Alpa
Encyclopedia
Alpa was formerly a Swiss
camera
design company and manufacturer of 35 mm
SLR
cameras. The current owners bought the company name after bankruptcy of the original company and the company exists today as a designer and manufacturer of high-end medium-format cameras.
s) for Swiss watches. They made high-end, all-metal 35mm
cameras with a similar high-end but smaller-volume market to Germany's Leica, Contax
, and Rolleiflex
. In the late 1930s, Pignons invited engineer Jacques Bolsky
to design a camera for them. This he did with the Alpa-Reflex
in the 1940s. In true Swiss fashion, each camera was individually crafted. Thus, production was low, but quality and prices were high. Even these days, collectible Alpa cameras can fetch quite a high auction price. It is estimated that as few as 40,000 cameras of all models of Alpa were made during the company's 40 year history. Allowing for certain gaps, the serial numbers would support that, as the last cameras made (in about 1990) carried serial numbers of only 64,xxx.
There is the on-going question of which camera company was first with such innovations as the quick return mirror, through the lens metering, cells in prism housing and the bayonet lens mount. Alpa was a contender for being first with each of these innovations and several others.
Unfortunately, Alpa didn't have the resources to keep up with the technological advances that the main stream camera companies were introducing in the 1970s and sales began to decline. There is argument about whether the lack of technological "innovation" was due to lack of money, or actually a choice made by the company about whether the automation brought about by other companies was desirable.
A more popularly priced "Alpa" camera made in Japan by Chinon
was introduced. It used M42 screw mount lens
es, but it didn't sell very well in part because the premium Alpa lenses couldn't be used on it. (The Si2000 used the M42 Screw mount, the Si3000 used the Pentax K mount
). Neither model was popular and they aren't considered true Alpas by collectors. Some feel the Japanese Alpa was a mistake that hurt the company.
The Kern Macro Switar lens was a 50 mm lens at F1.8 or F1.9. It was an apochromat, and is still highly regarded as possibly the best standard lens ever offered. Other apochromats offered by Alpa included the 100 mm F2 and 150 mm F2.8 Kinoptik lenses.
A total of six different models of motor drive and magazine back were reputed to have been made. Two models each for the 9d, 10d, and 11 series cameras, one full frame, one half frame. Estimates of less than 250 were made. Example in the photo is full frame, 11 series.
Unlike Nikon
magazine backs, the Alpa ones were designed to allow for an entire 100-foot roll of 35 mm film to be inserted at once, and to allow for the operator to open the takeup side individually to cut off a portion of the film in a changing bag for processing without unloading the rest of the roll. The motor drive resembled some oil pumps in that the motor rocked a lever back and forth to shoot the normal trigger, after a second gear moved the normal shutter cocking mechanism. In actual use, photos can be shot at approximately 1 second intervals.
Both wall transformers and NiCad battery packs were originally offered. The example unit has a wall transformer, but only photographs of the battery packs may survive.
The company retained the same lens mount on the Swiss made cameras from 1942 until they ended production. The back focus of the body was the thinnest of any 35 mm camera, and as a result, it was possible to make adapters to use lenses designed for almost any other 35 mm SLR on an Alpa. Adapters offered included Exakta, M42 (automatic diaphragm and manual), Nikon (auto and manual), Leicaflex, T-mount, and Contax. Other adapters included one to allow mounting Alpa lenses to C-mount movie cameras and another to mount the Alpa bodies to a microscope. Alpa didn't make their own lenses — and sourced them through some of the best lens makers — Angenieux, Kern, Kinoptik, Schneider, and others. They were the only company to guarantee optical quality of the lenses they sold. The clearness of the pentaprism in the Alpa models, and the use of "rings" of different surfaces in the eyepiece of the 11 series especially made then a great choice for using on a T-mount, attached to large telescopes. Coupled with the manual mirror raise switch, even the vibration of the mirror slap was removed.
, Schneider
and Zeiss.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
design company and manufacturer of 35 mm
135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
SLR
Single-lens reflex camera
A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...
cameras. The current owners bought the company name after bankruptcy of the original company and the company exists today as a designer and manufacturer of high-end medium-format cameras.
History
Alpa was an offshoot of the Pignons S.A. company, which made a particular part (pinionPinion
A pinion is a round gear used in several applications:*usually the smallest gear in a gear drive train, although in the case of John Blenkinsop's Salamanca, the pinion was rather large...
s) for Swiss watches. They made high-end, all-metal 35mm
135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
cameras with a similar high-end but smaller-volume market to Germany's Leica, Contax
Contax
Contax was a camera brand noted for its unique technical innovation and a wide range of Zeiss lenses, noted for their high optical quality. Its final incarnation was a line of 35 mm, medium format and digital cameras engineered and manufactured by Kyocera, and featuring modern Zeiss optics...
, and Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex
Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werk. The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier line of medium format twin lens reflex cameras...
