Goltz & Breutmann
MENTOR
It is not sure whether the cameras, equipped with a focal plane shutter, were made in cooperation with Goerz and Ottomar Anschuetz or not.
The successor of Franz Goltz, Gustav Adolf Heinrich, initiated to move the factory to Dresden.
At that time Dresden was already a well known centre of camera industry.
During the first world war, the factory produced cameras for aerial photography.
After that period, it was hard to come back again in civilian camera business, but they kept producing single lens reflex and strut folding cameras.
In the year 1921 the name was changed in “Mentor Kamera Fabrik – Goltz & Breutman” .
After the dead of Gustav Adolf Heinrich, the continuation of the company was uncertain, until Rudolf Grosser took over the company,
or what was left of it and started up again in February 1944, with 15 employers.
The bombardment from 13/14 February 1945 destroyed the factory completely.
The company mainly manufactured single lens reflex cameras, equipped with the fast focal plane shutter,
more than any other camera manufacturer in the world, except the Graflex Company.
The camera body was a cube, made of wood and aluminium, covered with leather and a fold up viewing hood.
Bellows and lens-board focus from some 40 cm to infinite, mostly with f 4,5 Tessar, Heliar and Xenar.
The picture on the left shows the cube shaped camera without hood, ground-glass and the aluminium right side.
It works clockwise and anti clockwise. B disk shows the slit opening.
C is the winding mechanism to cock the shutter and moving the roller blinds in the upper position.
G= release. D= Set the spring tension by turning it anti clockwise to improve it and clockwise to lower the tension.
E Displays the tension figures.
F= sets “I” for Instant or “T” for Time exposures
Moment
Shutter time.
"B"=Beliebig (German) = appropriate
"Z"=Zeit (German) = Time =push the release knob to
open shutter.
To close the shutter again, press shutter release
knob once again.
to prohibit the immediate following of the second blind when firing the shutter.
In fact the shutter-movement is split into two movements.
To make a Time exposure; Set the switch in "T" position. Pull outwards the winding/select knob and turn the time-select disc on "T"
has become a select knob. This sets the opening of the slit.
Because of the "T" position, the slit is opened to
its maximum = equal to the image size.
Push the knob back. It's a winding-knob now and turn
it clockwise.
By turning it, the upper blind is wind up on the
upper shaft.
At the same time the lower blind is drawn up by the
two straps connected to the 2nd upper shaft, which
is turning simultaneously with the first upper
shaft.
The upper blind is brought in its position followed
by the lower blind and within between the both
blinds,.. the adjusted slit.
4) When firing the
shutter, first of all the lower blind, drawn by the
spring tension of the lower shaft, rolls to its
position on the shaft,
It is stopped by the straps, now on maximum length,
attached to the upper blind and the upper shaft,
which is still blocked.
Now the slit is open.
By firing the shutter again, the upper blind comes
down by releasing the blockade and drawn down by the
spring of the lower blind.
After exposing the shutter is down. There should be
enough tension to hold the shutter plane tight.
You can study how the upper blind is connected
to the 1st upper blind. By turning the winding knob,
the upper blind goes up.
When it reaches the upper side of the image-sized
back, stop it. The slit is open to its maximum.
Now you can see the two straps connected to the 2nd
shaft.
By turning further, the upper 1st. shaft roles
the upper blind and the upper 2nd shaft rolls the
straps, just until the lower blind reaches the upper
side of the mirror box.
The lower blind cannot move further.
End of lower-blind.