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Pontiac Bakélite
France Version française
Photos by PF text by Sylvain Halgand / PF. From the collection of Patrick Fourneret. Last update 2023-01-25 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in France from 1938 to 1940.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 5328

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Pontiac 

The Pontiac folding cameras were featured in distributors' catalogs from 1940 to 1953. The period of occupation complicates the analysis from 1940 to 1945, during which there may have been no production, and few sales catalogs.
All of these cameras are 6 x 9 cm format and can be divided into three series.

The first series consists of cameras made of bakelite, which was a continuation of Gallus' production from 1939. This series doesn't have a specific name. These cameras are highly attractive and beautiful, making them popular among collectors. However, the fragility of bakelite makes them quite rare.
There are few models in this series. The initial models are identical to Gallus cameras. The only distinguishing feature between the Pontiac and Gallus models is a plate attached inside the folding door. The bakelite is black, and they feature a simple P/I shutter and an achromatic f/11 fixed-focus lens. The production of these models was very short-lived, possibly due to the depletion of Gallus stock. There's also a version with a Boyer Topaz f/6.3 lens, which appears to be black.
The subsequent models are made of brown bakelite with varying degrees of marbling. The shutter (attributed with uncertainty to Gitzo) is marked with MFAP (Manufacture Française d'Appareils Photographiques). It has three speeds and a B (bulb) setting. The lens is adjustable for focus and can be either a Berthiot 4.5/105 mm or a Pontiac series II lens with an aperture of f/4.5.

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Not yet translated into English

Une plaque chromée fixée sur l'abattant mentionne l'adresse de la  Manufacture Française d'Appareils Photographiques, 174 Quai de Jemmapes, Paris 10ème. Elle évite toute confusion avec le modèle Gallus.  A l'intérieur du dos, il est indiqué Fabrication française / Made in France. 
Cette version propose une évolution de l'objectif et de l'obturateur. Cette combinaison n'a, pour l'instant, pas été retrouvée sous la marque Galllus.
Contrairement au modèle noir le plus courant, l'obturateur a trois vitesses et la pose B. L'objectif Boyer Topaz f/6,3 est à mise au point.


A la différence des Ebner, à l'origine de ce type de "savonnette", la bakélite des Pontiac comme celle des Gallus, est entièrement lisse et non "granuleuse" sur certaines parties.
La seconde photo qui le représente en position fermée montre l'excellence et l'élégance de la forme. Un très discret bouton poussoir, en bakélite lui aussi, permet d'ouvrir l'abattant porte-objectif.
Le dos articulé en partie basse est simplement clipsé en partie haute, rendant la manipulation d'ouverture d'autant plus délicate que la bakélite est un matériau fragile.

Pontiac Bakélite



Pontiac Bakélite



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