Werra Matic

• Type: Werra Matic
• Serial No: 387568
• Manufactured: 01/1960 - 12/1961
• Manufacturer: Carl Zeiss Jena
• Shutter: Prestor RVS (metal leaf shutter)
• Shutter speeds: 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/750 and B
• Lens: Carl Zeiss Jena - Tessar 2.8/50
• Aperture: 2.8 - 22 in half stops
• Lens No: 6119161
• Lens mount: special Werra bayonet with a lens fixing ring
• Last CLA: 06/2010

My first vintage camera made in DDR by Carl Zeiss Jena. It started something in me which led to lots of spendings on junk cameras and scratchy lenses.

The Werra is a fine piece of engineering from the early '50s made by German engineers after coming home from Russian hard labour. (The same engineers who designed the famous Sonnar lens before WWII and later its russian copy called Jupiter. Read the other part of their story here.) Being left out from years of lens research and development, the factory gave them a toy-project: design of a compact camera. In the lens factory. The engineers could easily feel that there was no need for them anymore. With the Werra, they wanted to prove that they were the best optical engineers far and close. And they were, indeed. They produced something unimaginably sophisticated. The applied technical solutions were far ahead from the others and the camera had a really unique and futuristic look. Just compare it with any other camera of that age: the Werra will stand out.

A Werra Matic is one of the most undervalued vintage cameras. It's small but it contains every possible comfort from the coupled light meter (!) and the coupled rangefinder to the interchangeable lenses (it comes with a great Tessar) and flash sync at all speeds. It feels like a sophisticated and reliable precision clock. In fact, it is more sophisticated than anything else in the 50's, including the precision clocks.

It's extremely stable. Shooting is like pressing a microswitch which triggers the clock mechanism. You can hear the fast ticking. Everything is easy to operate. Just one thing to get used to it: there is a ring and a switch button to set the speed, the aperture and to shift. It's a bit tricky for the first time but turns out to be practical when it comes to shooting in a given light condition.

There is no film wind lever or knob, as you probably realized. The film winding and shutter charging is done by turning the leather-covered ring at the lens base clockwise 60 degrees. It's easy, handy and fast, you don't have to take the camera away from your eye. I have to mention the lens cap which can be used as a protective lens cover and a lens shade and as well. Just watch:

The viewfinder is an optical magic. You can see the shutter speed, the aperture, the result of the light metering and the focus setting in an easy-to-overview setup. And it's bright. It's damn bright. It's so bright actually that if it's too dark outside to see the aperture and speed settings on the rings then you don't have to look for your torch - just look into the viewfinder. How on earth can it be brighter than the outside environment, I don't know. But the thing I know is that it was a big help for me taking night pictures.

And the rangefinder, oh my God! The rangefinder is not an ugly pink spot on a blueish image, no. It's a prism inserted in the center of the view, clearly visible even in really low light. Its usability is simply not in the same dimension as the other rangefinders of the 50's.

There is a Werra for everyone - said the ad. The Carl Zeiss Jena factory made it sure with lots of Werra types and accessories.

Models:

• Werra - the original simple viewfinder model with fixed lens
• Werra 1 - simple viewfinder model, fixed lens
• Werra 2 - viewfinder, uncoupled light meter, fixed lens
• Werra 3 - coupled rangefinder, interchangeable lens
• Werra 4 - uncoupled light meter, coupled rangefinder, interchangeable lens
• Werra 5 / Werramatic / Werra Matic - coupled light meter, coupled rangefinder, interchangeable lens
• Werra E Microscope - no viewfinder, no lightmeter, just a body with a Prontor Press shutter and a microscope adapter

Lens selection:

Some fixed lens types came with a built in Novonar but Tessar was the default lens. The interchangeable lens types always came with a Tessar 2.8/50 basic lens. There was a wide angle Flektogon 2.8/35 and a short tele Cardinar 4/100 available. Both lenses could do the trick with the coupled light meter just as good as the little Tessar did: you just put the Cardinar or the Flektogon on the camera, twist the aperture ring back and forth and the magical light meter reads the actual aperture setting mechanically.

Super Dollina II

• Serial No.: 51385
• Manufacturer: Certo, Dresden, Germany
• Shipping date: 19.6.1957.
• Shutter: Synchro Compur
• Shutter speeds: 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500 and B
• Lens: Carl Zeiss Jena - Tessar 2.8/50
• Apertures: 2.8 to 22 in half stops
• Lens No.: 5026 936
• Lens mount: fixed
• Last CLA: 06/2010

Super Dollina II

"Dear CERTO-friend

Hearty welcome to the occasion of choosing the Super Dollina II, after thorough consideration, therefore becoming a part of the large group of photographers who like the Certo cameras for half a century – and have always been satisfied with them." starts the manual (in my humble translation) and continues "We would like you to enjoy your new camera so we kindly ask your attention for a few minutes before you go and take photographs with your Super Dollina II. This few minutes will contribute to the formulation of a long lasting friendship between you and your camera. With right handling, the Super Dollina II will always be your faithful friend."

