Gamma OMP
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| Gamma II rangefinder camera with Angénieux F. 50 1:2.9 Type Z5 standard lens image by Joe Lin (Image rights) |
Gamma from Italy should not be confused with Gamma Optikail Művek of Budapest, Hungary, makers of the Gamma Duflex.
Gamma (Gamma Officine Meccaniche de Precisione) was an Italian camera maker founded by Ireneo Rossi and based in Rome. It worked together with lens maker Koristka in Milan and later Officine Galileo. It made the rangefinder camera Gamma as well the Perla. Gamma ceased camera production in 1957 or 1958. The Gamma shutter consists of two curved aluminium curtains and each curtain has a curved toothed rack which is engaged by a spring loaded pinion. The spring loadings are adjustable to balance the curtain crossing speeds. Being seven years and scores of cameras since I restored my Gamma III I cannot recall the curtain latching method but like the Leica mechanism the curtain crossing speeds are fixed and the shutter fast speeds are controlled by the slit width between the curtains. The slow shutter speeds are controlled by an escapement and can be engaged by a lever under the fast dial while the fast dial is at any setting. To engage any fast speeds the slow lever must be set on the red asterisk.
Cameras
- Gamma II (the first Gamma and with a Bayonet mount, view and rangefinder but no slow speeds)
- Gamma IIa (prototype with LTM and one camera with slow speeds)
- Gamma IIab (production prototypes of the IIa)
- Gamma I (a rare version of the II without rangefinder)
- Gamma III (the most prolific Gamma with LTM and slow speeds)
- Gamma III-A (a Gamma III with base casette opening key)
- Gamma III-B (a Gamma III-A with bulb flash synch)
- Gamma Aeronautica Militaire (a Gamma III marked Aeronautica Militaire and with a baseplate with 1/4 and 3/8 tripod sockets)
- Gamma R (a medical/scientific camera with Gamma III shutter mechanism but no view/rangefinder and a low rise top plate)
- Gamma Microlab (a Gamma body with flat top plate and a compur type shutter)
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| Alba image by eBayer lauraartist68shop (Image rights) |
Links
- Brief company history at Ian Norris' Leica Copy website (archived)
- Gamma cameras at Fotocamere Italiane (Japanese)
- OFFICINE GAMMA - Roma at Fotocamere Italiane 1946-1964 (in Italian)
- Gamma II serial no. 10751, with SOM Berthiot 50mm f/2.8 anastigmat, sold at the 42nd Leitz Photographica Auction, in September 2023
