This Certo Dollina 1 is a German made, folding 35mm camera utilizing the daylight loading cassette introduced by Eastman Kodak with the 1934 Retina. The speed with which other manufacturers adapted to the introduction of this format is quite amazing. Certo went one better than Kodak and fitted the Dollina with a Radionar lens one stop faster than its Kodak competitor. The serial of the lens fitted to this Dollina dates it to the first half of 1935. This is a very early example without the cover over the hatch release and many components are nickel plated. Strut braced and focused, a capstan knob on top of the camera is linked to the scissor action struts which move the lensboard in or out accordingly. The viewfinder is tucked away on the left side, and whilst a bit small performs well enough. Certo cameras were well made and extremely usable, the Dollina range was a success story for Certo and the model was developed up until the early 1950s. Such was the small size of these cameras when they arrived that they were referred to as 'miniature', but the lens quality achieved by Schneider Krueznach ensured excellent results could be obtained and the 35mm revolution was on it's way. This camera was acquired in 1984 and has been in regular use ever since.

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Body No.874
Shutter, Compur, No.3088867 speeds B, 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 & 300th
Lens No.766501, Schneider Kreuznach Radionar 50mm f/2.9
Condition, 6F

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