Plaubel

Plaubel is a German photographic-equipment brand whose history combines camera distribution, lens and camera manufacture, press photography, large-format studio equipment, and specialist medium-format designs. The business was founded in Frankfurt in November 1902 as Plaubel & Co. by Hugo Schrader, a camera and lens technician whose earlier training included an apprenticeship at Voigtländer in Braunschweig. Schrader chose the Plaubel name, taken from his wife’s family, because he considered it more memorable than his own surname. The company’s first catalog, issued for Christmas 1902, offered cameras from multiple makers alongside accessories and Plaubel-made equipment. Plaubel’s identity became increasingly associated with technically distinctive cameras. In 1912, Schrader introduced the first Makina, a compact folding camera using a bellows and scissors-strut mechanism. The design was subsequently developed for press and professional photography and remained in production, in evolving forms, for almost five decades. Hugo Schrader’s son Goetz joined the company as an apprentice in 1925, became responsible for technical development in 1930, and became his father’s co-owner the following year. After Hugo’s death in 1940, Goetz managed the company. During the Second World War, Plaubel was redirected toward precision military production. Its Frankfurt facilities were heavily damaged by bombing in 1944. After the war, Goetz Schrader rebuilt the business around large-format professional cameras, particularly the Peco family of monorail studio and view cameras. These systems emphasized extensive front- and rear-standard movements, interchangeable bellows, revolving backs, modular rails, and support for a wide range of plate, sheet-film, roll-film, and, later, digital formats. The Peco Junior, Peco Supra, Peco Universal, and Peco Profia families served architectural, studio, industrial, technical, and fine-art photographers. The company broadened its product range in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1959, Plaubel manufactured the Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100 in cooperation with the American Burleigh Brooks company. The camera used 120 roll film to produce unusually wide 6 x 10 cm images from a fixed ultra-wide-angle lens. In 1961, Plaubel introduced the Makiflex and Pecoflex single-lens reflex cameras and also participated in the development of the Veriwide line. These products demonstrated the company’s interest in unusual formats and professional applications rather than mass-market 35 mm cameras. In 1975, Goetz Schrader sold Plaubel to Japan’s Kimio Doi Group. The change in ownership led to important Japanese production and development work on the Makina range. A 6 x 7 cm Makina using a Nikkor lens was first shown in 1977 and released in 1978, followed by the wide-angle Makina W67 in 1982 and the revised Makina 670. The 6 x 7 Makina cameras became Plaubel’s most widely recognized products, combining a relatively compact folding body with professional medium-format roll film and a bellows-based scissors-strut architecture. Production of the Makina 6x7 ended in 1986. Plaubel continued to support specialist large-format photography after the Makina era. Later products included the Peco Profia NT and ZT systems, as well as the smaller PL69D camera and digital adapter intended for 6 x 9 cm and related formats. The company was also known for servicing and repairing its cameras; according to the referenced account, repair and service activity for large-format equipment continued until 2017. Goetz Schrader died in 1997. Plaubel’s historical significance rests on its durable mechanical designs, its role in professional large-format photography, and the distinctive Makina family, which remains important in the used-camera and collector markets.

