Bolta
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| Photavit with Compur-Rapid shutter image by Rick Soloway (Image rights) |
Johann Bolten founded the Bolta GmbH in Nuremberg in 1921. He emigrated to the USA where he founded a second factory. His German factory began making cameras in 1935; two years later it was renamed Photavit-Werk GmbH. In 1946, Bolten returned to Germany as a US citizen and restarted the German company.
Bolta made the Boltavit and Photavit models from 1936 to the late 1950s. The early models used unperforated paper-backed 35mm film on special spools, called Bolta film. A late version of the 1950s was named Photina. A typical 1950s camera was the rollfilm TLR Photina Reflex for type No. 120 film, marketed by Sears as Tower Reflex and by Obergassner as OGA Reflex.
The company stopped making cameras in 1957 and was after that only a producer of specialized plastic components for industry. In 2022 the bankrupt Bolta-Werke were bought by the German-Czech company Winning Plastics a.s. [1].
Contents
Cameras
35mm film cameras
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| Photavit with Prontor shutter image by Rick Soloway (Image rights) |
Unless otherwise noted, these use unperforated 35mm film in special Bolta film cartridges.
Fixed lens
- Boltavit (1936) identified by external hinges
- Boltavit II (1937) identified by internal hinges.
- Photavit I (1938) same housing as Boltavit II
- Photavit II (1938)
- Photavit III (1946)
- Photavit IV (1948) advertised as "world's smallest 35mm camera"
- Photavit V (1951)
Rangerfinder, interchangeable lens
- Photavit 36 (1956-1958), uses standard 35mm cartridges
Bolta roll film cameras
- Photavit (1937)
120 film cameras
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| Photina TLR for 120 film image by I is someone else (Image rights) |
- Photavit Photina (aka Sears Tower Rediflex II)
- Photavit Photina Reflex II (aka OGA-Reflex)
- Photavit Photina Reflex III (aka Sears Tower Reflex 30)
828 film cameras
- Photavit 828
Super-8 cine cameras
- Photavit Super-8 S800 (1972) manufactured by Chinon
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| Photavit with cassette loader image by Inspiredphotos (Image rights) |
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| Photavit miniature full frame 35mm camera in original box with film loader and film cartridges, 1938-46. images by rst12. (Image rights) | |
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| Leaflet by the British distributor Seeing Camera. Scan by rebollo_fr (Image rights) |
Notes
Links
- Bolta Werke history at Bolta Werke, GmbH - official website (archived)
- Boltavit and Photavit cameras at Submin.com
- Photavit/Boltavit page at Classic Cameras (archived)
