Adox POLOmat 1 (1959–1964)

A 35mm viewfinder camera with a selenium meter and a Schneider lens. It never asked to be taken seriously, and it still gets used on film walks today.

Overview

The Adox POLOmat 1 has no heavy brass chassis and no satisfying mechanical clunk. The body flexes a little, and the lens sits there trying not to be noticed. It's the camera you toss in a bag for a weekend in the hills, a tool that fades into the background so you can take pictures. Introduced in 1959, it landed in a crowded field of German 35mm viewfinder cameras, many from brands with more pedigree. Adox wasn't primarily a camera maker. It was a film company that dabbled in hardware, and that shows. It also means they skipped the pretense. This camera was never going to win a beauty contest, but it was supposed to work.

The POLOmat 1 is a zone-focus camera with a selenium light meter mounted on the front, flanking the lens like a pair of old-fashioned sideburns. It uses 135 film in standard cassettes, exposes 24x36mm frames, and has manual controls - aperture, shutter speed and focus, all set by hand. The lens is a Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar 2.8/45mm, a three-element design. It won't give Leica-level resolution, but it gives a soft, almost painterly look that some call flawed and others call charming. The shutter is a Prontor 500 LK, with speeds from 1/15 to 1/500 second, plus Bulb and a self-timer. It's not fast, but it works. What sets the POLOmat 1 apart from its non-metered sibling, the basic Polo, is the selenium meter. It needs no batteries. Light hitting the cell powers the exposure needle in the viewfinder. You match the needle by adjusting aperture or shutter speed, and if you're close, you'll likely get a usable exposure. It's not precise by modern standards, but for daylight shooting with ISO 100 film it gets you in the ballpark.

Pick up the POLOmat 1 and you notice the weight first, because there's almost none. The body is mostly plastic, with only the top and bottom plates in chrome-plated metal. The film pressure plate and winding crank are metal too, which is where durability counts. The lens barrel is mostly plastic. The focus ring turns with a slightly gritty resistance, especially on un-serviced examples. The shutter release has a mushy, shallow travel that leaves you wondering if anything happened until you check the film counter. There's no audible snap, just a faint whisper of the shutter closing. There's no self-timer or cable release lock, though the shutter button is threaded, and that makes tripod work a patience game. The routine is simple: load the film, set the ISO reminder on the rewind knob, wind, meter, focus, shoot. Repeat.

Specifications

Key Features

The Schneider Radionar Lens: Simple, Not Spectacular

The Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar 2.8/45mm sounds impressive on paper, since it's Schneider, but don't expect the contrast of a Summicron. It's a three-element, three-group design, built for economy and compactness. It's sharp in the center at f/5.6 to f/8, but wide open it leans soft, especially toward the edges. Some shooters report better performance at closer distances. It doesn't demand perfect technique, and it doesn't punish minor focusing errors. That softness can work for portraits or moody street scenes where absolute sharpness isn't the goal. The bokeh is unremarkable, neither creamy nor harsh. The lens also has a slight glow and a touch of haze in strong backlight, and it looks more like a 1960s snapshot than a clinical modern lens. If you're chasing resolution, look elsewhere.

Selenium Meter Without the Batteries

Before battery-dependent CdS cells, selenium was the go-to for built-in meters. The POLOmat 1's meter sits in a ring around the lens and collects light to drive a needle in the viewfinder. No batteries, no expiration date - but also no second chances. Selenium cells degrade over time, especially if left in bright sunlight. Many surviving POLOmat 1s have dead or sluggish meters, not because they were poorly made, but because the technology has a shelf life. When it works, the meter is usable but not precise, so treat it as a guide. The needle responds slowly in low light, and the match-needle system requires you to adjust either aperture or shutter speed until the needle centers. There's no automation and no circuitry, just a mechanical link between light and needle. If the meter's dead, you're left with a non-metered camera that still works fine, just like its sibling, the Polo 1.

