Foitzik
Contents
History
The Foitzik-Kamerawerke were founded in 1945 in Lübeck, northern Germany, by machine construction engineer Karl Foitzik (born 1909 in Schomberg, died in car accident 1955). There the company could make 600 units of its early camera types Foica, Foizica and Unca. It had troubles with the quality of the Steinheil lenses. In 1950 the factory reopened in Trier with 20 employees. It was one of the many post-war German camera manufacturers. According to various sources, the production in Trier began in 1951 and ended in 1958. Karl Foitzik himself took part in the development of cameras. The Foinix I was his construction.[1]
It has produced several camera models and some accessories, a self-timer, two rangefinders and a universal viewfinder. In 1953 the takeover of Optische Werkstätte Janetzki enabled Foitzik to produce its own lenses. In its heyday the company employed 150 people. Warehouses Kaufhof and Quelle sold Foitzik's camera, exports went to 60 countries. The decline began with Karl Foitzik's sudden death in an car accident. His wife Margarethe led the company until it was closed in 1958.
120 film
Foinix (6x6)
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| Foitzik Foinix (6x6), second model image by Gary Pearce (Image rights) |
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| Foinix (6x6), Film Memo Knob image by Gary Pearce (Image rights) |
- Format: 120 6x6
- Lens: Foinar 1:4.5/ 75mm
- Aperture: 4.5 - 22
- Shutter: Vario 1/25 - 1/200 with double exposure lock
- Viewfinder: optical direct vision viewfinder in top cover
- Flash: PC terminal
- Film Memo Knob
Model Variations
First model cameras have a straigth topcover, second model cameras, starting from c1954 have a hump at the viewfinders location.
Other observed Lens/Shutter combinations :
Name Variations
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| Atlantic 6x6, Back image by Hans Kerensky (Image rights) |
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| Atlantic 6x6, Film Memo Knob image by Hans Kerensky (Image rights) |
A name variant of The Foinix (6x6) is the Atlantic 6x6. According to McKeowns[2] the Atlantic is a name variant of the Mess-Foinix (with rangefinder) and produced for a Swedish Mail-Order house. However there are also Atlantic folders observed with only a viewfinder[3]. That Atlantic 6x6 has a part of its Film Memo scale colored.
Performance
The optics are a little primitive; however, the camera is simple and easy to use if you don't mind having to either use a separate rangefinder for perfect accuracy or accept that focus may be a little rough. The flash mount often will not synchronise properly.
Foinix Ori
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| Foinix Ori image by Alf Sigaro (Image rights) |
- Format: 120 6x6
- Lens: Foinar 1:5.6 / 75mm Trier AR
- Aperture: sunny (1:11) and clouded (1:5.6)
- Shutter: everset flash synchronized, 1/25 sec. , 1/75 sec. plus B
- Viewfinder: optical
Foinix Orito/Foitzik Reporter
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| Reporter image by Graustark (Image rights) |
- Format: 120 6x6
- Lens: Reporter Anastigmat 1:4.5/ 75mm
- Aperture: 4.5 - 22
- Shutter: flash synchronized, 1/25 - 1/200 plus B
- Viewfinder: optical
Foinix OS
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| Foinix O.S Trier AR N° 292 image by Donald Poirier (Image rights) |
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| Foinix OS 1957 Advertisement scanned by Geoff Harrisson (Image rights) |
Mess-Foinix (rangefinder)
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| Foitzik Mess-Foinix image by radspix (Image rights) |
- Production 1954 till 1957[2]
- Format: 120 6x6
- Observed Lens/Shutter combinations :
Foinar 1:3.5 / 75mm in a Prontor-SVS shutter - Uncoupled rangefinder
Unca (6x6)
35mm film
Foica
Foinix (35mm)
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| Foitzik Foinix 35 image by Fredrik Alpstedt (Image rights) |
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| Foinix 35 with box image by Christoph Blau (Image rights) |
Foizica
Unca (35mm)
References
Links
- Feinmechanische page at Collection G. Even's site (in French)
- Foitzik history (german) at tiefenschaerfe Blog (archived)
