A bit of history
At a time when cameras were still being manufactured in France, alongside brands like Sem and Foca, you could also find cameras made by Kinax.
Between 1945 and 1956, Kinax, based in Montreuil near Paris, mainly produced folding medium format 6×9 cameras like the one presented here.
The Super Kinax
As the name “Super” suggests, this is one of the best cameras Kinax produced.
However, while the build quality is excellent, the camera remains quite basic in terms of features. The only real luxury is a parallax correction system that makes it easier to frame close subjects.
The “Kolinax” viewfinder includes a parallax correction that is not coupled to the lens.
That said, you quickly get used to the camera’s somewhat crude nature and soon enjoy handling this beautiful object.
The lens: Bellor 100mm f/3.5
What really matters here is the lens – and the Bellor 100mm f/3.5 has a good reputation.
I wasn’t able to find its optical formula, but it is likely a Tessar-type design or a 5-element construction.
And I can confirm its good reputation. Even though my Super Kinax is somewhat worn, and the slightly dusty lens is not perfectly aligned with the 50-year-expired film loaded in the camera, I really appreciated the way it renders volume (“3D effect”, as some call it).
The choice of 620 format
Kinax chose to use 620 film for this camera – a format that has not been produced since the early 1990s.
This leaves you with two options: use expired film as I did, or go through the rather tedious process of re-spooling 120 film (which is still produced today) onto 620 spools.
You can find a tutorial on converting 120 film to 620 format here.
A camera that can still be used seriously
I have a real appreciation for this camera’s lens, its rendering appeals to me a lot.
If my camera were in better condition and accepted 120 film, I would likely give it a chance as an occasional shooter.
Source : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinax
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