Meopta - optika, s.r.o. is a

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

based company that manufactures various products mainly in the field of

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultrav ...

. The company was once well-known for its still and movie cameras, although it no longer manufactures such products.

History

Optikotechna company was founded in 1933 in Přerov,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Originally established with the intention of producing a limited range of lenses and condensers, the company rapidly expanded the range of products to include enlargers, composite lenses, binoculars, riflescopes, cameras and slide projectors. After 1935, Meopta optika became a subsidiary of

Zbrojovka Brno Pre-war Československá zbrojovka, akc.spol. (or a.s.) (Czechoslovak Armory)and post-war Zbrojovka Brno, n.p.(Brno Armory) was a maker of small arms, light artillery, and motor vehicles in Brno, Czechoslovakia. It also made other products and ...

and a major supplier of military optics for the Czechoslovak Army. Company retained its focus on military production when it was seized by Germans during the

occupation of Czechoslovakia Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

as well as after WW2, when it was nationalized and renamed to Meopta – an acronym for MEchanická OPTická výrobA ("mechanical optical manufacturing"). In 1945 the company merged with Bratislava subsidiary of C. P. Goerz. Apart from military deliveries, the company became one of the world's major manufacturers of cinema projectors between 1947 and 1970. The abrupt halt of military demand after the dissolution of

Warsaw pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist repub ...

forced the company to refocus mainly on civilian applications. The company was privatized in 1992. The majority owners became the members of the Rausnitz family who emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1946. During WWII the Rausnitz brothers had been active soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps and were decorated for their service. Meopta U.S.A., Inc. was founded by the same Czech-American family in New York in 1960 under the name ''Tyrolit Company, Inc.'' At that time, its main business was selling grinding wheels in US and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Tyrolit gradually changed its focus to manufacturing various optical products and in 2005 was renamed to Meopta U.S.A., Inc. In December 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a decision to provide a subsidy from the OPEI for the Modernization of Meopta Research and Development project, so that the following year the development building could be reconstructed and research and development capacities were significantly expanded. In 2013, the company had 2,200 employees in Přerov and 150 in the USA. Meopta owner Paul Rausnitz received the

Medal of Merit Several countries award a military or civil medal called Medal of Merit: * Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) * Medal of Merit (Denmark) * Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman * Medal of Merit of the National People's Army (East Germany) * Medal o ...

for the State in the field of business from the hands of the President of the Republic

Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Cze ...

on October 28.

Cameras

TLR 6x6 * Flexette * Autoflex * Optiflex *

Flexaret Flexaret is a brand of cameras manufactured from 1939 to 1970 in Czechoslovakia by the company Meopta. All models of Flexaret are twin-lens reflex cameras with aluminum body, taking square "6×6" format photographs on a 120 roll film. Some models w ...

II * Flexaret III * Flexaret IV * Flexaret V * Flexaret Standart * Flexaret automat VI * Flexaret automat VII Folding 6x6 * Milona Interchangeable lens (viewfinder/rangefinder) 35mm * Opema I/II Fixed lens 35mm * Optineta * Etareta Stereo 35mm * Stereo 35 16mm Subminiature * Mikroma * Mikroma II * Mikroma Police * Mikroma II snake skin Large format 13x18 * Magnola

Movie Cameras

8 mm Cameras * OP 8 (1939) * Sonet 8 (1956) * Admira 8 D (1946–47) * Admira 8 IIa (1954) * Admira 8 F (1960–64) * Admira EL 8 (1960) - one and only camera having the Zoom lens * Admira 8 G1 (1966–68) * Admira 8 G2 (1966) * Admira 8 G0 (1968–73) * Admira 8 G1 Supra (1968–71) * Admira 8 G2 Supra (1968–71) * Admira 8 L1 Supra (1971) * Admira 8 L2 Supra (1971) :''Supra is an indication for Super 8.'' 9.5 mm Cameras * Admira Ledvinka (Pocket) (1934) 16 mm Cameras * Admira 16 (1937) * Admira 16 A1 el. (1963–68)

Movie Projectors

8 mm and 9.5 mm Projectors * Scolar (1934) * Sonet 8 (1938) * OP 8 (1936) * Optilux (1945–50) * Jubilar 9.5 (1945–50) * Atom (1940–45) * Meo 8 (1954–60) * AM 8 (1960–69) * Meocord (1966–67) * AM 8 Super (1967–70) * Meolux I (1969) * Meolux II (1972–77) * Meos (1978) * Meos Duo (1977–86) * KP 8-2 Super (1976–80) 16 mm Projectors * OP16 silent and sound (1938) * OP 16 (1951) * Opefon (1945) * Almo 16 (1936) * Pictureta (1936) * Meopton I (1945–50) * Meopton II (1945–50) * Meopton IIa (1966) * Club 16 (1962–63) * Meoclub 16 (1965) * Meoclub 16 Automatic (1968) * Meoclub 16 Automatic H (1970) * Meoclub 16 Standard (1974–78) * Meoclub 16 Electronic (1980–84) * Meoclub 16 AS 2 (1982–84) * Meoclub 16 Electronic 2 (1984) 35 mm Projectors * Eta 7 (1947) * Meopton III (1955–57) * Meopton IV (1959) - IV S with magnetic soundhead * UM 70/35 (1963–73) * MEO 5X series (1978-?)

Sport optics

Meopta is producing Binoculars,

Telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a '' reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate ...

Red dot sight A red dot sight is a common classification for a type of non- magnifying reflector (or reflex) sight for firearms, and other devices that require aiming, that gives the user a point of aim in the form of an illuminated red dot. A standard desig ...

s and

Monocular A monocular is a compact refracting telescope used to magnify images of distant objects, typically using an optical prism to ensure an erect image, instead of using relay lenses like most telescopic sights. The volume and weight of a mono ...

s on the field of sport optics and caters hunters, birdwatchers and sport shooters. In 2019 the production includes the following series of products: Binoculars: * Meostar B1 * MeoRange (available only in EU, with laser rangefinder integrated) * MeoPro HD * MeoSport * Optika HD Rifle Scopes * Steyr AUG factory optics * MeoTac * MeoStar R2 * Meostar R1 * MeoPro Optika 6 * MeoPro * ZD Reflex sights * MeoSight III * MeoRed

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Photography companies of the Czech Republic Companies of Czechoslovakia Lens manufacturers Cameras Czech brands Manufacturing companies established in 1933 1933 establishments in Czechoslovakia