Astraflex 1000

compur · Apr 8, 2017

I found this late 1950s German "Astraflex 1000" SLR at a yard sale today here in Southern California. It's a rare name variant of the Wirgin Edixa Reflex cameras. The seller had no idea what it was but I am familiar with the Edixa SLRs and, since they all pretty much look alike and since I've owned several of them, I recognized it immediately but I've never come across the "Astraflex" variant before. Currently I also have an "Edixa-Mat Reflex" which looks nearly identical but with a different lens and, of course, a different name.

These cameras use M42 mount lenses and this one includes a Zeiss Jena 50/2.8 Tessar pre-set type lens.

This Astraflex included a prism finder and waist level finder. Most of the Edixa SLRs have this interchangeable finder feature. Shutter speeds of this model range from 1/25 to 1/000. As with most of these Edixa SLRs the shutter release is located on the front (which I'm not wild about but it's OK when you get used to it).

This camera is in very good cosmetic condition but needs a little TLC. The shutter is sluggish and the selenium meter is not responsive. Nothing unusual there. Still, not bad at all for a 60 year old camera.

Edixa cameras in general were popular in Germany due to their affordable prices but not many were exported to the USA. I would call their build quality "adequate" -- rugged but without the fine finish and mechanical tolerances of the top German brands. The lenses were from various German manufacturers -- Zeiss Jena, Isco, Steinheil, etc.

Derrel · Apr 8, 2017

WHat a striking camera design! I find this to be a very handsome camera, with a design ethos that is very different from most 35mm SLRs. On the film advance lever, near the prism: is that some kind of a locking mechanism, with a small set-screw type of knob? I love the way the "1000"is in red paint! Did that signify a 1/1000 top shutter speed?

Again, wayyyy cool! Love the look of this. The neverready case (that's what I call 'em,lol) looks in sweet condition.

compur · Apr 8, 2017

Thanks.

Yeah, I like the look of these cameras too. I guess that's what attracts me to them. They were designed by Heinz Waaske who also designed the Rollei 35, the Rolleimatic and others. He offered the Rollei 35 design to Wirgin but they turned it down and Rollei snapped it up.

The little circular thing on the film advance lever is a knurled knob that gives purchase for the thumb when advancing film. It works very well.

I assume the "1000" does refer to the top shutter speed. Edixa SLRs came in different versions -- A, B, C and D and the major difference was their shutter speed ranges.

Gary A. · Apr 8, 2017

Good looking camera. Man, I live in SoCal and I never run into these deals. (That looks like an electrical receptacle below the film rewind knob.)

compur · Apr 8, 2017

That's the meter below the rewind knob on the front of the camera. Or rather a little door that flips up and reveals the meter underneath it.

I found this in Burbank -- home of movie studios and valley girls.

Gary A. · Apr 8, 2017

Like totally ... I love Valley Girls.

compur · Apr 8, 2017

Totally, totally. Fur shure, fur shure.

annamaria · Apr 8, 2017

Beautiful camera and case

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Derrel · Apr 8, 2017

Was the selenium meter a non-coupled one, as seen around the rewind knob to the left of the pentaprism?

compur · Apr 9, 2017

Yes, it's an uncoupled meter. It's basically like a mini hand held meter attached to the camera with its own ASA and exposure calculator dial. You point it at the subject and turn the dial to match the meter needle position and then set the camera's aperture and shutter speed to one of the combinations indicated. That's state-of-the-art for 1950s SLRs (for those few cameras that had meters then).

Other info that forum members in general might find interesting:

It's not a through-the-lens (TTL) meter. I believe Topcon was first with a TTL meter in the early/mid 1960s.

It also doesn't have an "instant return mirror," that is, the viewfinder blacks out when you release the shutter until you cock the shutter for the next frame. This is common for SLRs of this time period.

Also typical for SLRs of this period, the lens is a pre-set type. You open the aperture all the way to give brightest image for focusing and then manually stop it down to the desired position and take the shot. It's called "pre-set" because you first set the desired aperture and then open the lens all the way for focusing. You can then rotate the aperture ring back down without looking at the lens and the ring will stop at your pre-set position. Hence the terms pre-set and f-stop. Again, this is typical of early SLR lenses. "Auto diaphragm" lenses were developed later that did all this automatically.

WhaleDaughter · Apr 9, 2017

That is gorgeous. And awesome tech history lesson. I love learning about how things work (and figuring things out on my own collection).

"Rule 408: Time is not the boss of you"