Plaubel began in Frankfurt in November 1902 as Plaubel & Co., established by Hugo Schrader. Schrader had learned camera and lens technology during an apprenticeship at Voigtländer and later worked for a Frankfurt camera and lens manufacturer and distributor. He and his wife founded their own company and selected the Plaubel name from his wife’s family. The first catalog appeared at Christmas 1902 and combined distribution of cameras and accessories with the company’s own manufacturing activities. The first major Plaubel design was the Makina, introduced by Hugo Schrader in 1912. Its bellows and scissors-strut construction created a compact folding camera with professional capabilities. The design later evolved toward press-camera use and remained part of the company’s product identity for decades. Goetz Schrader, Hugo’s son, joined Plaubel in 1925, became head of technical development in 1930, and became co-owner in 1931. He assumed management after Hugo died in 1940. World War II interrupted civilian camera production. Plaubel was assigned precision military work, and its factory was seriously damaged by bombing in 1944. In the postwar period, Goetz Schrader rebuilt the company through large-format Peco view cameras. The Peco systems used monorails, bellows, revolving backs, interchangeable lens boards, and extensive movements for professional studio, architectural, industrial, and technical photography. Models such as the Peco Junior, Peco Supra, Peco Universal, and Peco Profia covered formats ranging from medium-format roll film to 8 x 10 inch and related large-format sizes. Plaubel also pursued unusual medium-format and wide-angle products. The Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100, made from 1959 to 1965 in cooperation with Burleigh Brooks, exposed seven 6 x 10 cm frames on 120 film through a fixed 47 mm Schneider Super-Angulon lens. In 1961, the company introduced the Makiflex and Pecoflex reflex cameras and worked with Burleigh Brooks on the Veriwide concept. A significant ownership change occurred in 1975, when Goetz Schrader sold Plaubel to the Japanese Kimio Doi Group. Japanese production helped revive and modernize the Makina concept. The Makina 6x7, equipped with a Nikkor lens, was shown in 1977 and released in 1978. The wide-angle Makina W67 followed in 1982, and the Makina 670 added features including compatibility with 220 film and a hot shoe. Makina 6x7 production ended in 1986. Plaubel remained active in specialist large-format equipment after the end of the main Makina production run. The Peco Profia family continued through later configurations, including the Profia PL1 and PL69D, which accommodated film and optional digital backs or adapters. Plaubel also continued servicing and repairing its cameras, reportedly through 2017. Goetz Schrader died in 1997, but the company’s designs continued to circulate among professional photographers, collectors, and users of large-format film equipment.

• 2017

  Reported end of camera servicing activity

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  The referenced account reports that Plaubel continued servicing and repairing its cameras until this year.

• 2012

  Peco Profia digital-adapter models documented

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  The PL1 and PL69D demonstrate the company’s continuing support for film and digital large-format workflows.

• 1986

  Makina 6x7 production ends

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Production of the principal Makina 6x7 model is discontinued.

• 1982

  Makina W67 introduced

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Plaubel adds a wide-angle sister model to the Makina 6x7.

• 1978

  Makina 6x7 released

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  The Japanese-built professional 6 x 7 cm roll-film Makina reaches the market with a Nikkor lens.

• 1975

  Ownership transferred to the Kimio Doi Group

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Goetz Schrader sells Plaubel to the Japanese group, beginning a new phase of Japanese-linked production.

• 1961

  Makiflex and Pecoflex introduced

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Plaubel adds 9 x 9 cm, 6 x 9 cm, and 6 x 6 cm reflex cameras with focal-plane shutters and revolving backs.

• 1959

  Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100 begins production

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Plaubel manufactures the compact 6 x 10 cm ultra-wide-angle roll-film camera in cooperation with Burleigh Brooks.

• 1944

  Factory damaged during World War II

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Plaubel’s facilities are seriously damaged by bombing while the company is engaged in precision military production.

• 1925

  Goetz Schrader joins the company

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Hugo Schrader’s son begins as an apprentice and later assumes technical and managerial responsibility.

• 1912

  First Plaubel Makina introduced

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  The original Makina establishes the bellows-and-scissors-strut design that becomes central to Plaubel’s identity.

• 1902

  Plaubel & Co. is founded in Frankfurt

  [1]Plaubelen.wikipedia.org

  Hugo Schrader establishes the company and publishes its first catalog during the Christmas season.

A specialist professional-camera maker focused on mechanically sophisticated medium- and large-format systems, precision movements, unusual image formats, and durable studio and field equipment.

• Medium-format folding cameras · 1912

  Makina I, II, III, and IIIR

  Early Makina models developed the compact bellows-and-scissors-strut architecture introduced in 1912. The family evolved from general-purpose folding cameras into professional press and medium-format equipment, prioritizing portability while retaining bellows focusing and interchangeable photographic functions.

• 6 x 7 cm roll-film camera · 1978

  Makina 67

  The Makina 67 was a Japanese-built professional folding camera for 120 roll film. It used the characteristic Makina scissors-strut and bellows arrangement and paired the compact body with a Nikkor lens. The model became one of Plaubel’s best-known cameras among professional users and collectors.

• Wide-angle medium-format camera · 1982

  Makina W67

  The W67 extended the Makina platform with a wide-angle-oriented configuration for 6 x 7 cm roll-film photography. It served photographers seeking a portable professional camera with a broader field of view than the standard Makina arrangement.

• Medium-format roll-film camera

  Makina 670

  The Makina 670 was a later development of the 6 x 7 Makina line. Reported revisions included support for 220 film and the addition of a hot shoe, while retaining the folding bellows and scissors-strut concept associated with the series.