This small piece of beauty was manufactured in Dresden, DDR, after the WWII until the early 1970's. It has a Synchro-Compur shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/500 and B. The lens is a Zeiss Tessar 2.8/50mm rendering crystal clear pictures. It has all the technology built in to be a great camera. The main design aspect, however, had to be the look and not the ease of use; the handling needs strong dedication.

The film winding knob, for example, doesn't cock the shutter: it has to be done separately. You have to set the aperture with that ugly peg in the bottom of the lens front which is not only difficult to handle but the scale is almost impossible to read. Focusing is a heroic fight with the coupled rangefinder which is a little dark hole as close to be unusable as possible. Finally, you have to use the viewfinder which is separate from the rangefinder and can be best described as a really bad joke. I haven't mentioned the speed setting which is simply not convenient and has to be re-checked after setting the aperture because aperture setting can easily modify it. All in all, the whole procedure of preparation takes a lot of time, concentration and patience before each shot.

Which has its undeniable charm. Look at it this way: you have to slow down and think your shot over with an impressive old camera in your hand.

Some notes on the positive side before you think I'm against the Super Dollina II. No, I'm not, in fact I love it. This is an eye catching machinery with a very unique, characteristic feeling. Unfolding and folding the lens, for example, is a piece of true joy, it moves so precisely. The folder design makes it compact and easy to carry. It can produce really sharp pictures - thanks to the Zeiss Tessar lens.

Super Dollina II

The Super Dollina II was an obsolete design in its age, using new technology. Therefore it can give you the feeling of an archaic camera without the rust, stuck parts, low quality and restrictions in aperture sizes and shutter speeds typical of the cameras of the 30's and the 40's. It's a true classic beauty which fits into your pocket and won't let you down even in darker light conditions. A must have for today's individual and ascetic vintage camera user.

Super Dollina II

Here are some test pictures taken with it just to prove that I'm ascetic enough. No, I'm joking, it was a real pleasure to take these photos.

Super Dollina II

Super Dollina II

Super Dollina II

Trpanj port

Trpanj port

Traces of the war

Traces of the war

This Tessar lens is sharp like hell as you see. And the colors are living.

All in all, it's a lovely little camera.

• Dollina on Camerapedia
• Certo Super Dollina II Manual translation (PDF)

Certo Dollina II

• Type: Dollina II
• Serial No: 40036
• Manufactured: between end of 1936 and 1938
• Manufacturer: Certo 
• Shutter: Compur-Rapid metal leaf shutter
• Shutter speeds: T, B, 1, 1/2, 1/5, 1/10, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500
• Lens: uncoated Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 1:2.8 f=5cm
• Aperture: 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22
• Lens Serial No: 2276719
• Lens mount: -
• Last CLA: 01/2012

This camera is the elder brother. Charming and comfortless as we can expect from this family. Interestingly, it's a bit more handy than the younger brother because the aperture numbers are at least clearly visible in the front plate of the lens. Setting it with that ugly peg under the lens is still challenging, though, because you cannot easily access it from the front cover which opens under the lens. 

The Dollina II is a preWWII rangefinder camera which was manufactured only for almost 2 years, from end of 1936 until 1938 when the Dollina III took its place on the top of the 35mm folder palette of Certo. The previous model Dollina I was a simple viewfinder construction with the focus knob on the top plate. The Dollina II looks like if somebody have fastened a separate split-image rangefinder on top of a Dollina I. And the truth is not so far from it. Have a closer look. It's basically a separate rangefinder unit screwed onto the camera.

You can barely see the frame counter window because the rangefinder house partly covers it. This rangefinder was surely not an integrated part of the original camera design: it was added on later.

The rangefinder is a simple two mirror split-image device but despite how it looks like, it's actually coupled to the focusing. Focusing and framing is basically the same as with the Super Dollina II: you have to do them through two separate pinholes. Or pinhole tubes - if such a word existed.

The viewfinder is a simple tube but be aware: it is not necessarily precise. Mine is a bit misaligned upwards for example. But let's leave this rangefinder/viewfinder topic for now and discuss that brilliant little Tessar on the front.

50mm, f/2.8, as you can expect. It's uncoated so it renders real vintage-looking pictures withfoggy parts and glow around light sources and bright surfaces. The in-focus area is sharp and stern, the background gets a bit creamy. All in all, it takes very pleasant photos. The lens is not color corrected so I didn't try it with color film, just plain old BW.

The shutter is the famous Compur-Rapid with times up to 1/500 sec. which is usually enough for everything. No complaints about it.

In theory, the Certo Dollina II meets the requirements of a capable rangefinder: 1/500s shutter speed and a sharp fast lens. It's a rarity  and on top of that, a beautiful camera with metal and glass everywhere. Unfortunately, the misaligned viewfinder, the pinhole-like rangefinder and the spartan, anti-ergonomic operation challenges the enthusiasm of the photographer. But the result speaks for itself: you can take real vintage photos with it in great quality.

Tip: the button in front of the camera (below the rangefinder and above the lens) has two functions. It is the frame counter reset lock and the film advance unlock.

• Certo Dollina family on Camerapedia
• Same on Camera-wiki