Pre-war German folding camera from Kochmann Dresden with Meyer lens on 127 film, a 1930s collector's curiosity.
The Kochmann Korelle 3x4 is a compact folding camera from the 1930s that uses 127 roll film to produce 3x4cm negatives, manufactured by Kochmann in Dresden, Germany. The camera features a Meyer lens — likely a Meyer Görlitz Trioplan or similar — in a folding strut design that collapses flat for carrying.
The 3x4cm frame size on 127 film provides a format slightly larger than half-frame 35mm, yielding adequate image quality for contact prints and moderate enlargements. The folding design was the dominant compact camera architecture of the 1930s, and the Korelle represents a mid-market example of pre-war German camera manufacturing.
Build quality reflects 1930s German manufacturing standards with a metal body, leather covering, and the precision mechanical components typical of Dresden camera production. The Meyer lens provides competent optics, and the leaf shutter offers basic speed selection for daylight photography on the slow film emulsions of the era.
The Kochmann Korelle holds modest collector interest as a pre-war German folding camera from a lesser-known Dresden manufacturer. The Meyer lens adds optical heritage value, and the camera is usable with 127 film still available from Lomography for photographers who want to explore this vintage format.