Balda Baldalux (1953–1956)
A folding camera made in West Germany with interchangeable lens-shutter units and support for three medium format film sizes.
Overview
The Balda Baldalux is a folding medium format camera. Balda Kamera Werk Rudolf Grüter KG built it from 1953 to 1956 in the Federal Republic of Germany. It followed the more advanced Baldafix models. Reducer masks let it shoot three film formats - 6 x 9, 4.5 x 6, and 6 x 6. It has an optical viewfinder and a film transport system protected by German patents from 1952. You can spot it by the long, streamlined hood that fully encases one side of the body.
Specifications
| Film format | 6 x 9, 4.5 x 6, and 6 x 6 (using reducer masks) |
| Lens specification | Multiple lenses existed; common Radionar is 105mm f/4.5 |
| Viewfinder | Optical viewfinder (patent No. DE1641387 from 1952) |
| Film transport | Film transport system (patent No. DE1633996 from 1952) |
| Back features | Three non-actinic red windows |
Design
That hood is the giveaway. The Baldalux also had better lenses and shutters than the contemporary Baldafix models. Several lens-shutter combinations were offered over the production years, including Radionar and Trinar lenses paired with Prontor-SV, Prontor-SVS, and Synchro-Compur shutters.
Context
After WWII, Max Baldeweg restarted camera production in the Federal Republic of Germany under the Balda brand, while the East German factory was renamed Belca. West German Balda models looked a lot like the pre-war designs, and many of them were folding cameras for 120 film. The Baldalux followed the Baldafix series and added 6 x 6 to the existing 6 x 9 and 4.5 x 6 options. Balda Kamera Werk Rudolf Grüter KG filed the Baldalux patents in 1953. The "Rudolf Grüter KG" name later dropped out of subsequent patents.
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