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KW Patent Etui
France Version française
Photos by Sylvain Halgand text by Sylvain Halgand. From the collection of Sylvain Halgand. Last update 2023-06-22 par Sylvain Halgand.

Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1921 to (Before) 1938.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 1340

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras KW 

Working in the purview of camera production since 1915, Paul Guthe founded his own company in 1919. He named it Kamera-Werkstätten Guthe & Thorsch Gmbh (KW), based in Niedersedlitz near Dresden. His partner was Benno Thorsch.

As a Swiss citizen of Jewish descent, Benno Thorsch left Germany for the United States in 1938. The Dresden company was then acquired by the American Noble family of German origin, led by Charles A. Noble and his son John H. Noble. The company was subsequently renamed Kamera-Werkstätten Charles A. Noble. In 1939, Charles made the strategic decision to focus on single-lens reflex cameras. He moved the company to larger premises on Bismarckstraße. During World War II, production could continue as the company was not damaged.
On June 5, 1945, Charles A. and John H. Noble were expropriated by the Soviets and deported to NKVD camps. The company was seized and nationalized. Charles was able to return to the United States in 1952, but his son John was sentenced to 15 years of forced labor in a Siberian gulag in 1950. He was not released until 1955.

To expedite the production of the Praktiflex and Pilot Super models as demanded by the Soviet military administration, Ziegfried Böhn, who had been trained at Zeiss Ikon, was appointed as the factory's director in January 1948. From 1946, he had made modifications to the Praktiflex. It was only from 1950 that his modifications in the design and production of the cameras truly bore fruit. From 1949 to the late 1950s, the Niedersedlitz factory was significantly expanded.

In the second half of the 1950s, several photographic companies in Dresden, including KW, were consolidated into the new VEB1 Kamera und Kinowerke Dresden, which later became VEB Pentacon in 1964.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification in 1990, John H. Noble returned to Dresden and requested the restitution of his former factory. He regained ownership of the entire premises, which had considerably expanded, but not the rights to use the names Pentacon, Praktica, and Praktina. The company restarted by manufacturing a panoramic camera and was sold again in 1997.

1 VEB (Volkseigener Betrieb) translates to "People's Own Enterprise" and refers to state-owned companies in the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany).


It is no coincidence that this KW camera is called the "Etui". It is flat and compact enough to resemble a cigarette case.

The Etui is a plate camera made of aluminum and is available in two formats: 6.5 x 9 and 9 x 12. Some models can be found with a back for film packs.
To achieve such a slim profile when closed, the camera's folding mechanism is more complex than a typical folding camera. In 1913, Paul Guthe filed a patent to protect the opening and closing mechanism of this camera. Due to the First World War, the patent was only published in 1920. It was also registered and published in Great Britain in the same year.

To set up the camera, one needs to pull on the front sled. This sled has a hinge at its base to allow folding during closing. The hinge makes the two struts necessary to hold the vertical plate in place. When the sled is retracted, the struts align parallel to the scissor mechanism, and the camera can be folded.
Setting the focus distance is not straightforward. Since the lens is fixed, the focus can only be adjusted by extending the bellows. At the corner of the front panel, there is a metal piece bent into a hook shape. It blocks the sled at the limit of the front panel. By pressing this piece, it becomes possible to pull the sled and the rail. An indicator with distance markings from 1 to 8, and then infinity, moves along with a small index.

There are various combinations of shutters and lenses available for the Etui. Variations can also be found in the position of the handle, the presence of a spirit level, a sports viewfinder, and more. Considering the relatively long production period, such changes are not surprising. There is a version with a more refined finish known as the "Luxus." It can be easily recognized by its brown bellows and covering.

This camera was sold in the United States under the name "Kawee," a reference to the KW brand. It was marketed there relatively late, as evidenced by an advertisement from 1938, taken from Popular Photography magazine.

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This 6.5 x 9 version does not have vertical shift or a large sports viewfinder, unlike some other versions. The bellows have a single extension capability. This specimen is equipped with a film-pack back.

KW Patent Etui





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