Beirette

Third model Beirette (1959) with Trioplan f3.5 lens & Junior II shutter by Alf Sigaro

Beirette SL 100 by Chemnitzer

Beirette SL 100N by Mar_nyc

Beirette SL 200, first model, with bare metal front cover, Meritar 45mm/2.9 lens and Priomat shutter with PC socket. by Chemnitzer

Beirette SL 200, third model, with Meritar 45mm/2.8 lens and Priomat shutter without PC socket. by Chemnitzer

Beirette SL 300, second model, with Meritar 45mm/2.9 lens and Priomat shutter with PC socket. by Chemnitzer

Beirette SL 300, third model with Meritar 45mm/2.8 lens and Priomat shutter without PC socket. by Chemnitzer

Beirette electric SL 400 by Chemnitzer

1960s Beirette v, with Junior II shutter and f/2.9 Meritar lens without hot shoe by Jaqian

c.1970 (?) Beirette vs, with Priomat shutter and f2.9 Meritar lens Now with hot shoe and plastic lens barrel & rewind spindle by AWcam

Beirette vs, 1974?, with Meritar 45 mm f/2.9 lens. Depth of field scale is replaced by a transparent plastic ring and the shutter is not named. by Chemnitzer

Beirette, 1974 with Priomat shutter & f2.8 Meritar lens, PC sync and hot shoe by AWcam

Beirette vsn (1987) with Priomat shutter & f2.8 Meritar lens by Marino M.

Beroquick KB135 with Priomat shutter & Meritar lens by squonk11

Bierette Electronic, c.1980 by Alf Sigaro

Beirette 35, 1987 by Alf Sigaro

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

• 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, 1964 (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
• Beirette, 1964 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens)
• Beirette, 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, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, PC sync on lens, translucent plastic around lens, no additional shutter release)
• Beirette, 1974 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic around lens)
• Beirette 35, 1988 - basically Beirette vsn 2 with CdS exposure metering (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat, hot shoe, black plastic body)
• Beirette Electronic, 1982 (aka Beroquick Electronic)
• Beirette k, 1965, for SL film cartridges (Meyer Domiplan 45mm/2.8 or E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
• Beirette k100, 1982, for 135 type film (Chromar 52 mm/11 lens, 1/30 s and 1/125 s shutter speeds)
• Beirette kf, 1967
• 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 (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
• 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 vsn 2, all black finish, plastic body (E. Ludwig Meritar 45mm/2.8, Priomat)
• 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 page at Retrography.com by Simon Simonsen
• Beirette at Chrome Age Cameras]
• Beirette in the Living Image
• 1970 version Beirette camera in Andrys Stienstra's camera collection
• Pictures taken with a Beirette

In French / English:

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

In German:

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