The history of Lulai camera?

Germany's Lulai Company is the originator of 120 dual-lens reflex camera. Most of the first professional cameras used by domestic photographers are Lulai brand. Although it is not as fast and light as the ordinary 135 camera, its high-quality image quality has preserved countless historical moments for us.

Lulai-brand profile

Paul Frank and reinhold Haidekker, the founders of Lulai Company, were close friends when they were young. They are very fond of optics and mechanics, have a high level of professional knowledge, and have the same interest and vision for enterprise management. Of course, they don't have the ability to predict the future, and they can't predict at that time that their enterprises will enjoy such a high reputation in the world after 80 years, and road cameras will be all over the world and so popular. But one thing is certain, that is, the "Lulai Spirit" founded by Frank and Haidekker laid a solid ideological foundation for Lulai Optical Technology Company's brilliant achievements in the 1980s.

Lulai-the birth of the company

1920, Frank and Dirk co-founded Frank &; Haidekker Company is the authoritative Lulai Optical Technology Company in the field of international camera manufacturing. From site selection, equipment procurement, hiring technicians, to designing and launching the first camera product, they all considered carefully, negotiated with each other, and fully listened to the opinions of experts. One day, they went to other cities in Germany or abroad to do market research, recruit talents and learn about international camera manufacturing or decision-making, which can be said to be thoughtful. These two giants of dual-reflex camera manufacturing have excellent qualities of foresight and calmness. Under their organization and command, after 16 months of hard work, a large-scale Lulai factory with 450 people was finally successfully built and put into production. Since then, there has been another powerful enterprise manufacturing precision cameras on the list of the world camera manufacturing industry.

Frank and Haidekker are meticulous, methodical and finish what they started. They all have extremely rigorous and serious personalities. At the beginning of the factory, they demanded that the factory be built into a first-class factory in Germany, and that technicians and workers should not have a "millimeter error" for each brick and steel beam. Before putting into production, they asked every employee to firmly establish the idea of "being responsible for every screw" and implement it in every link of production. After putting into production, Frank and Haidekker immediately announced that "first-class quality and first-class service" is the business purpose of Lulai Company, and asked colleagues and users to strictly demand and supervise. For decades, the leaders of Lulai Company have changed from generation to generation, but their business purposes have not changed at all.

Lulai-environmental protection factory

At the beginning of the factory, Frank and Haidekker planned to build the factory in the garden. In the process of building the factory, they asked architects to specially design and build pavilions for people to rest in the factory, and asked greening workers to plant trees, flowers and turf around the factory to beautify the environment. The plan of "the factory is the garden" advocated by Frank and Haidekker was fully realized in 1936. At the same time, they not only attach importance to the environmental construction of the factory, but also attach great importance to the environmental protection work of the workshop. The workshop is spacious and bright, and the light is soft and moderate. High-power exhaust fans and large ceiling fans are installed in each workshop to keep the air fresh and circulating. Machine tools and other equipment in the factory are arranged in order, and all tools and spare parts are arranged as neatly as soldiers waiting for review. Metal-coated sewage is treated by special sewage pipes and equipment, and even the toilets used by workers are designed to be comfortable and practical. Lulai Company also spends a lot of money to hire environmental experts as consultants, asking them to regularly check the environmental protection work of the factory and write reports to the factory for research. For all this, the founders of these two Lulai companies are very confident that only under the condition of this civilized scale can the product quality reach the first class.

Lulai-initial product

192 1 year, lulai company began to introduce their product-"heidoscope" 45/107 stereoscopic multi-lens reflex camera to the market. At that time, Lulai Company became an international enterprise specializing in R&D and production of multi-lens reflective cameras. The products are only "Heidoscope" and "Rolleidoscope", and the camera shooting effect is good, but the price is a bit expensive. At first, the market sales were not bad, and the phenomenon of slow sales gradually appeared. 1923 according to the market situation and customer demand, lulai company improved the 45/ 107 stereo multi-lens reflex camera on the one hand, and organized optical physics experts and mechanical physics experts to jointly develop new products on the other hand. 1929, lulai company finally produced the first prototype reflex camera, which shocked the international photography community at that time. Some people say that this is a revolution of the dual-reflex camera.

The prototype 6×6 dual-reflex camera was born.

