Another Braun Paxette, again!

[Stephen]

From Ebay at £5, with decent leather case not mentioned in listing, A 1952 Paxette non rangefinder, in the main working, (low speeds intermittent), the seller described the extinction meter as non working...?? "it does not do anything", I think they may have never had an extinction meter explained to them. Works as much as any extinction meter ever did!

The rest of the camera in good condition, with years of smokers stain on everything, now removed in primary clean up. The interior is good, no corrosion, which Braun's do suffer from. Lens clean and bright. It will be film tested soon, looks like a good addition to two other Paxettes. There were an awful lot of models and variants made.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

A curiosity on closer examination, there are no serial numbers anywhere on the body, usually on later Paxettes they were on the body in the film rails area.
The Pointar lens has a serial number, and maybe this was used by UK Customs to record them.
The UK was very strict about imported cameras in the 1950's, and all cameras and lenses had to be recorded, especially when a second-hand camera was sold, as a signed statement that all import tax and customs duty had been paid was made on the receipt. It was recoverable even from later owners ! although rarely actually applied.
The US had a similar system on import with recorded body numbers, so did they rely on the lens number only?
Most other vintage camera I have are body numbered, only very cheap plastic types have no numbers, along with pre war Bakelite cameras, especially French makes.
Stephen.

[Stephen]

Test shot from the Braun Paxette, Gordon of Khartoum Memorial in the Gordon Gardens, at Gravesend, in Kent, UK.

A scanned B/W neg, O/date Pan F, 1/100th at F8, the sepia look care of Photoshop.
Lens is the Roeschlein-Kreuznach Pointar F2.8 / 45mm fixed mount Braun Paxette standard.

Not bad for a 60 year old lens, only the main high speeds on the Paxette 1 are OK, the low speeds need a good service ,(a Prontor S), but the delayed action has burst back into life. The infamous drag that some Paxettes put on rewinding the film is quite all right on this particular camera.

[Stephen]

Better shot of the cleaned up early Paxette, complete with the "not working, does not operate" extinction meter, which is "operating" perfectly.....they always do, once you bother to find out how they work!! Slow speeds are still out so a strip might be needed. Bulb is now functioning though.

Stephen

[retina]

G'day Stephen,

You have a nice example of the early Paxette there.

I've found that none of the early Paxettes have serial numbers, although the later ones certainly did!

I did my best to sort out the history of the early Paxette models, and you can see what I found out here...

retinarescue.com/paxettehistory.html

Regards, Chris

[Stephen]

Apart from Retina, there are few makes that have so many variants as Paxette, they must have batch assembled a model, then moved on to another, but Braun used up parts from the previous model at times, even parts around identical lenses have very slight variations in diameter, bought in shutters remain constant, but tiny details vary along with more major model differences.

Very Non PC, but the Retina appealed to Ladies, and the Paxette, and other similar type cameras, to men, who wanted the extra technicalities, and a solid heavy feel, a lighter folding small cameras were easier to carry for a start!

Paxette went a bit up market with the II and Super, but they were never a great sales success in the UK, due to cheaper the Japanese makes beginning to take over. A very large following though in Germany and Holland etc.

Stephen

[Stephen]

Over the Kent Downs.

Colour negative shot on the Paxette, scanned into digital, and cropped in the Gimp. Exposure looks accurate, the main top speeds all work, the low speeds need attention. The lens is really quite good. Fuji colour neg 100ASA.

[Stephen]

More Paxettes in the post

]

Another Braun Paxette, a Paxette II, with interchangeable lens, but no rangefinder, Leica thread, but not register. Pointikar 45mm F2.8 lens, with a decent leather case and original instruction book, from ebay for £15,($24), fully serviced and working. It has the racket lever wind body. Condition looks fine, apart from worn lettering on speed scale.
I fully expect the extinction meter "not to move etc"!!(it works perfectly!) Test film over next few days.
Stephen

[Stephen]

The Paxette II variant I have seems to be about 1954, as it has the raised body centre and raised windows, but still is a basic II, as it has an extinction meter, no rangefinder, Pointikar, (not Pointar), and the early Pronto shutter, (1/ 25th to 1/200th), not the Prontor on later and more expensive II's and the Super models.