• Monorail view camera · 1959

  Peco Junior

  The Peco Junior range comprised compact monorail view cameras for large-format plates and sheet film as well as multiple medium-format roll-film sizes. Models such as the Junior 9x12 and Junior 6x9 provided geared ground-glass focusing, interchangeable bellows, revolving backs, quick-change lens boards, and camera movements suited to studio and technical work.

• Monorail view camera · 1954

  Peco Supra

  The Peco Supra was an extendable-bench bellows view camera introduced for a broad selection of large- and medium-format materials. Its front and rear standards offered movements including tilt, swing, and rise or fall, and its modular construction allowed the camera to be folded for transport.

• Large-format monorail view camera · 1960

  Peco Universal III

  The Peco Universal III supported formats up to 18 x 24 cm or 8 x 10 inches and could also use smaller formats with appropriate accessories. Both standards offered extensive movements, while interchangeable bellows, revolving backs, quick-change lens boards, and conversion equipment made the platform adaptable across studio and technical applications.

• Large-format monorail view camera · 1967

  Peco Profia

  The Peco Profia family comprised multiple large-format bellows cameras covering formats from 9 x 12 cm or 4 x 5 inches through 18 x 24 cm or 8 x 10 inches. Its vertical standard supports, interchangeable rails and bellows, revolving backs, and separate movement controls provided precision adjustment for professional studio, architectural, and technical photography.

• Large-format monorail view camera · 2012

  Peco Profia PL1

  The PL1 is a later 4 x 5-inch-class monorail camera supporting formats from 9 x 12 cm down to 6 x 7 cm with an adapter. It uses precision drives, center and base adjustments, a revolving back, interchangeable standard and wide-angle bellows, and optional digital capture hardware.

• 6 x 9 cm monorail view camera · 2012

  Peco Profia PL69D

  The PL69D is a compact monorail bellows camera for 6 x 9 cm and smaller film formats, with an optional digital adapter. It provides precision drives, a revolving back, interchangeable bellows, extension rails, and lens-board options for applications requiring movements in a relatively compact medium-format system.

• 6 x 10 cm wide-angle roll-film camera · 1959

  Brooks-Plaubel Veriwide 100

  Made in cooperation with Burleigh Brooks from 1959 to 1965, the Veriwide 100 exposed seven 6 x 10 cm frames on 120 roll film. Its compact body used a fixed six-element Schneider Super-Angulon 47 mm lens with an approximately 100-degree field of view, making it an unusually wide camera for its period.

• 2012

  Expansion of the Profia line for digital adaptersProduct launch

  Background

  Large-format photographers were increasingly combining traditional movements and film-camera architectures with digital capture.

  Action taken

  Plaubel offered the Profia PL1 and PL69D with optional digital adapters alongside film backs and modular bellows systems.

  Aftermath

  The products extended the useful life of Plaubel’s monorail design philosophy into mixed film-and-digital workflows.

  Source

• 1982

  Introduction of the Makina W67Generation change

  Background

  The Makina platform required a broader-angle option for users of 6 x 7 cm roll film.

  Action taken

  Plaubel introduced the W67 as a wide-angle sister to the Makina 6x7.

  Aftermath

  The product range continued to serve professional and enthusiast photographers seeking compact medium-format wide-angle equipment.

  Source

• 1978

  Launch of the Makina 6x7Product launch

  Background

  Plaubel sought to extend its distinctive folding Makina concept into a professional 6 x 7 cm roll-film format.

  Action taken

  A Japanese-built Makina 6x7 using a Nikkor lens was released after being displayed the previous year.

  Aftermath

  The camera became one of the brand’s signature products and established the Makina name in the medium-format specialist market.

  Source

• 1975

  Sale of Plaubel to the Kimio Doi GroupM&A

  Background

  Goetz Schrader sold the German camera company after decades of family management. The transaction placed Plaubel under Japanese group ownership.

  Action taken

  Ownership was transferred to the Kimio Doi Group, which subsequently supported Japanese-linked production of important Makina models.

  Aftermath

  The change preceded the 6 x 7 Makina generation, including the Makina 67, W67, and 670, while Plaubel continued its large-format camera activities.

  Source

1. 1Plaubelen.wikipedia.org