Sida
Sida with lever shutter release image by Rick Soloway (Image rights) |
The cast-metal bodied viewfinder camera Sida was made in 1936 by Fritz Kaftanski's Sida GmbH of Berlin. It is a simple camera, making 25x25-mm images on unperforated, paper-backed 35mm 'Sida' roll-film. According to McKeown, versions of the camera were also made with bodies of a bakelite material, in France, Poland, Italy (by Guiseppe Pozzoli in Milan), and Britain (by Sida Cameras Limited of London).[1]
A later bakelite model was sold as the Sida Extra; McKeown notes only that it has the word 'Extra' moulded into the body, and is otherwise very similar to the original model.[1] Similarly, later metal-bodied cameras were sold as the Sida Standard
The camera has a simple 'I' and 'B' shutter and an f/8 meniscus lens. The shutter release may be a metal tab underneath, or a lever on the front, beside the lens. The camera has a little optical viewfinder, which is demountable on some versions of the camera. This is to allow the use of a small folding wire-frame finder. The camera has a red window for film advance.
After the war Kaftanski revived the camera as the Sidax, produced in Paris.
metal-bodied image by John Bosko (Image rights) |
metal-bodied image by Uwe Kulick (Image rights) |
Sida Film image by Charlie Kamerman (Image rights) |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). p893-4.
Links
- Several models of the Sida at submin.com]
- Sida cameras at Club Daguerre's 'Kamera des Monats' pages: pictures of a British-made Sida outfit (the camera, leather case and a roll of film, together with a sample contact print and 8x8-cm enlargement; price seven shillings), a Sida Extra with a pouch case branded for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and a German Sida outfit including a miniature tripod and a roll of Herzog-Isodux film for eight exposures.
- SIDA Extra PDF manual in Germen at OrphanCameras.com
- Sida cameras at [ Collection Appareils] (in French):
- With frame-finder and de-mountable galilean VF (and shutter release on the bottom);
- With fixed galilean VF (and lever release on the front)
- kaftanski.free.fr