The lens seems to be just a name change, (or supplier), or where the basic lenses made by Braun, at least in assembly from bought in glass. Appears to be a triplet type, not a Tessar, and fully coated, and in this example, well made, smooth focusing and aperture operation, and a screw in filter ring, which the earlier lenses did not have.

Still after a Super II with accessory lenses........they are on Ebay but command a following and a price to match. Also I am after the British Wray wide angle lens exclusively made for the UK market.

I thought that the instruction book was the wrong one, it showed the flat top, and the single sprocket drive, but the inside page has an official looking stamp with the corrections to match the model on it, including the simpler Pronto shutter.

The case is Braun made, unlike the Paxette I, which is UK made for the Braun, but the EV Value table on the back is very worn indeed, pity as it is very difficult to reproduce for replacement.

[Stephen]

A test shot from the Paxette II, with interchangeable lenses, on the Standard Pointikar lens 45mm F2.8, on Efke 100, negative scanned and sepia colour from The Gimp.

View over the River Medway, Motorway and Channel Tunnel High Speed Railway line bridges.

The camera works pretty well for near 60 years old, speeds accurate, and lens in good condition.
Now looking for the Super Paxette II and the extra lenses to go with it!

[Stephen]

Sept 10, 2012 18:34:20 GMT -5 retina said:

G'day Stephen,

You have a nice example of the early Paxette there.

I've found that none of the early Paxettes have serial numbers, although the later ones certainly did!

I did my best to sort out the history of the early Paxette models, and you can see what I found out here...

retinarescue.com/paxettehistory.html

Regards, Chris

I now have the Paxette II, with the extinction meter, and lever winder, and this has a serial number on the casting inside, and the double sprocket drive, with top hinge pressure plate.

It is all working nicely, full range of speeds and delayed action works. I have my speed checker working again, and the Pronto shutter is accurate. The standard lens is dust and fungus free.

The Paxette II lens is a Pointikar 48mm F2.8, the question is what is the difference with the earlier Pointar?

The element count seems the same on both, at three element, they are not Tessar type as far as I can see. I wonder what caused the name change, Pointikar are on both fixed and interchangeable versions, as are Pointar. Kata is another version, seems the same elements, all are the budget entry level lenses of the period.

The Pointikar works well, a bit soft full open, and edge softness till about F8, were it rivals Tessar type lenses, and it is quite sharp.

I know that you are in NZ, but amusingly the Braun instruction book has a generalised exposure guide for the extinction meter, but adds at the bottom special values for Australia! ( and only Australia!). The rest of the tropics are left out! Being printed in English I suppose Braun only expected to sell this particular camera in Europe or Australia, curious.....

Stephen

[Stephen]

Another photo from the Paxette II, Swans on the Thames at Gravesend, with Tilbury Dock and the site of the old Gravesend Ferry in the background. The Gravesend Clock Tower Pier is used as a restaurant nowadays.

Swans On the River Thames at Gravesend.

[Stephen]

And shot of the Clock Pier restaurant overlooking the River Thames.

Clock Tower Pier Restaurant Gravesend overlooking Thames

[Berndt]

Thanks for the review on an interesting camera ... and I like the pictures of the swans in particular.

[Stephen]

The Braun Paxette 1 is now all restored, the shutter was a nuisance to do, but the low speeds now work, and the high speeds are now accurate.
I now have a small supply of Fuji 35mm negative film to try out the 35mm cameras with fixed lenses, and this one will be in use this summer, if fit ever arrives. The Camera cleaned up quite well, despite somewhat poor appearances at first.



Just as this one is done, another Paxette 11 is coming from Ebay, a bit unusual as it has an Enna Standard lens, a less common maker to Braun.

Stephen.