Pouva Start

The Pouva Start is a simple Bakelite camera for square pictures on 120 film, with a screw-out lens and shutter unit. It was a great success for Karl Pouva's little camera factory in Freital near Dresden. With a moderate price of only 16.50 Deutsche Mark (east) it was affordable for the young people. Thus it became a typical beginner's camera in East Germany. Estimated 1.7 million Start were sold. The first model of 1951 (or 1952?) had just a sports finder, its other features were like those of contemporary smart Bakelite cameras: two apertures, modes time and instant (1/30 sec.), screw tube and simple lens (Duplar 1:8, 2 elements in 2 groups). It was licensed by Hungarian and Polish camera makers.

The second Pouva Start version of 1956 was a little smarter, with optical finder and weather symbols for the apertures. The West German Hama distributed a similar bakelite camera, made by Apparatebau und Kamerafabrik in Monheim. This copy, the Hamaphot P56L, had an Original-Tricomat-6.5cm lens, a flash synchronized shutter, and a flash shoe. The Start was also copied by a Brazilian company as the Orwolette (in fact, Novacon states that Indústria Brasileira Fotográfica bought Pouva's moulds).

Pouva Start, 1951 by John Kratz (Image rights)	Pouva Start, 1956 by John Kratz (Image rights)	Pouva Start, later model by Alf Sigaro (Image rights)	Hamaphot P56L, 1956 by John Kratz (Image rights)

Links

• P56 and REPORTER MAX and other Pouva Start variations or copies of HAMA resp. Apparatebau und Kamerafabrik GmbH Monheim at Fotofex [1]
• Pouva Start at Optiksammlung.de [2]
• Pouva page at Collection G. Even's site