In 1920, the Wirgin company was founded in Germany by brothers Heinrich, Josef and Max Wirgin. They built moving-base plate cameras and later the Gewirette, a compact camera for 127 roll film. This was followed in the mid-1930s by the Edinex, a 35mm camera that was also built as the Adrette for the Adox company.
As part of the “Aryanization”, the company was confiscated by the German state in 1938 and integrated into the Dr. Schleußner Adox works. The reason for this was the Jewish origin of the company founders. The three brothers were able to flee to the USA with help.
After the end of the war, Heinrich Wirgin, who in the meantime changed his name to Henry Wirgin, returned to Germany. The company was reestablished in Wiesbaden. The production of cameras was resumed. Max Wirgin remained in the United States and founded Camera Specialty Company (Caspeco) in New York. The company distributed various photographic products and also imported cameras from Germany.
An administrative official in the American occupation zone put Wirgin in touch with Heinz Waaske. Heinz Waaske was born in 1924 in Berlin, where he served an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic. He later served in the Wehrmacht, suffered serious injuries and was taken prisoner of war. After the end of the war, he came into contact with camera technology at the Berlin company Krenzin and began designing cameras. In 1948, he completed a prototype for a 16-mm photo camera and sold the plans to the Americans.
At Wirgin Kamerawerke, Heinz Waaske was also hired as a precision mechanic. He quickly rose through the ranks and became head of the experimental workshop, design engineer and finally chief designer. As chief designer, he developed the Edixa Reflex, an SLR camera with automatic central shutter. It was the first camera of its kind from West Germany. Until the Edixamat Reflex and the Edixa-Electronica, he was responsible for Wirgin’s division.
While developing the Edixa 16, a camera for Rollei’s 16mm film cartridges, he noticed the customers’ desire for a compact camera with the largest possible film format. He then developed the smallest possible camera for the popular 35mm format. The prototype did not find favor with Henry Wirgin. In 1965, Heinz Waaske moved to the competitor Rollei and found an open ear for his design there. In 1966, the Rollei 35 was introduced, became a success all over the world and is still one of the most popular and iconic cameras of the German manufacturer.
In 1962, the Franka company from Bayreuth in Bavaria was taken over. Parts of the production of Edixa cameras were built there. In 1967 the Franka factories were closed and in 1968 the production in Wiesbaden. At the beginning of the 1970s, the complete production of cameras was stopped, the pressure and the innovative power of the Japanese manufacturers was too great. Henry Wirgin died at the age of 90s in 1989 in Wiesbaden.
The brand name Edixa of the Wirgin company should have been Edina. Due to a complaint from Kodak AG, because of the danger of confusion with their brand name Retina, it was changed to Edixa. Most cameras were offered by Wirgin under this name. Later, however, the brand was also used by other manufacturers.
For example, a Japanese film camera was sold as Edixa 8mm. The Edixa 2 MTL SLR was developed and built by Cosina in also in Japan. German lens manufacturers A. Schacht, Isco and Schneider-Kreuznach sold lenses with Edixa in the name. Many years later, simple 35 mm cameras and digital cameras from Asian production were also offered with the traditional brand.
