Petri Racer (1957)

The Petri Racer is a 35mm rangefinder introduced in 1957 — the first in a family of Petri cameras sharing the same basic body, and the cheapest of that Racer series. It was designed by Josef Hampl and sold in the American market under the Racer name, with the word "RACER" printed on the top plate. At Sears it went for $24.95, a price point that sat below the cheapest Leica of the day.

The camera pairs a fixed Petri Orikkor 45mm f/2.8 lens with a Seikosha MXL leaf shutter offering speeds from 1 to 1/500 second plus Bulb. The lens stops down to f/16. It has a partially die-cast body with chrome metal and matching black leather trim, and a small circular viewfinder. A coupled, direct-reading selenium meter sits on the body — no batteries required — and the film speed range covers ASA 25 to 400.

What survives of the record is mostly collector documentation rather than period press, though one period review in High Fidelity (February 1978, p.104) discusses contemporary opera recordings. The broad outline is corroborated across several sources: the 1957 introduction, the Orikkor 45mm f/2.8 lens, the Seikosha MXL shutter, and the selenium meter all check out in at least two or three independent accounts. One point of disagreement: the lens is described as a three-element triplet in a forum-quoted article, while a chart on petrifiles.net lists a possible four-element design. Given that the Racer was the low-end model, the triplet claim seems more plausible, but the record isn't definitive, so take that spec as unconfirmed.

The most common issue collectors report is the selenium meter failing with age — it reads wrong values or dies entirely, though the camera remains usable by guessing exposure.

Known specifications:

- Type: 35mm rangefinder

- Introduced: 1957

- Lens: Petri Orikkor 45mm f/2.8, aperture range f/2.8–f/16

- Shutter: Seikosha MXL leaf, B plus 1–1/500 sec

- Meter: Coupled selenium, ASA 25–400

- Viewfinder: Small circular

- Original price: $24.95 at Sears