The Camera-Werk Merkel was founded by Ferdinand Merkel in the year 1900. Merkel was however not the first manufacturer of cameras in Tharandt. Alfred Brückner had been producing big studio cameras in Tharandt since the middle of the 1800's. Merkel produced very fine wooden plate cameras such as the Phönix, Minerva and Triumph. Ferdinand Merkel struggels it seems he had quite some difficulties in selling his products, which eventually lead to bankruptcy in 1928/29. The company needed cash and security, and was taken over by C. Richter. So who was this C. Richter that came to the rescue ?. Well, C. Richter was in fact a lady, Charlotte Richter, who together with her husband Fritz and a third party partner Mr. Friedrich Schmittchen picked up the pieces. Soon after there were 140 employees at the C. Richter plant. They continued selling the Reflecta, which was originally designed by Ferdinand Merkel in 1930. The Reflecta is in fact the "mother" of all later Reflekta I & II and the Weltaflex. Due to participation in the wartime armament deliveries, the production facilities were totally dismantled in 1945/46. Charlotte and Fritz Richter went to West Germany and settled in Barntrup, where they establish the Lipca - Lippische Camerafabrik - Richter & Fischer GmbH in 1946. After the war the company coorporated with i.e. Welta, and probably with the other companies in Tharandt that were contractors and suppliers for the photo industry in Germany. In Tharandt alone there were at least 2 factories that produced shutters, one of them were Otto Werner, and as early as in 1947 the Werner production of shutters was at "full speed ahead", and that might just have had a positive effect on the Reflecta Werke also. Please also see the Lipca page !

Reflecta (1930's) TLR
Serial no.: n/a
Format:  6 x 6 on 120 rollfilm
Optics: Meyer Görlitz Primotar 1:3,5  75 mm
Shutter:  Compur Rapid - F. Deckel B + 1 sex. => 1/500 sec.

I am not sure, but I think my Reflecta is quite early, dating from somewhere in the 30's. It has no serial number, so it's just a notion, and when I compare the materials and components with other cameras from the 30's it seems to fit nicely into that decade. The Reflecta is a simple camera in its design. The entire rollfilm casette comes out of the camera body, which is made of iron plate. The camera front plate is rigid, and both lenses moves in and out through the cut out holes in the front. The Reflecta offers no luxuries at all, such as frame counter or double exposure prevention, but only an inspection window on the back cover. Is very basic really.. The uncoated Meyer-Görlitz lenses are clear and the Compur Rapid shutter works like clockwork. Please notice the very large focussing knob, that other manufacturers could have benefitted from copying.