Braun

Braun Paxette I and Super Paxette image by Rick Soloway (Image rights)

Braun (Carl Braun Camerawerk) of Nuremberg, Germany, was originally founded in 1906 as an optical and industrial production house. In 1948, the company began producing box film cameras, in rollfilm and 35mm format. Its best known model was the Paxette series of 35mm rangefinder cameras. Most of the company's cameras were consumer-level models, though the company did briefly produce several more advanced 35mm rangefinder designs as well as an interesting 35mm SLR line with leaf shutters, the AMC/Paxette Reflex. The most advanced of Braun's rangefinders and SLRs had interchangeable lenses.

In 1954, the company began producing slide projectors, a mainstay of its business for the next forty years.

Braun ceased making cameras in the 1960s, in part because of high labour costs and a resultant inability to compete in the consumer level camera market. The company began to focus on its established line of slide and optical projectors, selling more than four million units by 1997. In 2000 the company became insolvent.

120 film cameras

Rangefinder

• Braun Gloria
• Braun Gloriette

Folding

• Braun Norca

Box

• Braun Color Box
• Braun Ideal
• Braun Imperial

35mm film cameras

Paxette II image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

SLR

• Braun Paxette Reflex
• rebadged Chinese SLR bodies:
  • Braun SR2000 PK
  • Braun SR2000 MD

Rangefinder

• Braun Colorette / Wittnauer Professional
• Braun Paxette and Super Paxette

Viewfinder

• Braun Gloriette
• Braun Paxette electromatic
• Braun Paxina

126 Cartridge

• Braun Automatic 300
• Braun Paxette 28 (1965-68)
• Braun Paxette 28 Auto (1967)
• Braun Paxette 28B (1967)
• Braun Paxette 28BC (1967)
• Braun Paxette 28F (1967)
• Braun Paxette 28LK (1967)

Links

• Braun page at Collection G. Even's site
• Cameras and User manuals at www.collection-appareils.fr
• Braun cameras in Andrys Stienstra's camera collection
• Braun - including 126 models at UKCamera.com in German/English