1929 is a crucial year for the development of lulai company. All departments of the company cooperated smoothly, and the product quality was well received in the international market. This year, Lulai Company announced the launch of Lulai Flex prototype dual-mirror camera. Frank and Haidekker fully applied their advanced design and production experience of stereoscopic multi-lens reflex cameras to the development and production of dual-mirror cameras using film. This is a great pioneering work. Professional photographers' long-awaited waist-flat viewfinder and their desire to use film for cameras have become a reality in Lulai prototype double-reflex camera.

Before the appearance of the double-mirror camera of Lulai prototype, the production of the double-mirror camera still used classic technology. At the end of 19, although many dual-reflex cameras were widely used in photography practice, most of them were made of wood, with bulky bodies, simple operating parts, ordinary lenses, especially difficult to focus and expensive. At around 19 10, the market of dual-mirror cameras is shrinking day by day, and manufacturers have withdrawn from the production of such cameras. In order to meet the needs of photographers, Lulai Company has introduced a new concept Lulai prototype double-reflex camera. This kind of camera has durable metal body, excellent lens and shutter quality, reasonable arrangement of camera operating parts and convenient use, especially the bright waist flat viewfinder, which is especially convenient for focusing and framing. Even the most critical photographer at that time praised the camera with one voice after strictly evaluating its shooting quality.

The appearance of Lulai prototype dual-reflex camera has once again set off a new wave of popularization and promotion of dual-reflex camera in the camera industry. Many camera manufacturers use this as a blueprint to imitate and produce the Lulai model of double-reflex camera. The focal length of the photographic lens of the reverse camera of Lulai prototype is 75mm, and the aperture of the photographic lens is f/4.5, which was quickly changed to F/3.8. The aperture of the viewfinder lens is f/3. 1, the film width is 6×6 cm, and the film used is 1 17.

Lulai dual-lens reflex camera prevailed for 50 years in the 20th century, and made great contributions to the development of world photography. Lulai prototype dual-reflex camera can be said to be a landmark product in the development of camera industry in the 20th century.

The standard I-type 6×6 double reflex camera appeared on the stage.

The appearance of Lulai prototype 6×6 dual-reflex camera caused a sensation in German and even international photography circles. Its sturdy and dexterous metal parts, bright waist flat viewfinder, reasonable design and first-class quality Tiansai lens. All these make professional photographers and enthusiasts fondle admiringly, especially those engaged in news photography have a special liking for this type of camera, and many of them have almost become voluntary promoters of road cameras.

With the charm of quality, Lulai Company has received more and more camera orders, and its business is booming. In order to meet the growing market demand for cameras, the two founders Frank and Haidekker decided to expand the factory and expand the production scale. By 1930, the company's employees had increased from more than 400 in the early days of the factory to more than 800. The generous treatment and good working environment have attracted a batch of knowledgeable and experienced optical experts and mechanical manufacturing experts to join the ranks of LULAI, further enhancing the research and development capability of cameras and improving the popularity and competitiveness of LULAI products in the market. When the fame of Lulai Company soared and Lulai cameras appeared all over the world, Frank and Haidekker were unusually calm. They clearly know that this is only the beginning and there is still a long way to go for enterprises that want to succeed! They are not satisfied with the profits and honors brought by the prototype camera to the company. On the basis of doing a good job in the production of the prototype camera, they continue to lead employees to develop new models of double-reflex cameras. They are determined to make Lulai camera famous all over the world.

1929- 1932 the prototype 6×6 dual-reflex camera * * produced by lulai company has two specifications: one is 75mm, f/4.5; The other is 75 mm f/3.8. The aperture of both is f/3. 1. These two cameras were later favored by collectors. Most of the parts of the reverse camera of Lulai prototype are made by skilled workers in strict accordance with the design drawings, using hammers and files, one by one, seamlessly. Faced with a large number of customer orders, this mode of production obviously can't keep up. At this time, the new camera is in a tense design stage and will be put into production soon once it is finalized. In order to realize the blueprint of Lulai's career development, Frank and Haidekker focus on their own work except for major issues. Frank spent the whole day working with experts to design and develop a "standard" camera. For the improvement of a component, he sometimes forgets to eat and sleep. Haidekker leads engineers and technicians and workers in daily production. In addition, he also focuses on the innovation and transformation of the workshop assembly line, the core of which is the design, production and use of standard molds for camera parts. At the same time, Lulai Company also sent elite soldiers to some parts of the world to conduct all-round and large-scale investigation and research on the situation and technical trend of cameras of various brands in the market, and collect users' opinions on Lulai cameras in detail. The business intelligence of these cameras was quickly sent back to the headquarters for decision-makers to judge and deploy. Because of this, the powerful management mechanism makes Lulai Company gradually become an internationally renowned camera manufacturer.

