Braun Paxette

[perkeleellinen]

I've been given a Braun Paxette, an early model I think, maybe 1951; nice looking camera:

Not too much larger than an XA2 in length and height:

I thought it had a rangefinder but that second window is an extinction meter which seems to work well. It's calibrated for 17DIN (40ASA). I'd like to try a film at this speed to see if it works right but I think Pan F might be the closest at 50ASA. Is there any other B&W film at this slow speed?

What a challenge handheld photography must have been in Northern Europe in the 1950s when camera manufacturers assumed a film speed of 40ASA; I often struggle at 100ASA!

 

[AgX]

Nice idea to set it against the XA, though there still is the matter of depth...

Braun made various models and most with the same housing, thus at first sight one likely can mix up models resp. features.
Your model was made from 1954-56.

 

[MattKing]

I believe that that camera was made before the ASA standard was re-defined. So an extinction meter calibrated for (old) 40 ASA would have been calibrated for (current) 80 ASA/ISO.
Current 100 or 125 ISO negative films should work fine.

 

[AgX]

The meters did not change, but the relation of absolute film sensitivity against units as ASA and DIN. Wiith such old meter you still have to set the very figure of current film box speed.

 

[TheRook]

I also have a Paxette, and it is indeed a very nice, beautifully crafted camera. A real joy to use. Very compact, and it has a decent lens. The shutter on mine is as quiet as a mouse... just a barely audible, faint "tick" sound when triggered. The quietest shutter mechanism I've ever encountered on any camera. I rarely use its extinction meter, as I find using a hand-held meter with this camera somewhat more practical.

 

[AgX]

Most interesting is the name-giving. Not only are there countless Paxette models, but even more models with names starting with Pax- .

Braun was located in Nurembeg. A city that not only stayed off the direct destruction of the 30-years-war, that brought death to every 3. German, but also was the location of a major peace conference in 1649-50. Braun seemingly wanted to make a remembrance.

 

[albada]

I've shot with the rangefinder model that is based on the same chassis. Note that the large sliding cover engages a groove along the sides of the shutter standard. I recommending painting the interior of that groove flat black to eliminate light-leaks. Also, the lens has three elements, so don't expect good sharpness wider than f/5.6, but sharpness should be good enough at f/8 and smaller. Enjoy it!
Mark Overton

 

[perkeleellinen]

Thanks for all the comments and tips. I've just checked the extinction meter against my Nikon and I think it's calibrated for 100ASA or somewhere close to it. You're supposed to look at the numbers for 20 seconds and I can myself being quite lazy and looking for far fewer seconds. But that will only result in some overexposure which is fine in negative film.

 

[TheRook]

Thanks for all the comments and tips. I've just checked the extinction meter against my Nikon and I think it's calibrated for 100ASA or somewhere close to it. You're supposed to look at the numbers for 20 seconds and I can myself being quite lazy and looking for far fewer seconds. But that will only result in some overexposure which is fine in negative film.

Yes, but also keep in mind, it only makes sense to re-meter if the light conditions have actually changed from the previous time you metered, which isn't always the case. Knowing when it is not necessary to take a new meter reading can significantly reduce the amount of incidences you check the meter. Sometimes I like to guess the metered value before taking the reading; with enough practice, you won't depend on the meter quite as much.