Pentacon

Pentacon is the company of a temporarily major camera manufacturer in Dresden. The Pentacon name derives on the one hand by the brand Contax Zeiss Ikon Dresden camera works and Pentagon (Greek for pentagon ), because in Dresden for the first time developed pentaprism SLR has this shape in cross section.

Today's PENTACON Photo and precision engineering is still a resident of Dresden. It is a member of the Schneider Group, Bad Kreuznach.

History

Zeiss Ikon, Dresden was emerged in the 1920s out of a total of six companies of the German optical industry. Two of the companies ( Ernemann works, International Camera Actiengesellschaft [ ICA ] ) were from Dresden. After Zeiss Ikon was first converted into a state-owned enterprise, was in 1958 renamed to VEB Kinowerke Dresden. By a further merger was in the following year a new major operating the photographic industry in Dresden, the VEB camera and cinema works Dresden. We have merged

  • VEB Kinowerke Dresden (formerly VEB Zeiss Ikon )
  • VEB camera works Niedersedlitz (formerly Camera workshops Charles A. Noble, formerly Camera workshops Guthe & Thorsch, here was the Praktica invented );
  • VEB Welta Camera Freital (incl. VEB Reflekta camera work Tharandt; formerly Welta Camera Freital, including Reflekta II, Weltaflex and Penti ), spin-off in 1960;
  • VEB Altissa - Camera -Werk Dresden (formerly, among other things Altissa -camera work Berthold Altmann, including Altissa, Altiflex and Altix cameras);
  • VEB Aspecta Dresden (formerly Filmosto projectors John Jost, including projectors, enlargers, lenses ).

From 1964 the company was then as VEB Pentacon Dresden. As a corporate character Pentacon led the stylized silhouette of Ernemann tower. The summary of the nationalized Saxon optical industry was in 1968 with the founding of Kombinat VEB Pentacon Dresden under the direction of continue. Thus, the

  • VEB fine optical factory in Görlitz, formerly Meyer -Optik, as well as the
  • Ihagee Kamerawerk AG iV ( va Exakta and Exa cameras)

A part of the newly founded VEB Pentacon. From January 2, 1970, the previous Ihagee was the "Object 18" VEB Pentacon the combine; the labeling of the Meyer -Optik lenses in 1971 changed to " Pentacon ". 1980 was followed by the incorporation of the

  • VEB camera works Freital (formerly Freitaler camera industry Beier & Co., among others Beirette cameras).

The VEB Pentacon Dresden was finally in 1985 the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena affiliated. This connection lasted until 30 June 1990. On 1 July 1990, the Pentacon GmbH was founded. Because existential economic difficulties but already on 2 October 1990, the Trust Agency announced the liquidation of the company. For 8.85 million DM then acquired the photo entrepreneur Heinrich Manderman the Pentacon GmbH iL They were as Josh. Schneider Precision Engineering GmbH & Co. KG incorporated into Mandermans Schneider Group.

Part of the Dresdner Combine was transferred back to the Noble family and now belongs to the camera Dresden. The camera Dresden manufactures, among other panoramic cameras NOBLEX brand and industrial cameras from Loglux because the trademark rights to Pentacon to Manderman went. Were made ​​independent Also back Görlitz operating parts of the Meyer -Optik, which has already been liquidated again in 1991.

Today's PENTACON was formed in 1997 from the Jos. Schneider Fernwerk GmbH & Co. KG and employs (2010) about 150 employees. Optics is next to plastic, tool and automotive only one of several business units.

Photo cameras

Particularly well known are the cameras Praktica series and the Pentacon Six and the Pentacon Super. In 1967, the PL system ( Pentacon Loading) was introduced and was from then on part of all Praktica cameras.

SLR Exa 1a

Praktica with 1,8 / 50 lens

Praktica in cross-section

In addition to the Praktica series were prepared:

  • PENTONA
  • PENTI I and II miniature camera ( lens Meyer -Optik Trioplan or Domiplan ), mandated by the incorporated Welta
  • Pentacon F
  • Pentacon K16
  • Pentacon electra
  • Pentina taken over by the incorporated Welta
  • Exa - series; taken over by the incorporated Ihagee
  • Pentacon Six ( TL) ( medium format camera )
  • Large format camera Pentacon Globica II

Added the

  • Beirette series by VEB camera work, Freital near Dresden

Penti small camera

Pentacon K 16 ( pocket camera )

Other products

Pentacon continued to provide small format film cameras for years, such as the AK8 that Pentaflex 8 or Pentaka 8B (1964).

The Scanner Camera Scan 7000 was presented in 2010 at photokina. It solves 20,000 x 20,000 pixels and runs with the SilverFast Archive Suite.

Pentaflex 8 mm cine-camera

Pentaka 8B 8 mm cine-camera

Pentacon Scan 7000

Schneider Kreuznach Volkseigener Betrieb John H. Noble Treuhand Medium format (film) Cine film
641500
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