Carl Braun Camera-Werk of

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, Germany, or Braun, as it was more commonly called, was founded as an optical

production house Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

. It is best known for its

35mm 35 mm may refer to: Film * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM, a "musical exhibition" by Ryan Scott Oliver that features music ...

film cameras A movie camera (also known as a film camera and cine-camera) is a type of photographic camera that rapidly takes a sequence of photographs, either onto film stock or an image sensor, in order to produce a moving image to display on a screen. In c ...

named Paxette, and for

slide projector A slide projector is an optical device for projecting enlarged images of photographic slides onto a screen. Many projectors have mechanical arrangements to show a series of slides loaded into a special tray sequentially. 35 mm slide p ...

s named Paximat.

History

The company was founded in 1915 under name of ''Karl Braun KG, Fabrik optischer Geräte und Metallwaren'' for the fabrication of optical appliances and metalware. In 1948, the company began producing box film cameras, in

rollfilm Roll film or rollfilm is any type of spool-wound photographic film protected from white light exposure by a paper backing. The term originated in contrast to sheet film. Confusingly, roll film was originally often referred to as "cartridge" film ...

and 35mm format. It changed its name to ''Carl Braun Camera-Werke''. Its best known model was the Paxette series of 35mm

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

cameras. Most of the company's cameras were

consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...

-level models, though the company did briefly produce several more advanced 35mm

designs as well as an interesting 35mm

single-lens reflex camera In photography, a single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a type of camera that uses a mirror and prism system to allow photographers to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured. SLRs became the dominant design for professional a ...

line with leaf shutters, the Paxette Reflex (Automatic?)/AMC M335 Reflex. The most advanced of Braun's rangefinders and SLRs had interchangeable lenses. Braun ceased making

cameras A camera is an instrument used to capture and store images and videos, either digitally via an electronic image sensor, or chemically via a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. As a pivotal technology in the fields of photograp ...

in the 1960s, in part because of high labour costs and a resultant inability to compete in the consumer level camera

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

, a market increasingly supplied by Japanese firms. Parallel to the camera manufacturing began the development and construction of film slide

projectors A projector or image projector is an optical device that projects an image (or moving images) onto a surface, commonly a projection screen. Most projectors create an image by shining a light through a small transparent lens, but some newer typ ...

. In 1955, under the ''Carl Braun Camera-Werk Nürnberg'' label, the company introduced one of the first semi-automatic slide projectors with a tray magazine to the consumer market named ''Paximat''. Other

innovations Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entit ...

included wired or wireless

remote control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

, automatic focus, brighter

halogen lamps The halogens () are a group in the periodic table consisting of six chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and the radioactive elements astatine (At) and tennessine (Ts), though some authors would e ...

, and variable

brightness Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating/reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception dictated by the luminance of a visual target. The perception is not linear to luminance, and ...

control. Since 1955, about 4 million slide projectors have been built and sold in 120

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

around the world under the names ''Paximat'' or ''Novamat''. Although the company was selling more than four million units by 1997, Braun's overall profitability declined precipitously, and in 2000, the company ceased trading. It was reorganized the following year. In addition to the successful introduction of digital cameras and accessories, in 2003 Braun introduced the Braun Multimag SlideScan 3600 digital scanner for the consumer market. This scanner was based on the Paximat Multimag series of slide projectors, and enables the scanning of slides directly from six different slide trays. New Braun scanners utilize Digital ICE technology. In 2004, Braun changed its name again. It is now known as ''Braun Photo Technik

GmbH (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

'', and continues to sell and/or manufacture slide projectors, other optical goods, and optical business applications.{{Cite web, url=http://www.braun-phototechnik.de/braunphototechnikDe/De/produkte.htm, title = BRAUN Photo Technik Germany – Since 1915

Gallery

Image:Braun Paxina.jpg, Braun Paxina 6x6 File:Braun Norca Super.jpg, Braun Norca Super Image:Braun Super Paxette I.jpg, Braun Super Paxette I Image:Braun Paximat electric IMGP4491 wp.jpg, Braun Paximat electric

References

External links

Reinventing The Camera Experience

Braun Braun is a surname, originating from the German language, German word for the color brown. In German, ''Braun'' is pronounced – except for the "r", equal to the English word "brown". In English, it is often pronounced like "brawn". Notable p ...