Bloc Métal 41

Pontiac Bloc-Metal 41 image by OZBOX (Image rights)

The Bloc Métal 41 was released in 1941 by the French maker Pontiac. It was a 6x9 folding camera with an aluminium body, and replaced the Pontiac Bakélite camera. It was a simple camera, with film advance by knob and red window. The aluminium body was not leather covered, but painted black, a characteristic of many later Pontiac cameras.

The lens and shutter combinations were:

• early model: Pontiac B-25-50-100 shutter, most marked Pontiac and MFAP, with or without frame finder
  • Pontiac Anastigmat 102/4.5 (advertised with no frame finder as type 75)
  • Berhiot Spécial 105/4.5 (advertised with frame finder as type 75 bis)
    • exists with shutter unmarked (see here and here)
    • exists with shutter only marked PH Paris (see here, meaning unknown)
• normal model: Pontiac T-P-25-50-100-150 shutter, marked Pontiac only, with frame finder
  • Pontiac Anastigmat 102/4.5 or 105/4.5
    • exists with black trim (see here)
  • Berthiot Spécial 105/4.5 (advertised as type 75 ter)
    • exists with leg marked Pontiac (see here)
  • Boyer Topaz 105/4.5 (see here)
  • Roussel Trylor 105/4.5 (see here (archived), barely readable)
• Prontor model: Prontor II shutter from 1s to 1/150, self timer, Gauthier GmbH marking, not marked Pontiac
  • Berthiot Spécial 105/4.5, shown in Vial
• Gitzo 2R T-B-25-50-100-150 shutter, AG marking, not marked Pontiac
  • Berthiot Spécial 105/4.5 (see here, leg marked Pontiac)
  • Boyer Topaz 105/4.5 (see here and here)
  • Reported here with a Kodak Anastigmat Spécial 105/4.5 (mistake?)

Most had a brilliant finder and a folding frame finder, metal or black. Some early models were sold without the frame finder. Most Métals have a metal trimming, but on some bodies it is painted black. Some late models have a Pontiac engraving on the standing leg.

Production stopped in 1948.

The same ad showing the types 75, 75 bis and 75 ter, reproduced in Vial, announced a type 750 with body release and folding optical finder. A later Pontiac ad, visible for example here (archived), shows a Bloc Métal 44, announced for 1948. It seems to be based on the body of the Bloc Métal 41, with at least an optical finder added. Maybe it is the same project as the type 750. None of them has surfaced since.

Bibliography

• Vial, Bernard. Histoire des appareils français. Période 1940–1960. Paris: Maeght Éditeur, 1980, re-impressed in 1991. ISBN 2-86941-156-1.
• Pontiac Lynx, Super Lynx, Baby Lynx, Fotofiche 15, Patrice-Hervé Pont, Ed Fotosaga

Links

In English :

• Bloc Métal 41 at Lomography.com

In French :

• Pontiac Bloc Métal 41 at Sylvain Halgand site
• The Pontiac page at Gérard Langlois site
• The Pontiac page at ClicClac
• Bloc Métal 41 at Gérard Even's site
• A Bloc Métal 41 at Mario Groleau's site
• A Bloc Métal 41 at yannbreizh