Heinz Kilfitt was a prolific designer of cameras (he designed the first Robot cameras in the 1930s[1]). His firm Heinz Kilfitt München is primarily known for its innovative series of macro, telephoto, and zoom lenses from the 1950s and 1960s. Kilfitt was contracted to manufacture the groundbreaking 1960 Zoomar 36-82mm lens for Voigtländer. Later, with the 1967 retirement of Heinz Kilfitt, Zoomar designer Dr. Frank G. Back acquired the Kilfitt company and continued its products from Zoomar's home in Long Island, New York.
Kilfitt also produced some cameras. McKeown lists the Kilfitt Motor Camera, similar to the Robot, and states that, having sold his original design to Berning, Kilfitt was eventually stopped by them from making this.[1]
Kilfitt designed the Mecaflex 35 mm SLR; Metz at first made the camera bodies, but withdrew from the deal after making only a small number of the cameras, and Kilfitt engaged SEROA of Monaco to make the bodies instead.
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