Balda Baldamatic use and quality?

[davidng]

I recently acquired a Balda Baldamatic VF camera and have already

searched the net about it. Little can be found about this neat little

viewfinder camera with a small Selenium cell above the shutter

(similar to the Baldessa in many ways). It has a 45/2.8 Color-

Baldanar lens, a front focussing triplet (of mediocre/reasonable

quality?). The second ring on the lens has two ranges indicated; in

red (with a flash sign) the apertures 2.8 to 22, and when in the

yellow (a sun sign) range, the light meter becomes active, i.e. the

match needle of the light meter (on top of the camera) moves and the

ring should be adjusted to have a coupled red needle to be alligned

with the light meter's needle. The shutter is a Prontormat.

The camera is build in 1959. Can anyone comment about this camera

and/or confirm whether the text below is correct for the Baldamatic

too.

"These models have a built-in photo-electric exposure meter which is

coupled to the aperture and shutter speed controls. This features an

automatic setting system which selects aperture-speed combinations

according to the available light. The selection is continuous from

1/30 sec. at f2.8 to 1/300 sec. at f22, apertures and speeds being

interlaced. The actual combination is not indicated, and there is no

shutter speed or aperture (except for flash and time exposures)

scale. The camera has no rangefinder. The shutter is a Prontormat and

is X-synchronized for flash. FOR FLASH SHOTS turn the main shutter

ring until the red aperture scale on the shutter ring (marked with a

flash symbol) is on top. The shutter now remains set to 1/30 sec (for

shots with flash bulbs or electronic flash) and you can set

individual apertures as required. For this purpose, simply turn the

main setting ring until the appropriate aperture figure is opposite

the dot just below the finder window. No other setting is required.

(data from the Kodak Retina Automatic I, also equipped with

Prontormat shutter)"