The Mecaflex is a 35mm SLR camera for 50 exposures of 24 × 24 mm. It was presented at the

photokina Photokina (rendered in the promoters' branding as "photokina") is a trade fair held in Europe for the photographic and imaging industries. It is the world's largest such trade fair. The first Photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, a ...

in Cologne in 1951, and launched commercially about two years later. The design is by

Heinz Kilfitt Heinz Kilfitt was born on 29 May 1898 in Hörntrop-Wattenscheid, Germany; he died on 11 August 1980 in Munich, Germany. He is probably best known for the design of the spring driven 35mm ''Robot'' still cameras taking 24×24mm frames on 135 film as ...

, who is also known for designing the original ''Robot camera'' and the ''Kowa Six''. The camera is equipped with the newly developed '' Prontor-Compur'' (PC) reflex shutter, which would pave the way for reputable camera designs such as the 1953 ''

Contaflex The Contaflex series is a family of 35mm leaf-shuttered SLR cameras, produced by Zeiss Ikon in the 1950s and 1960s. The name was first used in 1935 on a 35mm Twin-lens reflex camera, the ''Contaflex TLR'' also by Zeiss Ikon, the -flex part in ...

'', the 1956 '' Retina Reflex'', the 1957 '' Hasselblad 500'', and the 1959 '' Voigtländer Bessamatic''. However, it does not have the built-in eye-level pentaprism finder, which was first seen on 35mm SLR cameras in 1949. Instead, it has a

waist-level finder The waist-level finder (WLF), also called waist-level viewfinder (WLVF), is a type of viewfinder that can be used on twin lens and single lens reflex cameras. While it is typically found on older medium format cameras, some newer and/or 35 mm c ...

with a central split-image

rangefinder A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...

complemented by large full frame magnifier incorporating a central

loupe A loupe ( ) is a simple, small magnification device used to see small details more closely. They generally have higher magnification than a magnifying glass, and are designed to be held or worn close to the eye. A loupe does not have an attached h ...

that covers the rangefinder central area.

Description

The complete camera top, hinged at the front, is a flush cover with no protruding controls. When flipped open, it reveals the

. On the right-hand side is the single-stroke wind-on lever with the manual reset frame counter on top, and next to it the remote-release-threaded shutter button. On the left-hand side is the rewind knob with a film reminder on top. When the top lid is fully opened, the large square magnifier swings up over the

focusing screen A focusing screen is a flat translucent material, either a ground glass or Fresnel lens, found in a system camera that allows the user of the camera to preview the framed image in a viewfinder. Often, focusing screens are available in variant ...

. An action finder is also incorporated into the top cover. At the base are the ¼ inch tripod socket, the A/R (advance/rewind) switch, and a release button for the removable back. The Mecaflex is equipped with a unique breech-lock lens mount operated by a lever at five-o-clock at the front. Sliding the lever toward six-o-clock releases the lens. The shutter speed dial surrounds the lens mount. The semi-automatic preset lens

diaphragm Diaphragm may refer to: Anatomy * Thoracic diaphragm, a thin sheet of muscle between the thorax and the abdomen * Pelvic diaphragm or pelvic floor, a pelvic structure * Urogenital diaphragm or triangular ligament, a pelvic structure Other * Diap ...

is automatically closed by a small protrusion at seven-o-clock at the lens mount, but activated manually by an anti-clockwise turn of the

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An ...

ring while depressing a small release button on it and then returned to the required preset aperture value. In this way, the lens is wide open for bright finder image and ready to instantly close down upon shutter release. A focusing lever is situated on the left-hand lens control. A PC sync. contact is situated at the edge of the lens panel. The

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand Est ...

manufactured cameras also has an M/ X

synchronisation Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For example, the conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or ''in time''. Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are said to be synchronou ...

selector on the opposite side on the lens panel, and the fastest shutter speed is 1/300 sec. The Mecaflex is built of precision cast metal alloy parts with a matte chrome finish and decorated with a striped black body covering material. The camera, at first a Metz product for which Kilfitt was to supply the lenses, was manufactured at the

Metz Apparatefabrik Metz-Werke GmbH & Co. KG was a German consumer electronic manufacturer, Besides Loewe and TechniSat, Metz was the only remaining TV manufacturer which developed and produced their devices in Germany. Its head office is in Zirndorf, Bavaria. ...

in Fürth, Germany; but reputedly, due to conflicting interests, the production was taken over by Kilfitt and moved to Monaco in 1958, and manufactured there for another seven years. Apart from the SEROA markings at the top to this effect, these later cameras have a different fine grain body covering material, the shutter speed extend to 1/250 sec. and the M/X flash sync switch is left out, the feature conspicuously missing on the top left of the lens panel.{{cite book, title=The Collector's Guide to CLASSIC CAMERAS 1945–1985, author=John Wade, publisher=Hove Books, Small Dole UK, year=1999, isbn=1-897802-11-0 Kilfitt was a reputable lens manufacturer, well known for designs like the 1955 ''Macro Kilar'' series and the manufacture of the ''

Voigtländer Voigtländer () was a significant long-established company within the optics and photographic industry, headquartered in Braunschweig, Germany, and today continues as a trademark for a range of photographic products. History Voigtländer was fo ...

2.8 / 32-86 mm Zoomar''. He started lens manufacturing in Munich in 1941 and expanded production to Liechtenstein in 1947, but production was later gathered in Munich. However, only a limited number of lenses were made for the Mecaflex: * Kilfitt Kilar 1:2.8 F=40 licensed by Benoist Berthiot, Paris * Kilfitt Kilar 1:3.5 / 40 manufactured by Heinz Kilfitt, München * Kilfitt Tele-Kilar 1:4 /105 The camera came in a small box complete with a zippered case and a metal neck strap. Accessories included an add-on eyelevel mirror finder that would attach inside the folding finder.

Two versions

Metz Mecaflex: * Manufactured from 1953 on, for about five years * Shutter speeds B, 1 to 1/300 sec. * M/X synchronisation selector switch * Striped pattern body cover Kilfitt Mecaflex: *Manufactured in Monaco from 1958 on by SEROA, for about seven years * Shutter speeds B, 1 to 1/250 sec. * No M/X synchronisation selector switch * Fine-grained pattern body cover

References

135 film cameras SLR cameras Metz cameras