Altissa Altix-NB

Altix-NB c.1958, Version 1 type B image by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)

Altix-NB is a 35mm film viewfinder camera, manufactured by VEB Altissa-Camera-Werk, Dresden, former East Germany and produced between 1958-59.

Altix was a series of simple, but well made of sophisticated 35mm viewfinders with interchangeable lenses. There is an accessory viewfinder for these lenses. The Altix-NB model is the last model built by Altissa in 1958-59 before the merger of several small factories to the huge Kombinat VEB Pentacon.

Specifications

• Lens: Altix-NB was offered with various standard interchangeable lenses, e.g. Carl Zeiss Tessar 50mm f/2.8, Meyer Trioplan 50mm f/2.8
  • Altissa bayonet breech-lock mount, (similar to the Pentacon Six/Kiev 60 TTL but much smaller),
  • 35mm, 50mm and 90mm lenses were made for this special mount
• Lens release: by a milled ring on the lens mount,
  • when installing the red index mark on the DOF scale must be upper most
• Focusing: manual, guess the distance
• Shutter: Tempor leaf shutter, speeds: 1-1/250 +B

Altix-NB c.1958, Version 1 type B image by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)

• Cocking lever: also winds the film, short stroke rapid-wind
  • The shutter must be depressed second time after the exposure, before cocking
• View finder: simple reverse telescopic viewfinder, no bright line frames for parallax correction
• Exposure meter: Built-in selenium cell light meter, uncoupled, w/ a lid on its window
• Exposure setting: by a complex dial with a matching needle window
• Others: Cold-shoe; Memory dial; Self-timer; Tripod socket: 1/4 inch
• Back cover: removable with the bottom plate
• Body: made of cast metal; Weight: 611g

Altix-NB c.1958, Version 1 type B Images by Süleyman Demir (Image rights)

Links

• on Altissa Museum by Michael Spehr (German)
• on Helmut's Fotokiste (German)
• Eho Altissa Altix nb on Sylvain Halgand's www.collection-appareils.fr