The Freitaler Kameraindustrie Beier & Co. was founded on April 1st 1923 by Woldemar Beier who at that time was a grown man 37 years of age. Of course at that time the cameras manufactured by Beier were wooden plate cameras. In 1932 Beier introduced their first 35mm camera for 24 x 36 negatives, the Beier Beira, which were fitted with an f 3,5 - 5cm. Leitz Elmar and a Compur Rapid shutter up to 1/500 sec. However from that point it seems like Beier focussed more on low and midpriced cameras such as the Rifax, Voran, Beirax a.o. The Beier-Flex of 1938 were maybe the only exception. In 1941 the entire production was shifted in order to meet the increased demands for components for the armament industry, and operating as a subcontractor Beier delivered parts for airplanes and u-boats to the Askania Werke. After the war, in 1945, the Soviets dismantled the factory completely, and shipped it by train to Uljanowsk. However Beier managed to pick up the pieces, and using what the russians had left and quite some ingenuity and willpower they began producing simple household appliances such as bowls and pots etc. 4 years later the 25 employees left had managed to construct new tools and machines from scrapparts and whatever they could get their hands on or got donated, and in 1949 camera production resumed and app. 4000 pre-war models of the Beirax were produced. Woldemar Beier dies in 1957, and remaining one of the last independent camera manufacturers in the DDR, Beier was finally nationalized in 1972. Thomas Knorre has very informative website on Beier, so please also visit:

Beier-Kamera Homepage by Thomas Knorre

Beirette III version (ca. 1965) VF
Serial no.: n/a
Format:  24 x 36 on 35mm film (135)
Optics: E. Ludwig Meritar 1:2,9 - 45mm
Shutter:  Junior II B + 1/30 - 1/60 - 1/125 sec.

You know what ?. The 1960's Beirette isn't that bad at all. It was the first compact 35mm camera from Beier, and the first camera that came out of the DDR that had a rapid advance lever. It IS a very compact, almost chubby, little simple camera, and the first thing you notice is the beautifully designed shutter release button placed on the front. Imagine if the shutter baseplate had been designed with the same curves and leatherette to match !. The shutter is the simple 3 speed + B Junior II that were manufactured by Otto Werner in Tharandt. The viewfinder is brigth and clear with brightlines, and allthough being a simple little camera, the Beirette offers the basics; frame counter on the back, accessory shoe, film type indicator on the wind-knob and thread connection for a cable release, and all in all the Beirette leaves an impression of being a well designed and fairly well built camera.