Fotobras
Fotobras SA was a camera-maker in Curitiba, Brazil.[1] The company is known only for box cameras for 2¼x3¼-inch exposures on 120 film, probably made in the 1960s. Two models have been seen, both styled rather closely after Kodak Brownie cameras: the Brasilmatic and the Unicamatic. Both are metal-bodied, with black leatherette covering, and with the film loaded on a removable insert. The front plate of the camera in particular is decorated to resemble that of a Brownie camera, printed with narrow horizontal stripes;[2] this also bears Fotobras' crest, a yellow tree on a red shield, and the Fotobras name, below a crown. The company name is repeated at the bottom of the front plate. The lens is mounted in a shallow stepped recess in the front plate, that serves as a hood. It has brilliant finders for horizontal and vertical orientation.
The Brasilmatic has a pull-out tab with two apertures, f/12 and f/22 (also marked with 'sun' and 'cloud' symbols). It has a second pull-out tab to give 'B' shutter ('pose'), and a sliding shutter lock.[3]
The Optomatic has a focusing lens, with symbols for a portrait, a group, etc. It has similar exposure controls to the Brasilmatic.[4] It has black stripes on the front.
The Unicamatic has only a simple shutter release with no other exposure controls.[2] there is also a Unicamatic II which appears identical, other than having blue-green stripes on the front instead of grey.[4]
A Brazilian collector's site, Cameras Antigas shows cameras of the Arrow brand, which are said to have been made by Fotobras:[4] the Arrow Jr is a simple box camera, very like the Unicamatic. It has brownish vertical stripes on the front plate, which does noes not carry the Fotobras name or crest, only 'ARROW JR' in italic letters. The controls of the camera resemble those of Fotobras cameras. There is also a better box camera, the Arrow 50, with similar text but other styling quite unlike the Fotobras cameras, and not attributed to Fotobras by Cameras Antigas. The Arrow-flex Modelo 1 has similar styling, but is a pseudo-TLR. It has no exposure controls. It seems odd that Fotobras would make a pseudo-TLR for another brand and not release one under their own name.
Notes
- ↑ Unsurprisingly, there has been more than one company named Fotobras; there is currently one named Fotobras Fotossensaveis do Brasil, based in San Paolo, but this is unrelated, having been in business only since 1974.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Discussion forum post on the Unicamatic and another Brazilian box camera at Collection Appareils, with pictures of the Unicamatic, and noting the similarity to the Brownie Flash II.
- ↑ Brasilmatic photo-set in Paolo Perci Rocha's Flickr site; several pictures of the camera.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 A number of cameras including several by Fotobras, at Cameras Antigas. A single picture of each, with brief notes in Portuguese. A large number of entries are simply placed one after the other on a single page, in no particular order.
