Reflekta II
It reminds a lot contemporary Czech Flexaret TLR's. What I have got is a bit rosty but the lenses are clear and the camera is ready to use. To be honest, the truth is, that everything works and the lenses are clear but who knows the accuracy of the shutter times.
Focusing is done by a lever under the taking lens. The framecounter is a "classic" red window on the back of the camera. Reflecta II was sold with three different shutters, Cludor (B, 1 - 1/200s), Junior or Vebur (B1 - 1/250s). The camera has a flash contact (x sync.)
Twin lens reflex cameras were still in favour during the fifties but soon they were smashed by 35mm rangefinders and SLR's.
This camera is a common 6x6 format TLR utilizing 120 film. It is complete with all parts but has also clearly suffered from the humidity and somehow regardless use. Fortunately there are not heavy marks of unprofessional repair attempts.
Film winding is done by a knob without automatic setting of the shutter so it has to be cocked by the separate lever. The ground glass has an etched lines for aid in composition. The Reflekta II was also exported with a name, Wirgin.
Ferdinand Merkel founded in 1900 a camera workshop Camera-Werk Merkel, Tharandt. In 1932 Ferdinand Merkel developed a Twin - Lens Reflex camera, Reflekta. In the same year the company was taken over by Fritz Richter and the name was changed, Kamera-Werk C. Richter Tharandt. During the WWII the production was ceased. After the war, the company started manufacturing cameras again and was called since 1946 Reflecta Kamera Werke Tharandt and from 1948 Tharandt Kamera Werke (Uh, huh, or perhaps not) . Manufacturing of the post war Reflekta continued until in 1950 when Reflekta II was introduced and the manufacturing of the camera started, now by VEB Welta-Kamerawerk.
Since 1914 existed in the Hainsberg das Weeka-Kamera-Werk, which was founded by Walter Waurich and Theodor Weber. The production consisted of various plate and roll film cameras mostly for the amateur photographers.
In 1946 the company was nationalized and got a name (VEB) Welta-Kamerawerk and from 1947 onwards the production was continued again including the TLRs Reflekta and Reflekta II until 1954 when the Weltaflex TLR was inroduced.
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