Pilot Reflex

From Camerapedia.org

German TLR (edit)



35 mm	Contaflex \| Agfa Flexilette \| Optima Reflex
3×4	Pilot Reflex
4×4	Baby Rolleiflex (1931) \| Baby Rolleiflex (1957)
6×6	Altiflex \| Amplion Reflex \| Brillant \| Flektar \| Flexo \| Flexora \| Flexora II \| Flexora III \| Foth-flex \| Ikoflex Ic \| Ikoflex Favorit \| Mentorett \| Montiflex \| Peerflekta \| Perfekta \| Photina Reflex \| Plascaflex \| Plascaflex PS 35 \| Plascaflex V 45 \| Reflecta \| Reflekta \| Reflekta II \| Rica Flex \| Rocca Automatic \| Rocca Super Reflex \| Rolleiflex \| Rolleicord \| Rollop \| Superb \| Superflex \| Trumpfreflex \| Vitaflex \| Weltaflex \| Wirgin Reflex
6×9	Superfekta

Pilot Reflex
Photo by Paul Desmond

The Pilot reflex TLR was made by KW in Dresden, Germany between 1931 and 1937 . It's an unusual folding Twin lens reflex for 127 roll film. It takes 3×4 cm pictures. Its folding design is unusual for a TLR, but not unique; the German Perfekta, Superfekta and Zeca-Flex are other examples of this approach. The front plate is marked just Pilot.

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Specifications

The Pilot reflex has an extra Albada type viewfinder for portrait oriented pictures. Curiously, it is placed at the same height as the viewing lens. It might have been wiser to put it closer to the taking lens to reduce the parallax. The framecounter is a ruby window in the back of the camera. The camera has a dual stroke advance lever. It does not cock the shutter: the Compur shutter is set and tripped near the taking lens. The Pilot reflex is focused by a knob above the advance lever. It has engraved distance markings up to 16 m.

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