Chris's camera pages

A simple, but well made 35mm camera from Braun. This model was probably made in the early fifties, it has a knob for film advance rather than the stubby lever found on most Paxettes.

Braun made a whole raft of similar cameras and it can be difficult to tell which one you are looking at. This is a model IIM because it has an interchangeable lens in an M39 mount, compared to the model I variants, which have fixed lenses, and this camera has an uncoupled rangefinder. An identical camera except with an extinction meter instead of the uncoupled rangefinder would be a Paxette II. An identical camera to this one except with a coupled rangefinder would be a Super Paxette II.

The lens fitted to this body is an Isco Westar 45mm f/2.8 lens. It has no provision to couple to a rangefinder unlike most lenses found with a Paxette.

This camera is fitted with a Prontor SV shutter, with speeds running from 1 to 1/300 seconds plus B. The shutter has X and M flash synchronisation, but no built-in self-timer.

The shutter release is a knurled button on a lever, at the right-hand side of the shutter body.

The film advance is by the knob on the top-right of the top cover. One full revolution of the advance knob is required to cock the shutter and advance the film to the next frame.

There is a knob to rewind the film at the left-hand end of the top cover. The rewind button, which must be held depressed throughout the entire rewinding process, is the very small button on the top of the top cover, on the right, towards the rear.

To use the uncoupled rangefinder turn the small dial at the back of the top cover to align the rangefinder images, then read off the distance setting in the cut-out window at the front of the dial, and transfer this reading to the lens.