Bolsey C

The Bolsey C was a 35mm TLR introduced by Bolsey in 1950. It was based on the Bolsey B2, and had the same kind of cast aluminium body. The taking lens was a fixed Wollensak Anastigmat 44/3.2 with helical focusing, and the leaf shutter was a synchronized Wollensak with speeds from 1/10 to 1/200 plus T and B, marked Synchro Matic with red lightnings. The viewing lens was the same as the taking lens, and the reflex finder was of the waist level type. Strangely, the Bolsey C kept the coupled split image rangefinder of the Bolsey B, and an off-centered separate optical viewfinder. This combination of a reflex viewer with an optical viewfinder and rangefinder was also a feature of the Alpa, another design of the designer Jacques Bolsey. The Bolsey C was marked BOLSEY MODEL C TWIN LENS REFLEX on the front.

The Bolsey C22 was a variant of the model C, launched in 1953, with a system called Set-o-matic to couple the aperture to the distance for flash photography. It was marked BOLSEY MODEL C22 SET-O-MATIC TWIN LENS REFLEX on the front.

The sales of the Bolsey C series stopped in 1956. The Bolsey C existed in a Treasure Chest set, with the camera, an eveready case, a flash holder, flash bulbs, a filter set, a lens hood and a leather case for the hood and filters, all together in a red cardboard case (seen at ebay auction).

Bibliography

• Bolsey, the man behind the camera, by Richard Sanford, home edition
• Le Bolsey, Fotofiche n°9, P-H Pont, ed Fotosaga

Links

• The Bolsey C22 at Photoethnography
• The Bolsey C at The Classic Camera
• The Bolsey C at Pacific Rim