Priomat

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Priomat everset shutter was developed by the East German Zeiss Ikon company in 1952. The shutter was made as a separate unit for view cameras, it was also installed in folding cameras as well as in numerous compact cameras in the 1960s and 1970s.

The shutter has two blades only and offers just three speeds - 1/30 s, 1/60 s and 1/125 s (earlier production 1/25 s, 1/50 s and 1/100 s) plus B setting. Flash sync is possible at all shutter speed with electronic flashes, while at 1/30 s or 1/25 s with flash bulbs. Priomat shutters equipped with the L type flash sync socket offered variable ignition time for flash bulbs: 0.03 s at 1/25 s shutter speed, 0.015 s at 1/50 s and 0.007 s at 1/100 s for the 0 size shutter, or 0.02 s at 1/25 s, 0.01 s for 1/50 s at 0.007 s at 1/100 s for the 00 size shutter.

An interesting feature of the Priomat is that the shutter does need to be separately cocked before releasing - hence it is classified as the Automatverschluss in German, an automatic shutter. The mechanism is actually equipped with a double action trigger, i.e. it is cocked by pressing the shutter release button and eventually released after the button is fully pressed.

It is also worth to note that practically identical shutter - two blade leaf shutter with double action trigger and the same speeds - was used by the Polish Ami 2 camera in mid 1960s.

Cameras with the Priomat shutter:

Sources

  • Sommer S., Dederko W.: Vademecum fotografa {Photographer's vademecum]; FAW, Warsaw, 1956.

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