The Fellsphoto Vintage Gallery

my Franka Collection

Solida I, Solida II, Solida IIR, Solida IIL, Solida III, Rolfix I, Rolfix II, Bonafix, Super Frankarette 

Home  >  Franka Collection

The Franka-Kamerawerk in Bayreuth was in its time the biggest camera factory in the Bavarian region of Oberfranken (Upper Frankonia).

In 1958 the company reached its peak with 154 employees and production of 650,000 cameras.

(4220 cameras a year per worker which averages approximately one camera per person every 30 minutes) 

(Click on blue-bordered pictures to see photographs taken with that camera. As yet not all cameras have pictures.)

The cameras are shown here in chronological order:

1951 Bonafix S-K Radionar 2765760 dates this to September 1951   (no pictures taken with this camera yet)
1952 Rolfix  Mk1 Rodenstock Trinar 2575168 dates this to April 1952   (no pictures taken with this camera yet)
1952 Rolfix  Mk2 Rodenstock Trinar 2576604 dates this to April 1952 portfolio of 7 photographs
1952 Solida III S-K Radionar 3152427 dates this to September 1952  (no pictures taken with this camera yet)
1952 Solida III with Schneider-Kreuzach 80mm f2.9 Radionar lens lens s/n 3406253 dates this to December 1952 portfolio of 7 photographs including 1 panorama
1953 Solida III with Rodenstock 80mm f2.9 Trinar lens lens s/n 2709037 dates this to 1953 portfolio of 7 photographs including 3 panoramas
1954 Solida IIR with 75mm f3.5 Enna Ennagon 25561 the Prontor SVS shutter dates this to 1954  portfolio of 3 panoramas
1956 Solida I with 75mm f5.6 Franka lens no serial number but the lens style dates this to 1956-57 (no pictures taken with this camera yet)
1957 Super Frankarette S-K Xenar 4985383 dates this to January 1957 portfolio of 14 photographs
1957 Solida IIR with 75mm f3.5 Ennagon lens 502371 new style lens and EV scale  (no pictures taken with this camera yet)
1957 Solida IIL S-K Xenar 5159810 dates this to June 1957 portfolio of 14 photographs including 5 panoramas
1957 Rolfix S-K Radionar 4768455 dates this to October 1957  (no pictures taken with this camera yet)

The Franka factory was sold to Wirgin in 1962. Production ended in 1966.

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Read the history of Franka-Kamerawerk and see the full range of their cameras here:  http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Franka

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This page launched Wed 26th Jan 2011  :  last modified Wed 1 Sep 2011 at 14:41.