The
Foitzik Foinix is a 120 film folding camera, 6x6 format, built in the
1950s by Foitzik-Kamera-Werke, Trier. Karl Foitzik took over a lens
producing firm in 1953. He began producing his own lenses with a F4.5
Foinar, followed by a F3.5 Foinar. He died in a car accident in 1955
and his widdow closed the firm after a final sale in 1958. So it must
have been developped between 1954 and 1955 and built between 1954 and
1957.
The
camera shown is a Foitzik Foinix with a Foinar F3.5. It sounds like a
joke, that's why I chose this model for comparison of a simple folder
to the rangefinders of my selection. It's a no frills camera with a
reliable shutter and a good lens. It even has a double exposure
prevention. Compared to the top range full featured rangefinders, it's
only half the weight, 450 g.
Size (mm): 142 x 98 x 42 Weight: 450 g Lens: Foinar 3,5/75, closest focus 0.8 m Shutter: Pronto, B 1/25 - 1/200, F 3.5 - 22 Finder: viewfinder Film advance: via red window
Here are some photos of the camera. There is a short introduction to the use of it and how it feels at the bottom of the page.
Camera
front closed. Top: film advance, shutter button, viewfinder window, opening button and film type reminder.
Seen
from the back. On top: Film type reminder, viewer, film advance. Red window in the middle.
Seen
from above. Film type reminder, opening button, shutter release button and film advance.
Seen from the bottom. Tripod socket.
Camera
front open. Distance scale around the lens barrel (not visible in the
photo), depth-of-the-field scale, speed setting. Top of the lens:
shutter cocking lever, hardly sticking out, further left: aperture
setting. Under the lens: self-timer.
Left side, camera open. Aperture setting lever near the bellows.
Right side, camera open.
Camera back open.
Film
chamber.
Original leather case.
Leather case open. I found a nice Agfa Lucimeter S in the pouch, originally for an Agfa Bulb Flash.
Handling
a Foitzik Foinix is easy, it's just like
other folding cameras. Loading film is as usual. Open
the
camera back, retract the peg via the knob on the bottom and put the
take-up spool into
place. Same procedure for the film spool. Insert the film paper
backing
into the take-up spool and advance it using the advance knob until it's
well engaged. Close the camera back. Open the red window and
advance
the film via the advance knob
until the red window shows "1".
Open
the camera. Cock
the shutter, set speed and aperture. Set focus by turning directly the front of the lens barrel,
focusing moves the lens out. Press the
shutter release button. That's it. The double exposure prevention
will block the shutter button until the film
has been advanced. To
close the camera, press the hinges of the struts
as
usual, it will fold easily whatever distance is set. Open the red
window and action the film advance knob until the next number is
shown.
The Foitzik Foinix is a nice and simple camera, easy to use, with a good lens and a simple, but reliable shutter. It
lacks automatic film advance and a rangefinder, but it's a nice camera
nevertheless. It's extremely lightweight. A good choice if you want to
start with a basic 120 film folder and spend next to nothing.
