Balda
Balda was a German maker based in Dresden. It was founded in 1908 and took the name Balda-Werk Max Baldeweg in 1913.[1] It made a quantity of medium-priced folders before World War II, and its camera production was quite comparable to Welta or Certo. One originality of Balda was to sell cameras to many other companies for resale under their own brand (today this would be called OEM).
After the war, Balda was nationalized in East Germany in 1946, while its founder Max Baldeweg fled to West Germany. The name of the East German company was changed to Belca-Werk in 1951. It continued for some time to produce folders like the little 35mm Beltica, and was absorbed into VEB Kamera-Werke Niedersiedlitz in 1956[2].
Max Baldeweg set up a new company called Balda (Balda Kamera-Werk), this time based in Bünde, West Germany. This company produced a series of 35mm and medium-format rollfilm cameras, some of them being sold by Porst under the Hapo brand. Balda later produced cameras in both 126 and 110 cartridge format.
Balda Dresden, later Belca
35mm film, folding
120 film
4.5×6cm, folding
- Baldax (4.5×6, #0 or #00 shutter size)
- Baldaxette I (4.5×6, coupled rangefinder)
6×6cm, folding
- Baldax (6×6, #0 shutter size)
- Baldaxette II (6×6, coupled rangefinder)
6×9cm, folding
- Baldafix (6×9)
- Juwella (6×9)
- Pontina (6×9 and 4.5×6), also sold as Hapo 10 and Hapo 45
- Super Pontura (6×9, coupled rangefinder)
6×9cm, box
- Balda Box (6×9)
- Frontbox (6×9)
- Poka (6×9)
- Rollbox (6×9)
127 film, folding
- Baldi (3×4)
- Rigona (3×4)
Plate models
Belca
35mm film
Folding
- Beltica I (vertical style folding, like the pre-war Baldina)
- Beltica II (horizontal style folding)
Rigid
Stereo
120 film, folding
- Belfoca (6×9)
Balda Bünde
35mm film
Folding
- Baldini
- Baldinette
- Mess-Baldinette (uncoupled rangefinder), also sold as Hapo 35
- Rival 35
- Rigona
- Super Baldinette (coupled rangefinder)
Rigid
- Baldina
- Super Baldina (coupled rangefinder)
- Baldessa / Baldessa I
- Baldessamat F / RF
- Super Baldamatic I / II / III
Ultra compact
- C 35
- CA 35, and Voigtländer Vito C
- CE 35
- CS 35
- Mini 35
- Scout 35
126 film
- Nizo Elektronik 1000 (made for Niezoldi & Krämer)
- Argus Lady Carefree
120 film
6×6cm, folding
- Baldi 29
- Baldix
- Mess-Baldix (uncoupled rangefinder), also sold as Hapo 66e
- Baldax
- Super Baldax (coupled rangefinder)
6×6cm, collapsible
- Baldixette
Notes
Links
Camera industry in Dresden |
Balda | Certo | Eho-Altissa | Eichapfel | Ernemann | Feinmess | Heyde | Hamaphot | Huth | Hüttig | ICA | Ihagee | Kochmann | Kerman | KW | Eugen Loeber | Ludwig | Mentor | Merkel | Meyer | Mimosa | Pentacon | Richter | Sommer | Stübiger | Unger & Hoffmann | Werner | Wünsche | Zeiss Ikon | Zeh |
Camera distributors in Dresden |
Stöckig |
Camera industry in Freital |
Beier | Pouva | Stein & Binnewerg | Thowe | Welta |
In English:
- Flickr group Balda Cameras
- Balda section at Retrography.com by Simon Simonsen, Denmark
- Balda C-series subminiatures at submin.com
In German:
In French:
- Balda page at Mario Groleau's website
- Belca page at Collection G. Even's site
- Balda page at Collection G. Even's site
- Balda cameras and Belca cameras at www.collection-appareils.fr