1932 is an important year for lulai company. The standard I 6×6 dual-reflex camera, which has been developed for many years, has finally come on the market. Its excellent performance and convenient use really surprised professionals and enthusiasts. In addition to maintaining the solid metal structure, bright waist flat viewfinder and excellent sky plug lens of the prototype camera, the major innovation of the standard I-type 6×6 double-reflex camera is to redesign the film winding device. The film winding device of the prototype is a disc drive device, while the standard I camera is changed to a crank film winding device. This innovation makes it easier for photographers to shoot. Rocker winding machine has become the symbolic equipment of road-to-road double-reflex camera. For decades, the rocker winding machine has almost become the standard equipment of other brands of 6×6 dual-reflex cameras.

From 1932 to 1934, lulai company introduced the first standard I 6×6 dual-reflex camera, and * * * produced two standard cameras (I and II). The only difference between them is that the maximum aperture of type II camera is f/4.5; Model I camera is f/3.8. Other indicators are the same, using 120 film, the focal length is the same as 75mm, and equipped with sky plug lens. The aperture of viewfinder lens is f/3. 1, and the shutter level is t, b, 1- 1/300 seconds. In addition, the company 1938 introduced the standard type III double-reflex camera, which differs from type I and type II mainly in shutter speed and photographic lens.

Evaluation of Standard Type I 6×6 Double Reflection Camera

Excellent technology, solid overall, easy to focus, sharp lens and easy to carry. However, they also unanimously pointed out that the price of Lulai standard I 6×6 dual-reflex camera is too high for ordinary consumers to bear.

Frank and Haidekker attach great importance to the news that the price of Lulai standard 6×6 dual-reflex camera is too high. What kind of camera can win the market and be accepted by ordinary consumers? These problems were at that time.

The two of them discussed it repeatedly with experts from Shandong. Although the public opinion at that time thought that the price of standard I camera was on the high side, the order received by Lulai Company was the envy of other camera companies. After careful analysis and research, the decision made by the company's decision-making layer is: "Continue to produce standard I 6×6 dual-reflex camera, and pay close attention to the development of economical and practical 6×6 dual-reflex camera". On the day of this important decision, an "economical" camera development team was born in Lulai Company.

Lulai 2.8C camera

Lulai Foley 2.8C camera. It was manufactured by Germany's Lulai Company in 1953 with the serial number 1299394. Modeling design, machining accuracy and operability are excellent. Reasonable collocation of round, oval and square parts on the fuselage,

In the overall design, the mutual foil of arc and straight line, the interval distribution of components, the combination of rigidity and flexibility, and the alternation of density all show impeccable aesthetic feeling. Different from Japanese cameras, the technology of Lulai 2.8C is very sophisticated, and every part of the camera and lens is made of high-quality metal brass. In particular, the letter trademark "Rolleiflex" with 65,438+00 letters at the upper end of the fuselage, the equidistant straight stripes on the large focus button, the oblique circular patterns on the two pinions for adjusting the aperture and shutter, and the dotted dense patterns on the scroll lock button are all hand-carved on metal brass. All the above parts are plated with a shiny layer of metallic chromium (commemorative version of Lulu 2.8F plated with 24K gold), which looks elegant and energetic, solemn and textured against the background of all-black fuselage.

The most interesting thing about Lulai 2.8C is that it can be controlled by hand. The fingers of the left and right hands can adjust the exposure combination of the aperture and shutter simultaneously through two pinions. You can press the shutter while monitoring the subject when shooting. When the shutter between mirrors is operated, the sound is weak and the vibration is small. The whole body is light and easy to control, and it feels excellent. Amazingly, the unique design of 2.8C and the shape and distribution of keys not only greatly increase the aesthetic feeling of appearance, but also facilitate the actual operation, achieving both decorative and practical.

