Mr.Kings's Regula

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Sometimes, amongst the dross of cheap old rangefinder cameras, you come across something a little special. One such camera is the King Regula Ip.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>The King family started out as clock and watchmakers in the 1930's in the Black Forest region of Germany. About 1936 they opened a small factory in Bad Liebenzell, manufacturing electrical and wireless components, but the war took it's toll of the business, and apparently the Allies confiscated much of their manufacturing equipment. From some accounts, King was interested in photography and had nursed a dream of creating his own cameras, and in 1949 the first Regula I appeared. <br>

They were sturdy little cameras, very solidly constructed and well-finished, with metal surfaces treated with "Eloxal", an aluminum-coating process which imparted a very attractive bright satin sheen. Unfortunately, in many cases it hasn't worn as well as the maker had hoped. Some of the design and construction owed much to the legacy of watch and clock manufacturing; the connection between the film wind and shutter cocking on the Regulars, for example, is constructed from watch-chain, which becomes a little unreliable as the chain stretches with use. Certainly, on the copy I have, about one cocking attempt in six was a failure, wasting a frame.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>The Regula progressed through a variety of models, marked mainly by different combinations of shutters and lenses. The model designation is marked only inside the camera above the film-gate, so identification from the exterior is tricky. This example is a IP-a, probably manufactured near the end of the production run which finished around 1953, and it's a pretty minty example. The "a" apparently marks the camera as having an uncoupled extinction meter though, as I don't have the calculation tables which would have accompanied the camera, the device wasn't much use. It came with a delightful leather case, and it gives the overall impression that the King works were trying hard to produce a quality product.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>This model has a Prontor SVS shutter with speeds from 1 to 1/300th plus B. The lens is the ubiquitous 45mm Steinheil Munchen Cassar f/2.8, a triplet design originally from the 1930's but re-designed post-war when improved glass became available. I have numerous examples of this lens on a variety of small German cameras of this era, but this particular copy out-performed any other I've shot with. It's a little vague from f/2.8 to f/4 but from then on down it's absolutely tack sharp and surprisingly contrasty. I was genuinely surprised when I saw the negatives, and I'm posting a couple of larger files to give you some idea of the quality. Remarkable. The camera has a simple unmarked viewfinder, and focusing is via the front elements. It's just a simple little camera and apart from the winding problem I had no issues with it over the course of shooting a Fuji Superia 200. Scans from the Frontier.</p><div></div>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>No.2</p><div></div>

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<p>No.3</p><div></div>

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<p>No.4</p><div></div>

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<p>No.5</p><div></div>

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<p>No.6</p><div></div>

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<p>No.7</p><div></div>

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<p>No.8</p><div></div>

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<p>No.9</p><div></div>

[winfried_buechsenschuetz1]

<p>Some years ago there was an article about the King company in a german camera collectors' magazine.<br>

They just happened to stumble into making cameras. The King company used to make components for a south-german manufacturer of turntables and gramophones. Liquid money was scarce in the early years after WWII, and the turntable manufacturer (who also held some of the shares of the Steinheil cameras) offered them a bunch of Steinheil lenses mounted in shutters.<br>

There were quite a few people and companies entering the camera market in Germany after WWII, and so Mr. King decided to build his own camera "around" the shutters and lenses he already had.<br>

Different from many camera manufacturer start up-s from that era, King still exists - after their bancrupty in the 1980s they spezialized in plastics moulding application and consulting.</p>

<p> </p>

[Guest]

<p>Excellent post, as usual.</p>

[capitalq]

<p>great looking camera and posts, rick (i really like emperos for some reason).</p>

<p>your post got me thinking about the connection between watchmakers and camera manufacturers. i seem to recall that some of my half-frame cameras have seikosha shutters (made by seiko). and of course, seiko later acquired epson (which i use to scan my negs) so we seem to have completed a circle.</p>

<p>i would also like to hear more about why there was such a post-war rush into camera manufacturing in japan and germany. is it because it was one of the few 'reconstruction' industries allowed by the americans? </p>

[andrewg_ny]

<p>That is a really handsome camera and apparently it takes pretty nice pictures too.</p>

