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Infra 1950 VF
Format: 24 x 24 Rapid
(Karat/Agfa casettes)
Optics: Felgner
Punktar 1:2,8 35 mm
Shutter: Pronto B + 1/25 sec. => 1/200 sec. + selftimer
Lightmeter: extinction meter with numerical readout in separate
viewfinder
The Infra is a funny little
thing. Let me re-phrase that: The Infra is a strange little thing. First of
all there is no Wetzlar quality about it as one might think.. Secondly it
puzzels me why this camera was made at all. No offence, but Oehler had never
before, or since, made any film cameras, but in 1950 they began the
production of the Infra and chose 24 x 24 format and Karat casettes. The
body is made of plastic, and top- and bottom cover in thin metal. It is
suggested, or even believed, that the Infra was not al all made by B.J.
Oehler, but by Kühn Kamerawerke also situated in Wetzlar. Now, lets bring
forward a conspiracy theory !. Mr. Kühn was a married man and his wifes name
was Elsie. She was a well educated lady who held a doctor degree. Now,
before she married Mr. Kühn her maiden name were... tadah... Leitz !. She
was in fact the daughter of his Highness Ernst Leitz . Could it be, that the
Infra was really a Kühn design, made by Kühn in the Kühn factory, but
branded and sold under the Oehler name ?. Maybe the Kühn's wanted to keep
peace at the family dinner table ?. Who knows.. The fact remains that
the Infra was only produced fra 1950 to 1951, and it came in 2 variations. It
was no succes, and today it is quite rare to find. Personally I don't like
very much to use it. It's too lightweight for my taste, and i'm not really
into those rapid casettes. There is one funny little detail though. If you
have forgotten to cock the shutter before trying to shoot, the knob on the
shutter lever partly block the view in the viewfinder !. That's clever ! ;-)
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