Cod Ⅰ 6× 6 double reflex camera was born.

The name of the economical camera is Rolleicord. In fact, before the standard 1 camera was finalized, the idea of producing economical cameras to strengthen market competition had gradually taken shape in Frank and Haidekker's mind, and experts had discussed the feasibility many times. Of course, this is only an intention, and it has not yet reached the point of forming a resolution. When this intention became a resolution, Lulai's "economic" camera development team immediately took action.

How can we design a widely accepted "economical" 6×6 dual reflex camera? How does this camera keep the dignified appearance and excellent quality of Lulai camera? After repeated discussions, especially the investigation and analysis from the market, the expert group and the two leaders of the two companies reached a consensus that the appearance and volume of the "economical" camera are similar to those of the "standard" camera, but the operational performance is close to that of the "prototype" camera. Soon this important knowledge became the guiding ideology for designing and producing "economical" cameras and put it into action.

In the process of designing and producing "economical" (hereinafter referred to as "Deco I") cameras, experts and engineers from Lulai took the following three measures to implement the company's decision to reduce costs, ensure quality and produce "Deco I" cameras:

1, changed from Tiansai f/3.8(4 lenses and 3 groups) to f/ 1:4.5(3 lenses and 3 groups) Teota lens. The latter is also designed by the famous Zeiss Yena company, and also uses the inter-mirror shutter. The shutter series is from T, B, 1- 1/300 seconds. Because the aperture is relatively small, the manufacturing cost is reduced. Although its optical quality is lower than that of Tiansai lens, its central coking effect is very good, and the photo image taken with a smaller aperture (f/8- f/ 1 1) is very clear. As an economical camera, it still uses the lens of a well-known brand optical company. It can be seen that Lulai Company does not blindly pursue cost reduction and ignore the quality of the camera, but tries to maintain the excellent optical quality of the lens while reducing the cost as much as possible, which fully embodies the purpose of Lulai Company's "first-class quality and first-class service".

2. The structure and shape of the metal body of the "Standard I" camera are basically retained, but the aperture of the Heidoskop viewfinder in the dual lens is changed from 1: 3. 1 to 1:3.8.

3. The upper rocker is still changed into a disk drive. Cancel the linkage structure of aperture and shutter. Traditionally, the aperture and shutter data are directly displayed on both sides of the photographic lens, adjusted by the dial button respectively, and displayed through different windows.

After rigorous destructive testing (especially the shutter test), it is proved that the quality of "Cod I" camera is relatively good. So it was finalized and put into production. 1933 met customers in the market. "Deke No.1" has maintained the features of solemn, sturdy, reasonable mechanical design, excellent lens, and easy to carry, and the photos taken can also stand the test in anxiety, level, contrast and color.

The original purpose of producing "Deco-1" camera is to produce an "economical" camera with low cost, which most people can afford. However, the launch of "Deco I" camera did not achieve the expected sales effect. The reason is that the machine uses brass sheets instead of soft leather to decorate the exterior of the fuselage, and then it is punched into horizontal and vertical grid stripes, which are sprayed black and electroplated respectively. Such technical standards are naturally difficult to reduce costs. This is probably a mistake in design decision-making, and may be due to the consideration that economic products cannot be too economical. The first batch of "Cod I" cameras failed to attract a large number of consumers. Through calm analysis and summing up lessons, the company realized how much economic loss an unrealistic design would bring. Since then, Lulai Company has avoided this flashy design when designing and producing "Cod" cameras, thus winning the market and achieving very good sales performance. Lulai-The Year of Success Since 1932, Lulai Company has launched a "standard" Lulai camera and an "economical" Lulai Deco camera. Its exquisite production technology and excellent imaging quality have won unanimous praise from the majority of photographers. In this way, it has also brought considerable economic benefits to Lulai Company. At the beginning of 1937, the German national statistics department released an economic figure, which emphasized that in the past five years, Lulai Company * * * produced 200,000 Lulai cameras. This is a remarkable achievement. Many newspapers wrote, "This is not only a brilliant economic achievement, but also a great contribution to art, because Lulai camera has armed a group of talented photographers and many photographers." Just as the production of Lulai Company is booming, the second world war initiated by fascism is about to break out. Lulai Company began to receive requests from the government to produce military materials, such as telescopes, sights, cameras, medical equipment and microscopes. And cameras can only be sold to neutral countries. At this extraordinary moment, of course, the camera output has declined, but the design and development of high-quality lenses and the improvement of operating machinery have never stopped all the work related to improving the quality of cameras. For example, the "remake" that can be exposed many times is mature in this extraordinary period. What needs to be emphasized here is that the lens designers of Zeiss Company, the partner of LULAI Company, look for first-class lens glass materials everywhere, and try and test the texture of these glasses repeatedly under various conditions year after year, which is also the reason why they make the "planner" lens "impeccable and speechless", thus ensuring the optical quality of LULAI camera.

