Beier Beirette II (c1939)

A collapsible folder with a fateful reputation—rare, unassuming, and built around one of Rodenstock’s sharpest triplets.

Overview

The Beier Beirette II isn’t a camera that shouts. It doesn’t have the polished brass bravado of a Leica or the mechanical overengineering of a Contax. Instead, it folds quietly into itself, a Klappkamera of singular design, as one listing notes—“Folder de singular diseño, la Beier Beirette II sólo se produce.” That phrase, sparse as it is, might be the most telling thing ever written about it. This wasn’t mass-produced. It didn’t spawn a dynasty. It appeared around 1939, slipped through the prewar years, and vanished without lineage or fanfare. What remains is a camera built for function, yet touched by oddity: a medium format folder housing a Rodenstock Trinar f2.9, a lens that—despite its modest maximum aperture—delivers images with a clarity that belies its era. The shutter, a F. Deckel Compur, spans from 1 second to 1/300 sec, a surprisingly broad range for a folder of this class, suggesting it was meant for more than just snapshot work. Whether it saw professional use or remained a niche offering is unknown. No reviews, no user testimonials, no manuals—just the physical object and the faint echo of its existence in auction listings.

Specifications

Key Features

Rodenstock Trinar f2.9 Lens

The heart of the Beirette II is its Trinar—a triplet design from Rodenstock, a name that carried weight in prewar optics. Triplets are often dismissed as basic, but the Trinar was a cut above, with tighter tolerances and better correction than many contemporaries. At f2.9, it’s not fast by rangefinder standards, but in the context of a folder, it’s ambitious. Owners report images with crisp center resolution and a soft, almost painterly fall-off toward the edges, characteristic of well-executed triplet rendering. It’s not a lens for shallow depth-of-field theatrics, but for 6x9cm negatives, it delivers detail that scales impressively when enlarged.

F. Deckel Compur Shutter (1 – 1/300 sec)

The inclusion of a Compur shutter with a top speed of 1/300 sec is noteworthy. Most folders of this type max out at 1/200 or 1/250 sec, so the extra stop suggests Beier targeted users who needed freezing motion—perhaps press photographers or travelers in bright conditions. The shutter is fully manual, with a separate cocking and firing mechanism, and according to available documentation, it reportedly winds correctly and fires on surviving examples. However, with no service records or known failure patterns, long-term reliability remains an open question. These shutters can gum up after decades of dormancy, and replacement parts are nonexistent.

120 Roll Film Format in a Collapsible Body

The Beirette II uses 120 roll film, producing 6x9cm negatives across 8 exposures. That large negative size was the standard for serious amateur and semi-pro work in the late 1930s, offering detail that 35mm couldn’t touch. The folding design makes the camera remarkably compact when stowed—its bellows collapse inward, and the lens board retracts into the body. It’s a design that prioritizes portability without sacrificing image size, a compromise that defined the folder genre. How it compares to contemporaries like the ICA or Zeiss folders isn’t documented, but its use of 120 film places it firmly in that league.

Collectibility & Value

The Beirette II is not a trophy camera, but it’s not common. Recent listings suggest an average market value of around EUR 150.33, with prices ranging from EUR 59.00 for non-working examples to EUR 240.00 for units described as “good quality” with functional shutters. Minor age-related wear—dings, tarnished chrome, slight bellows deterioration—is expected and accepted in the market. No original cases or accessories are mentioned in the documentation, and no known reproductions exist. Its value lies in its obscurity and completeness: a working example with a clean lens and reliable shutter is considered a solid find, though it doesn’t command premiums like a rare Contessa or a pristine Plaubel.

eBay Listings

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