Dollina

Certo Dollina 0 with Art Deco faceplate image by Rick Soloway (Image rights)

The Dollina is a series of 35mm folding cameras produced by the German maker Certo based in Dresden. There were three generations of Dollina, each with a different body.

The first generation: Dollina 0, Dollina I, Dollina II

Dollina I, with Xenar f/2.9 image by Jack Hufnagel (Image rights)

The first model was the Dollina I, a horizontal-bed folding 35mm camera with a simple viewfinder, and the focus knob on the top plate. The shutter was a Compur 300. The lenses included:

• Meyer Trioplan 5cm f/2.9 (3 element)
• Schneider Radionar 5cm f/2.9 (3 element)
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8 (4 element)
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.9 (5 element)
• Steinheil Cassar 5cm f/2.9 (3 element)

The Dollina 0 was a cheaper version, with 3 element lenses and front cell focusing. The choice of lens and shutter for the Dollina 0 included:

• Certar 5cm f/4.5 with Automat 25-100
• Certar 5cm f/4.5 with Vario 25-100
• Certar 5cm f/4.5 with Pronto 200
• Certar 5cm f/2.9 with Compur 300

Dollina 0 and Dollina II in a Certo catalogue (Image rights)

The Dollina II was a more expensive version, with a coupled rangefinder unit above the top plate. It is operated by the top focusing knob, and the viewfinder and rangefinder windows are separate. The Dollina II existed in black finish (earlier version) and in chrome finish (later version). The Dollina II was a mid priced camera; in 1938, a Schneider Xenon lensed model sold in New York for $57.50 US, or about $859 Us in 2007 terms. This was about half the price of a Xenon lensed Retina II or Weltini.

The shutter was either a Compur 300 or a Compur-Rapid 500.

The choice of lenses for the Dollina II included:

• Schneider Radionar 5cm f/2.9 (3 element)
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.9 (4 element)
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8 (5 element)
• Schneider Xenon 5cm f/2 (6 element)
• Schneider Xenon 4.5cm f/2 (6 element)
• Steinheil Cassar 5cm f/2.9 (3 element)
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 5cm f/2.8 (4 element)

Dollina II re-badged as HAFA Dollychrom 1935 image by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights)

Dollina II image by Laszlo Gerencser (Image rights)

The Dollina III

Certo, Dolina III, Compur-Rapid shutter, Schneider Radionar f2.9/5cm lens. Images by yalluflex. (Image rights)

The Dollina III was a high-end model, with a focusing wheel above the top plate like the previous models, and a coupled rangefinder integrated in a new body with a baroque shape. The folding bed is a flat square plate, and the two sides of the body protrude together to leave room for the lens and the rangefinder. The shutter was either a Compur 300 or a Compur-Rapid 500. The choice of lenses for the Dollina III included:

• Schneider Radionar 5cm f/2.9
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8
• Schneider Xenon 5cm f/2
• Steinheil Cassar 5cm f/2.9
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 5cm f/2.8

The Dollina III was short lived and replaced by the Super Dollina, and today it is the most uncommon of the Dollina models.

The last generation: Super Dollina, Super Dollina II

Super Dollina, with Xenar 5cm f/2.8 image by Paulo Moreira (Image rights)

Super Dollina in a Certo catalogue (Image rights)

The Super Dollina replaced the Dollina III as the top of the range. It also had a coupled rangefinder integrated in the body, but this new body was more rounded and compact, similar to the Dollina I and II. The viewfinder and rangefinder windows were separated. The focusing wheel was sticking out of the right side of the top plate. The Super Dollina had two thick buttons for advance and rewind, and was made at least until the war. The shutter was either a Compur 300 or a Compur-Rapid 500. The choice of lenses for the Super Dollina included:

• Friedrich Doppel Anastigmat Corynar 5cm f/2.7
• Meyer Trioplan 5cm f/2.9
• Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8
• Schneider Xenon 5cm f/2
• Steinheil Cassar 5cm f/2.9
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 5cm f/3.5
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 5cm f/2.8

Super Dollina II, with Tessar f/2.8 image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)

After World War II, it was replaced by the Super Dollina II with slim buttons for advance and rewind. The shutters on the Super Dollina II included:

• Cludor 200
• Vebur 250
• Compur-Rapid 500
• Synchro-Compur 500

The choice of lenses for the Super Dollina II included:

• Ludwig Meritar 50mm f/2.9
• Rodenstock Heligon 50mm f/2 (probably for exportation, together with a Synchro-Compur 500)
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/3.5
• Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8

The Super Dollina II was in production for a very long time, until the beginning of the 1970s. It was also sold under the name Super 35.

1951 Certo Super Dolina-II , Rodenstock Heligon f2/50mm lens in Synchro-Compur shutter Images by yalluflex. (Image rights)

Super Dollina II, Tessar f/2.8 images by Laszlo Gerencser (Image rights)

The offshoot: Durata, Durata II

The Durata was a less expensive variant of the Super Dollina II produced after the war in 1949 , without a rangefinder. The first model had a folding optical finder. The shutters included the Prontor II. The lenses for the Durata included:

• Rodenstock Trinar 4.5cm f/3.5

The Durata II was the following model in 1951 , with a top plate integrating the viewfinder, and bearing a closer resemblance to the Super Dollina II. The shutters included the Cludor 200. The lenses for the Durata II included:

• Meyer Trioplan 50mm f/2.9

Certo Durata II, Trioplan f/2.9 lens Photo by eBayer lenses_worldwide (Image rights)

Links

General links

In English:

• Certo Dollina I on Earlyphotography

In Japanese:

• Dollina I and Super Dollina II at Xylocopal's Jewels of Nostalgia

Repairs

In Japanese:

• Dollina II repair pictures at Kan's Room

Manuals and documentation

In English and Hungarian:

• Hungarian manual for the Super Dollina II (pdf format), with an English translation by Laszlo Gerencser