From 1929, lulai company launched its first "prototype" camera to 1936, which was a glorious era for lulai company. Their cameras were world-class. Feedback from all over the world believes that this evaluation is realistic and well-deserved. Just when Lulai's career was in full swing, World War II finally broke out, and the production pace of the world camera industry slowed down, and Lulai was no exception. The dark days are finally over. 1950, lulai company still maintained 1000 employees. In 1960s, Lulai Company regained its glory and launched a series of high-quality products. When the first camera arrived at China Port, there was no evidence to test the usage of the camera industry in Lulai-China. Lulai camera may have formed a fate with photographers in China in the middle and late 1930s. However, "Lu Laier" began in the 1950s, when a few reporters from the photography department of Xinhua News Agency used Lu Laier cameras. They had a strong team of photographers, such as Shi, Zhengqing Chen, Zheng Jingkang, Qi Guanshan and so on, and it was only our turn to use them later. Due to the top quality and superior mechanical properties of its lenses, it quickly became popular in news photography, and Lulai Company opened the China market.

According to the data, there are the following types of terrestrial cameras that have played an important role in the photography industry in China:

1, f/2.8E, equipped with flat camera lens and f/2.8 haidema three-piece three-group framing lens with a focal length of 80mm, paraxial selenium cell exposure meter, Kang MXV inter-mirror shutter, shutter 1- 1/500 seconds, door B, self-timer delay1. By linking with the dial, you can easily adjust the shutter and aperture, and take 120 volumes 12 pictures with a frame of 2.25 inches ×2.25 inches. In addition to the fast film winding handle and the fast door lock button, there are also a number of shutter buttons with a weight of 1220g.

2. f/3.5F, with flat camera lens, f/2.8 Haiduma three-piece three-group viewfinder lens, focal length of 75mm, paraxial selenium photocell exposure meter, Kang MXV mirror shutter,1-1/500s, door B, self-timer delay10s, shutter and aperture.

3. Road-to-T 6×6 dual-lens reflex camera, Tiansai F/3.5 lens, focal length 75mm, Kang MXV inter-mirror shutter, 1s- 1s, door B, self-timer delay 10s, shutter aperture can be linked. The lens is designed and produced by Carl Zeiss, and the image is clear and sharp. There are many exposure control buttons. Generally speaking, the accuracy of the exposure meter of the road camera is average, and the photometric coefficient provided is for reference only. The measuring dial is large and protruding, which is easily damaged by collision.

4.  telephoto 6×6 dual-lens reflex camera, f/4 Sonner lens, focal length 135mm, Kang MXV inter-mirror shutter, B door, 1s- 1s, self-timer delay 10s, shutter and aperture linkage adjustment, with excellent lens quality.

5. Lourdes 6×6 dual-lens reflex camera is an economical camera promoted by Lourdes. The shutter and aperture are adjusted separately. The film is wound by disc winding device, f/3.5 Teota lens produced by Carl Zeiss Company, inter-mirror shutter 1- 1/300 seconds, and exposure meter. Although this camera is popular and economical, the photos taken through it are of high quality, reliable mechanical performance and acceptable price for photographers. There is a certain market in China and it is very popular in Japan.

Although the first batch of "Lulaikede" cameras on the market failed because they failed to achieve the goal of cost minimization, these cameras are unique among Lulaide products and the output is very small. Over time, foreign collectors regarded it as a "treasure" and also called it "Jinkede", while China called this "Deco No.1" camera "Huapicode", which is also a fine product in the camera collection.