[John Seaman]

<p>"The "a" apparently marks the camera as having an uncoupled extinction meter though, as I don't have the calculation tables which would have accompanied the camera, the device wasn't much use." I love the idea of trying to read the exposure from an extinction meter, then needing a table to use the resullts!<br>

As always an interesting and well researched post. It makes you wonder how many more makes exist.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Very nice. An interesting camera I'd not seen before. Your pictures are great, as yours almost always are.<br>

I love both Victorian architecture as well as Art Deco (the theater/theatre, or in southern Illinois usually thee-AY-ter). In Sweden they call the Victorian stuff "Carpenter's Joy," I think; and these houses look particularly happy.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

[donnie_strickland]

<p>Nice to see another King! I bought one of these at a local thrift store 4 or 5 years back, but it wasn't working. I didn't want to attempt a repair so I took it back, all the time wondering how the lens performed. Now I know! Thanks Rick!</p>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>Interesting, fine looking camera and nice series of pics, Rick! I am constantly amazed how good some of those triplets can be. </p>

[cj8281]

<p>The Argus A3 has a built in extinction meter and has the calculator built into the back of the camera. Pretty simple to use actually and pretty accurate too. Some extinction meters were pretty complicated and others were simple. The one in the Argus has 6 separations and the calculator is of the 3 wheel type. Hmm maybe a picture to help. The center wheel has the film speeds and is set to the middle wheel to indicate the type of lighting, Bright, Average, Cloudy or Interior. Then these two wheels are turned together to line up the film speed with the last visible number that is seen in the meter and the other side shows the shutter speed and aperture combinations that are appropriate. Film speeds are in Weston Film Speeds, not ASA. So in this example, the film is rated as a Weston Speed of 32 and the conditions outdoors are bright and when looking through the meter, the last visible digit that you can see is 4 when held up pointed at your subject, then one of the shutter/apertures listed is 1/50 at ƒ11. Probably would not help you much with yours though. Sorry.</p><div></div>

[starvy]

<p>The images are surprisingly sharp from a small negative. I associate triplets to do well with larger negatives but the larger scans you have included really show the potential of the camera. Cosmetically, I have to say that the design exudes a touch of early 50s glamour that was associated far more with Italy than Germany. As ever Rick, wonderful pictures!</p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Thanks for the responses. <strong>Winfried</strong>, your information helps explain the King's diversion from electric and wireless components into cameras, hitherto something of a mystery. <strong>Capital</strong>, as usual you've picked the only image with any style, and the connection you draw between timepieces and cameras is valid. I guess the same skill set was involved to a great degree. The post-war boom in Japanese camera production is the subject of many interesting articles, too large to broach here. Thanks, <strong>Gene</strong>, for your approval!</p>

<p><strong>John</strong>, the whole extinction meter thing has always amused me, as it's not very precise and somewhat clumsy in operation, as <strong>Clay</strong> has pointed out. I have a couple of hand-held extinction meters, one with a calculator like the Argus example and the other reliant on a set of printed tables. Thank you both for your input. <strong>Donnie</strong> and <strong>Starvy</strong>, the quality of the images from this particular lens is quite exceptional, though as <strong>Louis</strong> remarked, some of these little triplets are quite surprisingly good, within certain limits. You're right about this camera looking a little Italianate and rather glitzy for a German product!<strong> </strong></p>

<p>I'm fond of both Art Deco and Victoriana, <strong>JDM</strong>, though some of the Victorian excesses have become carpenters' nightmares now restoration is in vogue. Both styles are well-represented in our community.</p>

<p> </p>

[doug grosjean]

<p>Beautiful camera and beautiful work with it. I must be right and left brained, as I appreciate both the camera and the results.</p>

[john_cogburn]

<p>Here's another in the King/Regula line.</p>

<p>Mine has a Zeiss Tessar lens, coupled RF and uncoupled selenium meter. Also has the linkage that keeps a certain "light value" aperture-speed combination as you change the shutter speed ring. If you want to change the combination, you press in on a spring-loaded tab to de-couple the notched linkage and set a new combination.</p><div></div>