Plastic Body, Metal Soul

The POLOmat 1 feels light, almost too light. The body is injection-molded plastic, a cost-saving move that also made the camera more portable. But Adox didn't skimp everywhere. The top and bottom plates are chrome-plated metal, the film pressure plate is steel, and the winding lever and back latch are metal too. This hybrid construction keeps weight down while preserving durability in critical areas. The plastic lens barrel is a known weak point. Decades of use (or disuse) can leave it stiff or cracked. Service technicians observe that a full CLA (clean, lubricate, adjust) often includes disassembling the lens unit to re-grease the focus helicoid. The film advance is generally reliable, but owners report occasional double-wind issues. Sometimes the shutter doesn't cock fully on the first stroke, and it needs a second partial wind. That's less a design flaw than a quirk of age and wear. The tripod socket is molded into the plastic base. Over-tightening a tripod screw can strip it, so hand-tight only.

Historical Context

The POLOmat 1 emerged in 1959, when 35mm viewfinder cameras were everywhere. Leica and Contax still ruled the high end, but mid-tier brands like Kodak, Wirgin, and Braun were pushing compact, affordable options. Adox, primarily known for film, had dabbled in cameras since the 1930s, initially by repurposing Wirgin designs after the Nazi regime seized the Wirgin brothers' factory. By the 1950s, Adox was developing its own lines, and the Polo series was its attempt to carve out a niche in the budget-friendly 35mm market. The POLOmat 1 sat just above the basic Polo 1, with the selenium meter as its main upgrade. It competed with cameras like the Kodak Retina IIIS, the Braun Paxette, and the Wirgin Edinex, all offering similar specs at similar prices. Unlike those, the POLOmat 1 never gained a strong reputation for build or optics. It was a working photographer's backup or a beginner's first camera. Production ended in 1964, just as SLRs were beginning to dominate. The POLOmat 1 didn't evolve much. Its successors, the Polomat 1S and Polomatic 3, added brighter viewfinders or auto-exposure, and the line faded as Adox exited the camera business entirely by 1965.

Collectibility & Value

The POLOmat 1 isn't a collector's darling. It's affordable, accessible and functional, which makes it a favorite among film shooters who want a vintage camera without the vintage price tag. As of 2025, working examples in good condition sell for $20 - $40 on the open market. Mint or boxed units might fetch $60 - $70, but they're rare. The biggest variable in value is the meter. A responsive, accurate selenium cell adds $10 - $15 to the price. A dead meter doesn't ruin the camera, since you can still use a handheld meter, but it does remove one of the main reasons to choose the POLOmat 1 over the cheaper, non-metered Polo 1.

Common failures include degraded selenium cells, stiff or frozen focus mechanisms, and shutter blades that stick at slow speeds. The Prontor 500 LK shutter is generally reliable, but if it hasn't been serviced in decades, it may need cleaning. Service technicians observe that slow speeds (1/15, 1/30) are most prone to inconsistency. A full CLA typically costs $60 - $100, which can exceed the camera's value, so most buyers accept minor flaws. When purchasing, check that the shutter fires at all speeds, the film advances smoothly, and the meter needle moves in changing light. Also inspect the viewfinder for haze or fungus, and make sure the lens elements are clean and free of separation. The plastic body is prone to scuffs, but structural cracks near the lens mount or film door are red flags.

The POLOmat 1 won't replace a Leica, but it also costs less than a roll of film. Load it with ISO 100 or 200 film, set the focus to 2.5 meters, and shoot at f/8 or f/11 in daylight. You'll get usable negatives, soft in places, dreamy in others.

eBay Listings

Adox Polomat 1 Avec Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar L 2.8/45mm

$16.91

Adox Polomat 1 Silver Defekt Rangefinder Radionar 45mm 1:2.8

$18.45

Adox Polomat 1 Housing Bottom Part Silver Replacement Repair

$11.31

Adox Polomat 1 Con Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar L 2.8 / 45mm

$18.12

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