Lulai- the first SL 66 6×6 SLR camera

The authoritative Lulai Company was overwhelmed by the 6×6 SLR cameras produced by Hasselblad in Sweden and mamia in Japan. The founders Frank and Haidekker have passed away, and the new successor of the company decided to develop a 6×6 SLR camera to compete with the above companies, and finally put the SL666 6× 6 SLR camera on the market at 1973, which is a high-end camera for professionals.

There are as many as 12 lenses with different specifications to choose from, which is the characteristic of SL 66 camera. The focal length ranges from 30mm to 1000mm, including macro, ultra-wide-angle, wide-angle, standard, telephoto, ultra-telephoto and catadioptric lenses. * * * There are five kinds of focusing screens to choose from, which is also a major feature of SL 66 camera. Its bright overlooking frosted glass waist flat viewfinder and accurate head-up prism mirror extractor are highly praised by professionals. The shutter is set to 1 sec to11000 sec * * 1 1, and the curtain shutter is operated up and down. And gate B, X-flash synchronization 1/30 seconds.

SL 66 SLR camera is equipped with 6 kinds of film boxes. There are 6×6 120 and 220 universal film boxes, 6×4.5 120 and 220 universal film boxes, Popolla film boxes, 6×6 and 6×9 loose-leaf film boxes. SL 66 camera adopts the lens produced by Carl Zeiss Company, with sharp lens and good coking between and around the lens. At the same time, it has a unique structure: the front and rear ends of the lens have bayonet holes with the same shape and size, so that the lens can be freely removed from the lens holder, then turned over 180 degrees, and then the lens is installed on the lens holder. After the short focal length lens in SL66 is reversed, it can shoot particularly close objects, which provides great convenience for photography creation.

The photographic optical axis of SL 66 SLR camera can be adjusted up and down, which is a unique function in 6×6 SLR camera. It can effectively use the depth of field to adjust the longitudinal distortion. Because the front and rear ends of SL 66 lens are connected with the same size and are bayonet, only one set of filter and special effect lens is needed, which is convenient to use and does not require too much cost, strengthens the close-up function, is beneficial to artistic photography creation, and saves close-up collar or extra close-up leather cavity and other accessories. SL 66 camera has the function of multiple exposures, and it is also convenient to box the film of the camera. Its film supply shaft is located below and the film take-up shaft is located above. When winding, the film passes through the film window from bottom to top, which is very simple and reliable. This design is superior to other 6×6 SLR camera loading boxes.

Model SL 66 camera also has some shortcomings, such as the expansion and contraction of the focusing leather cavity is realized by one-sided support, and this part is not well stressed when focusing. In addition, the rack for controlling the expansion and contraction of the leather cavity is made of plastic and is easy to deform. Another disadvantage is that the structural design of the viewfinder lock button is not stable. If you accidentally clamp the lock button with two fingers, you will take off the viewfinder and the camera will slip and fall to the ground. When you open the waist horizontal viewfinder and use a magnifying glass, you can't block the surroundings, and the sunlight will shine on the ground glass from the side gap, which will reduce the contrast of the viewfinder image and affect the accurate focusing. Although the SL 66 camera still needs some improvement, its appearance still makes many professional photographers full of praise.

Since then, Lulai Company has successively introduced SL 66E, SLX6×6, 6000 and 6008 SLR cameras produced in recent years. These cameras have been improved on the basis of SL 66 camera in many places, which greatly improved the shooting efficiency and effect, such as adding TTL automatic metering system. Road to related information192110/0. In October, an influential and appealing German monthly magazine, Photography Industry, published an eye-catching advertisement. The page was eye-catching: "Attention, readers, in the first half of 1920, our company passed the news publishing industry. At the beginning of the new year, the precision product designed and produced by our factory-'Heidoscope 45/107 Stereo Multi-lens Reflective Camera' will be put on the market to meet with consumers. Our company promises to treat every camera that leaves the factory with meticulous work spirit. We fully believe in Lulai's wisdom and responsible spirit, and we are fully capable of making the camera perfect. Heidecke) sincerely, 192 1 year 1 month. "This short text is actually Frank and Haidekker's commitment to the international photography industry and consumers. It is the principle of factory management and production that they follow, and it is also the "road spirit" that Lulai Optical Science and Technology Company has always advocated and carried forward for decades.

Reference: Beijing Jingming image comes from hudong.com 2011-01-0/.