Balda Baldamatic II (1960)

A 35mm camera from 1960 with coupled light meter and rangefinder, available with interchangeable lens and shutter combinations.

Overview

The Balda Baldamatic II is a 35mm camera made in 1960 by the German company Balda. It has a coupled light meter and a coupled rangefinder, which was advanced for its time. There are two design variants. One has an aperture adjustment dial on the front, beneath the viewfinder. The other adjusts aperture only with a ring concentric to the lens. Balda offered the camera with different lens and shutter combinations. The lenses were the Xenar or the Color-Baldanar, and the shutters were the Pronto-LK or the Prontormat.

Specifications

Lens variants	Xenar; Color-Baldanar
Shutter variants	Pronto-LK; Prontormat
Features	Coupled light meter; Coupled rangefinder
Design variants	One has a dial located on the front, under the viewfinder, used to adjust the aperture. The other lacks this dial, and the aperture adjustment is exclusively made by rotating a ring concentric to the lens.
Speed selection ring features	Symbols: sun/yellow and flash/red, along with a scale graduated in EV (Exposure Value)

Market

The Balda Baldamatic II turns up on the secondhand market. One auction listing on Bob Shop closed on 6 November 2024, and the camera sold with a pouch. An original instruction manual is for sale at $25.00. A forum user on FujiX-Forum noted a winding issue. That may be a known problem, though not necessarily one unique to this model. The camera is considered infrequent in non-specialized garage sales in France.