Ica Rekord (460)

Photos by JPP text by JPP. From the collection of José Paula. Last update 2018-10-27 par Michel Rochevalier.

Manufactured or assembled in Germany from 1911 to 1925.
Index of rarity in France: Rare (among non-specialized garage sales)
Inventory number: 7489

See the complete technical specifications

Chronology of cameras Ica

Ica AG (International Camera Aktien Gesellschaft) was established in 1909 through the merger of the companies Huttig, Krugener, Wuensche, and Carl Zeiss Palmos, with Zulauf joining in 1911.

Several years were required to finalize this merger, during which production relied on the expertise of each of the founding companies. From this period, you can find some original models, but also often copies from one or another of the previous brands bearing the name Ica, sometimes even not listed in an Ica catalog and without a specific model code.

It was from 1912 that the situation stabilized, and the various camera models began to follow a certain coherence until 1926, when Ica ceased to exist. It was absorbed, along with others, into Zeiss Ikon.

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The Ica Rekord is an evolution of the former Hüttig Helios from before the Ica merge. It is a solid and sophisticated strut folding camera, made mostly of metal covered with finely grained black leather. The camera appeared in the Ica catalogue of 1911 and lasted until 1925, when it was then called Rekord-Palmos.

The struts are flat and slotted, and the top right one is bended while the others are straight. The black leather bellows are pleated. On the top there is a folding Newton finder with a blue lens for better prevision of black & white images. The wooden front standard has an articulated frame that folds with a lock system, and a pointer that retrieves into a socket. On the lower standard there is a support to hold the camera levelled.

The shutter is sophisticated for the period. There are 5 fixed slit widths, which are selected by the upper knob, with indication in a small peep window. The speeds can be set to Rapid or Extra Rapid, and the combinations deliver speeds in the range 1/10 to 1/1000 plus T. An interesting feature is the internal 2-piece door that prevents light to pass when the shutter is opened and the film exposed – it is operated by a level below the trigger. So the film/plate can be uncovered when setting the shutter.

The lens is a Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar of 13.6 cm of focal length and maximum aperture of 4.5. The lensboard has horizontal and vertical movements for perspective correction.

Ica Rekord (460) 9 x 12 cm

Interior of the chamber with the shutter opened, showing the inner double door.

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