Germany

Germany has a long history of producing high quality film cameras and is home to a number of famous camera manufacturers and factories. In the early 20th century Germany had a number of companies manufacturing a wide range of cameras and lenses, including Zeiss, founded in 1846 by Carl Zeiss.

Zeiss is known for manufacturing high quality cameras and lenses and has played a significant role in the development of the motion picture camera industry. The company is known for its precision engineering and dedication to making cameras capable of capturing stunningly detailed images.

Another iconic German camera manufacturer is Leica, founded in 1913 by optical engineer Oskar Barnack. The company is known for making rangefinder cameras that photographers value for their precision and reliability. Over the years, Leica has introduced a number of innovations to the motion picture camera industry, including the first 35mm camera and the first practical 35mm rangefinder camera.

In addition to Zeiss and Leica, there are a number of other camera manufacturers and factories in Germany, including Rollei, which was founded in 1920 by Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke, Agfa and Contax, which was founded in 1932. These companies have played a significant role in the development of the motion picture camera industry and have helped establish Germany as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality motion picture cameras. Later there was a shift in production to Asia and Germany as a production location became less relevant.

Not to forget, there were also a large number of manufacturers of analogue cameras in the GDR.

Cameras made in Germany

• Single lens reflex camera
• 35mm

Agfa Ambiflex

An Agfa single-lens reflex camera for the 35mm format.

• Box camera
• 120

Agfa Click II

A roll film camera by Agfa.

• Twin-lens reflex camera
• 35mm

Agfa Flexilette

A 35mm camera with two lenses and a shaft finder.

• Viewfinder camera
• 120

Agfa Isola

A mechanical roll film camera from Agfa.

• Viewfinder camera
• 120

Agfa Isola I

A 1950's roll film camera from Germany.

• Viewfinder camera
• 120

Agfa Isola II

The Agfa Isola II is a German roll film camera.

• Viewfinder camera
• 120

Agfa Isolette II

The Agfa Isolette II is a foldable medium format camera from the 1950s made in Germany.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Agfa Karat 4.5

The Agfa Karat 4.5 is a viewfinder camera with folding mechanism from the 1930s by the Agfa company.

• Bellow camera
• 120

Agfa Super Isolette

A folding medium format camera from Agfa.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Arette A

The Arette A is a 35mm camera from the late 1950s from a German company.

• Viewfinder camera
• 127

Bilora Bella

The Bilora Bella is a 127 camera from the 1950s.

• Single lens reflex camera
• 35mm

Contarex Professional

The Contarex Professional is a SLR camera from Zeiss Ikon.

• Single lens reflex camera
• 35mm

Contarex Super

The Contarex Super is a German 35mm camera from the 1960s.

• Viewfinder camera
• 120

Franka Solida I

The Franka Solida I is a viewfinder camera.

• Viewfinder camera
• 110

Kodak Ektra 200

The Kodak Ektra 200 is a pocket film camera from the 80s.

• Viewfinder camera
• 126

Kodak Instamatic 155X

A 126 Instamatic camera from the 1970's by Eastman Kodak.

• Viewfinder camera
• 126

Kodak Instamatic 324

A viewfinder camea for 126 film with a Rodenstock lens.

• Viewfinder camera
• 126

Kodak Instamatic 33

A snapshot camera for 126 films.

• Viewfinder camera
• 126

Kodak Instamatic 355X

A 126 Instamatic camera from the 70s.

• Viewfinder camera
• 126

Kodak Instamatic 500

An Instamatic camera by Kodak Germany.

• Instant camera
• HS 144-10

Kodak Kodamatic 950

The Kodak Kodamatic 950 is an instant camera from the photo pioneer of the 80s.

• Rangefinder camera
• Sheet film

Linhof Technika Press

The Linhof Technika Press is a press camera from the 1950s in Germany.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei 35

The Rollei 35 is a compact camera from the 1960s and one of the most legendary cameras from Germany.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei 35 Classic

The Rollei 35 Classic is a compact camera from Rollei Fototechnic.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei 35 Classic Gold 75th Anniversary

The Rollei 35 Classic Gold 75th Anniversary is a special edition for Rollei's 75th birthday.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei 35 Classic Royal Urushi

The Rollei 35 Classic Royal Urushi is a 35mm camera. It is part of the group of viewfinder cameras.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei B 35

The Rollei B 35 is a viewfinder camera from Rollei with a selenium exposure meter.

• Viewfinder camera
• 35mm

Rollei C 35

The Rollei C 35 is a 35mm camera without a light meter from the late 1960s in the Rollei 35 series.

• Single lens reflex camera
• 126

Rolleiflex SL26

The Rolleiflex SL26 is an SLR camera for the Kodak 126 format.