. In the late 1930s, Pignons invited engineer Jacques Bolsky
Jacques Bogopolsky
Jacques Bogopolsky was a Ukrainian, , engineer and camera designer who was a prolific inventor of revolutionary movie cameras. The brand name Bolex comes from Jacques Bogopolsky. He was also instrumental in the initial design of the Alpa make of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras.- External links :**...
to design a camera for them. This he did with the Alpa-Reflex
Alpa-Reflex Camera
The 35mm SLR camera Alpa-Reflex has its origins back in the 1930s when a Swiss precision mechanical manufacturer decided to diversify their product range, having mainly relied on manufacturing parts for the watch industry. They sought outside assistance and by 1939 the plans were ready and building...
in the 1940s. In true Swiss fashion, each camera was individually crafted. Thus, production was low, but quality and prices were high. Even these days, collectible Alpa cameras can fetch quite a high auction price. It is estimated that as few as 40,000 cameras of all models of Alpa were made during the company's 40 year history. Allowing for certain gaps, the serial numbers would support that, as the last cameras made (in about 1990) carried serial numbers of only 64,xxx.
There is the on-going question of which camera company was first with such innovations as the quick return mirror, through the lens metering, cells in prism housing and the bayonet lens mount. Alpa was a contender for being first with each of these innovations and several others.
Unfortunately, Alpa didn't have the resources to keep up with the technological advances that the main stream camera companies were introducing in the 1970s and sales began to decline. There is argument about whether the lack of technological "innovation" was due to lack of money, or actually a choice made by the company about whether the automation brought about by other companies was desirable.
A more popularly priced "Alpa" camera made in Japan by Chinon
Chinon Industries
was a Japanese camera manufacturer. Kodak took a majority stake in the company in 1997, and made it a fully owned subsidiary of Kodak Japan, , in 2004 . As a subsidiary, it continues to develop digital camera models....
was introduced. It used M42 screw mount lens
M42 lens mount
The M42 lens mount is a screw thread mounting standard for attaching lenses to 35 mm cameras, primarily single-lens reflex models. It is more accurately known as the M42 × 1 mm standard, which means that it is a metric screw thread of 42 mm diameter and 1 mm thread pitch...
es, but it didn't sell very well in part because the premium Alpa lenses couldn't be used on it. (The Si2000 used the M42 Screw mount, the Si3000 used the Pentax K mount
Pentax K mount
The Pentax K mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK mount", is a lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs since...
). Neither model was popular and they aren't considered true Alpas by collectors. Some feel the Japanese Alpa was a mistake that hurt the company.
The Kern Macro Switar lens was a 50 mm lens at F1.8 or F1.9. It was an apochromat, and is still highly regarded as possibly the best standard lens ever offered. Other apochromats offered by Alpa included the 100 mm F2 and 150 mm F2.8 Kinoptik lenses.
A total of six different models of motor drive and magazine back were reputed to have been made. Two models each for the 9d, 10d, and 11 series cameras, one full frame, one half frame. Estimates of less than 250 were made. Example in the photo is full frame, 11 series.
Unlike Nikon
Nikon
, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...
magazine backs, the Alpa ones were designed to allow for an entire 100-foot roll of 35 mm film to be inserted at once, and to allow for the operator to open the takeup side individually to cut off a portion of the film in a changing bag for processing without unloading the rest of the roll. The motor drive resembled some oil pumps in that the motor rocked a lever back and forth to shoot the normal trigger, after a second gear moved the normal shutter cocking mechanism. In actual use, photos can be shot at approximately 1 second intervals.
Both wall transformers and NiCad battery packs were originally offered. The example unit has a wall transformer, but only photographs of the battery packs may survive.
The company retained the same lens mount on the Swiss made cameras from 1942 until they ended production. The back focus of the body was the thinnest of any 35 mm camera, and as a result, it was possible to make adapters to use lenses designed for almost any other 35 mm SLR on an Alpa. Adapters offered included Exakta, M42 (automatic diaphragm and manual), Nikon (auto and manual), Leicaflex, T-mount, and Contax. Other adapters included one to allow mounting Alpa lenses to C-mount movie cameras and another to mount the Alpa bodies to a microscope. Alpa didn't make their own lenses — and sourced them through some of the best lens makers — Angenieux, Kern, Kinoptik, Schneider, and others. They were the only company to guarantee optical quality of the lenses they sold. The clearness of the pentaprism in the Alpa models, and the use of "rings" of different surfaces in the eyepiece of the 11 series especially made then a great choice for using on a T-mount, attached to large telescopes. Coupled with the manual mirror raise switch, even the vibration of the mirror slap was removed.
Alpa reborn
The new "Alpa" is a brand of the Swiss company Capaul & Weber, and is used for minimalistic medium format cameras using specifically mounted lenses from RodenstockRodenstock GmbH
The Rodenstock GmbH is a renowned German manufacturer headquartered in Munich and the only brand producer of the entire spectacles product worldwide...
, Schneider
Schneider Kreuznach
Schneider Kreuznach is the abbreviated name of the company Jos. Schneider Optische Werke GmbH, which is sometimes also simply referred to as Schneider. They are a manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics....
and Zeiss.