Beirette

Third model Beirette (1959) with Trioplan 1:3.5 lens & Junior II shutter image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

Beirette SL 100 image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette SL 100N image by Justin Jakobson (Image rights)

Beirette SL 200, first model, with bare metal front cover, Meritar 45 mm 1:2.9 lens and Priomat shutter with PC socket. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette SL 200, third model, with Meritar 45 mm 1:2.8 lens and Priomat shutter without PC socket. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette SL 300, second model, with Meritar 45 mm 1:2.9 lens and Priomat shutter with PC socket. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette SL 300, third model with Meritar 45 mm 1:2.8 lens and Priomat shutter without PC socket. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette electric SL 400 image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Third model Beirette, 1959, with E. Ludwig Meritar 45 mm 1:2.9 lens and Junior II shutter. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

1960s Beirette v, with Junior II shutter and 1:2.9 Meritar lens, cold shoe by Jaqian (Image rights)

c.1970 (?) Beirette vs,with Priomat shutter and 1:2.9 Meritar lens Now with hot shoe and plastic lens barrel & rewind spindle image by AWCam (Image rights)

Beirette vs, 1974?, with Meritar 45 mm 1:2.9 lens. Depth of field scale is replaced by a transparent plastic ring and the shutter is not named. image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette vsn with Priomat shutter & 1:2.8 Meritar lens, PC sync and hot shoe image by AWCam (Image rights)

Beirette vsn (1987) with Priomat shutter & 1:2.8 Meritar lens image by Marino M. (Image rights)

Beirette k100 image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beroquick KB135 with Priomat shutter & Meritar lens image by Marzena Mikołowska (Image rights)

Beirette Electronic, c.1980 image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

Beirette 35, 1987 image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

Beirette vsn 2, 1989 - the last of the Beirettes image by Chemnitzer (Image rights)

Beirette was a name applied to a long sequence of compact 35mm viewfinder camera models, made from 1958 to the 1980s in East Germany by Beier. There were also some folding Beirettes, made from 1939, but production apparently disappeared during WWII. Although the name stayed the same, various tweaks in the design were made. Flash sync, for example, moved from a pin of the lens barrel to a standard hot shoe, and a plastic shutter release button replaced the original metal one in the mid-1970s. Several versions of this camera were sold by Boots, for example the Boots Beirette BL, or branded as Revue for export markets.

Model List

Models for 135 film

• Beirette, 1939 (folding, Trinar, Radionar or Cassar lens in Compur or Compur Rapid shutter)
• Beirette, 1958 (Meyer Trioplan 45mm/3.5 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9 lens, Junior II shutter, circular eyepiece turning for parallax correction, shutter release on top of the lens base)
• Beirette, 1958 (with rectangular eyepiece sliding for parallax correction)
• Beirette, 1959 (Meyer Trioplan 45mm/3.5 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Junior II, rectangular eyepiece, shutter release on the side of the lens base)
• Beirette v, 1964, new body design, film advance lever without an additional advance knob, a rewind crank instead of a knob (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
• Beirette v, 1964 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat, PC sync on lens)
• Beirette vs, a version of the Beirette v with symmetrical lens base (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat, PC sync on lens)
• Beirette vs, 1970 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat, PC sync on lens, translucent plastic around lens, still has extra shutter release and metal "guard")
• Beirette vs, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens, translucent plastic around lens, no additional shutter release)
• Beirette vs, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic around lens)
• Beirette vsn, 1977 (Black body. E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, plastic frame advance and rewind crank.)
  • Beirette vsn, 1987 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, plastic frame advance and rewind crank.)
  • Beirette vsn, 1988 has half-plastic, half-chrome levers.
  • Beirette vsn, 1989 has different leatherette.
  • Beirette vsn, unknown date, has translucent plastic around lens.
• Beirette k100, 1977 or 1982, for 135 type film (Chromar 52 mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds) - a mixture of the vsn body and SL 100 lens
• Beirette Electronic, 1982 (aka Beroquick Electronic)
• Beirette 35, 1987 - basically Beirette vsn with black plastic body and CdS exposure metering (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic body)
• Beirette vsn 2, 1989, a version of the Beirette vsn with black plastic body top (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)

Models for SL film cartridges

• Beirette k, 1965, a version of the Beirette v for SL film cartridges (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat)
• Beirette ka, 1967, a version of the Beirette ks with hot shoe (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens)
• Beirette kf, 1966, a version of the Beirette k with socket and reflector for AG1 flashbulbs
• Beirette kfs, 1967, a version of the Beirette ks with socket and reflector for AG1 flashbulbs
• Beirette ks, 1967, a version of the Beirette vs for SL film cartridges (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, Priomat, PC sync on lens)
• Beirette SL (brick-shaped cameras for SL film cartridges)
  • Beirette SL 100, 1973-85 (Chromar 52mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds)
  • Beirette SL 100N, 1987-89 (Multiple colours, Chromar 52mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds)
  • Beirette SL 200, 1970 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, later Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
  • Beirette SL 300, 1970 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.9, later Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, Albada viewfinder, weather symbols for exposure setting)
  • Beirette Electric SL 400, 1978, new design with CdS exposure metering (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)

Export models

• Beroquick SL 125, c.1970
• Beroquick KB 135, c.1976
• Boots Beirette BL

Specifications

• Type: viewfinder camera
• Manufacturer: Kamerafabrik Woldemar Beier KG - Freital, partially private East German company
• Year of launch: 1958
• Film: 35mm
• Lens: Meyer Trioplan 1:3.5/45mm or Ludwig Meritar 1:2.8/45mm
• Shutter: Junior-II, Modell II or Priomat with speeds 30, 60, 125, and B
• Viewfinder: optical, early versions were ocular shiftable for parallax correction

Links

In English:

• Beirette in the Living Image
• 1970 version Beirette camera in Andrys Stienstra's camera collection
• Beirette vsn group on Flickr
• Beirette Junior II (Boots) PDF manual at OrphanCameras.com
• Beirette 35 PDF manual at OrphanCameras.com
• Beirette Electronic Bedienungsanleitung PDF manual at www.OrphanCameras.com

In French:

• Beirette Electro at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr
• Beirette k100 at Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr

In German:

• All Beirette variations with dates, collected by Thoman Knorre.