Halgand. From the collection of DF. Last update 2023-11-01 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1935 to (After) 1935.
Index of rarity in France: Infrequent (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 10414

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Balda

The box cameras manufactured by Balda share a strong resemblance, primarily made of stamped metal and are seldom cheerful in appearance. They can be divided into a few series (non-exhaustive lists).

Rollbox series, made of metal including the film spool, equipped with two viewfinders. A small metal key, inserted in the film spool, facilitates easier rotation of the spool during insertion.
They are in the 6 x 9 format, using 120 film. A side lever allows switching between instantaneous exposure (I) and bulb exposure (T).



Rollbox	Chromed trim	Under the lens, there is a plate showing the model name. Sunburst pattern around the lens. The brand name is embossed on the sides
Rollbox (?)	Black trim	No plate
Rollbox (?)	Black trim	Lens surround plate, without any brand markings
Rusi	Chromed trim	Lens surround plate with the model name

Frontbox series. They bear a strong resemblance to the Rollbox. They also use 120 film in the 6 x 9 format. An additional side lever allows the selection of one of the two apertures.



Frontbox	Chromed trim	Under the lens, there's a plate displaying the model name. The brand name is embossed on the sides
Frontbox	Chromed trim
Front-Box	Black trim

The Poka series consists of metal box cameras in the 6 x 9 format, but it is less uniform than the two series mentioned earlier, which can be categorized into variants.
Some Polka cameras have a vertical lever located in front of the handle. It is perforated and serves as a three-aperture diaphragm.



Poka	Black trim	Brand name embossed on the sides
Poka II	Black trim	Atypical model: additional frame viewfinder, key position
Poka II		Folding additional viewfinder. With viewfinder attachment. Havana color
Poka II	Black trim	With close-up lens and aperture selection
Poka II	Black trim	With close-up lens

__________

It's marked on top, but without a hyphen! It's made of metal, has both instantaneous and B (bulb) settings, a meniscus lens at f/11, and two aperture options.

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