Certo Dollina III

A folding camera from Saxony, with a Compur-Rapid shutter.

Overview

The Certo Dollina III is a 35mm folder from the 1930s. Certo marketed it as the most advanced in the Dollina series, and collectors call it Certo's masterpiece. Certo Camera Werk built it in Dresden, during what many describe as the company's golden age. The Dollina II, its slightly simpler sibling, lacks focusing automation. The III puts a coupled rangefinder into the compact folding body, which makes it one of the more sophisticated cameras in Certo's lineup. It was designed for photographers who wanted speed and accuracy in a portable format. Period documentation suggests it was aimed at the serious amateur or the working professional.

The Dollina III wasn't a mass-market camera. It was expensive, complicated, and built to a standard that put quality ahead of quantity. The baroque styling is a term collectors use for the ornate engravings and refined detailing, and it sets the camera apart from the more austere designs of Leica or Contax. This is a camera meant to be noticed, not hidden in a coat pocket. Under the flourish is serious engineering: a focusing wheel with smooth, precise adjustment, and a body that folds down with the clunk of well-machined metal. Owners report that the ergonomics feel surprisingly modern, with controls laid out intuitively for rapid operation.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Certo Camera Werk, Dresden, Germany
Product type	35mm folding camera
Film Type	135 (35mm)
Lens	Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8 Lens
Focus	0.9 meters to infinity
Shutter	Compur-Rapid shutter
Shutter Speeds	T, B & 1 sec to 1/500th

Key Features

Coupled Rangefinder with Focusing Wheel

The coupled rangefinder is what separates the Dollina III from the base model Dollina II. It links the focusing mechanism directly to the rangefinder patch in the viewfinder, so you can focus manually without guessing. A dedicated focusing wheel, positioned for thumb access, turns smoothly and precisely. The focusing mechanism is calibrated from 0.9 meters to infinity, and when the split image aligns, the lens is correctly focused. That was a real advantage in an era when fast lenses and shallow depth of field demanded precision, especially in street or reportage work.

Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8 Lens

Some sources suggest a Zeiss Tessar alternative, but the verified configuration for this model is the Schneider Xenar 5cm f/2.8 lens, a four-element, three-group design known for sharpness and contrast. The 50mm focal length gives a natural field of view on 35mm film, which suits everyday photography. The f/2.8 maximum aperture is not as fast as contemporary f/1.5 or f/2 designs. It was still more than enough for available-light work and balanced speed against optical quality. The lens is uncoated, which can cause flare in high-contrast situations. It also gives a certain softness and glow that some photographers look for today. Build quality matches the rest of the camera.

Compur-Rapid Shutter with 1/500th Speed

Around the lens sits the Compur-Rapid shutter, a leaf shutter known for reliability and precision. It offers speeds from 1 second to 1/500th, plus T and B settings for long exposures, and it was among the fastest leaf shutters available in a folding camera at the time. The 1/500th top speed was a selling point, since it let photographers freeze motion in daylight without neutral density filters. The shutter is cocked manually and has a smooth, positive click at each setting. According to servicing notes, these shutters often survive decades with minimal degradation, provided they were stored properly and exercised periodically. T and B allow time and bulb exposures, useful for night photography or studio work with flashbulbs.

Folding Body with Baroque Styling

The Dollina III's body collapses into a flat profile, which makes it quite portable for its era. When folded, the lens retracts into the body, protected by a sliding front standard. The mechanism uses brass rails and spring-loaded catches that lock the camera open with a solid snap. The baroque styling refers to the intricate engravings on the top plate and rangefinder housing. That attention to detail suggests Certo was marketing the Dollina III as an object of desire as well as a tool. The body is mostly metal with leather covering, though the exact materials and thicknesses are not documented.

Historical Context

The Dollina series was introduced in the mid-1930s, a period widely regarded as Certo's golden age. The Dollina III, as the most advanced model in the line, represented the peak of the company's folding camera development before World War II disrupted production. The broader Certo brand kept manufacturing in the DDR during the 1950s, but the Dollina III itself appears to have been a short-run prewar model, with production possibly limited to 1937-1941. Exact dates remain unconfirmed across sources. It competed in a crowded field of German 35mm folders, including offerings from ICA, Wirgin, and Zeiss Ikon, and stood out through its rangefinder coupling, high-speed shutter, and premium build.