Warsaw Photo-Optical Works (Polish: Warszawskie Zakłady Fotooptyczne or WZFO) was a Polish firm that built

optical Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...

and

photographic Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed i ...

equipment. The company was initially founded in 1951 as the Warsaw Cine-Technical Works at the direction of Prime Minister

Bolesław Bierut Bolesław Bierut (; 18 April 1892 – 12 March 1956) was a Polish communist activist and politician, leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1947 until 1956. He was President of the State National Council from 1944 to 1947, President of Polan ...

. Oversight of the company was given to the Central Cinematography Committee of Poland, which passed the company to the Heavy Industry Ministry in 1952. The company's name was then changed to the Warsaw Photo-Optical Works, and they began to focus exclusively on producing cameras and related equipment. The WZFO was the first company to mass-produce photographic equipment in Poland, beginning with the

Start Start can refer to multiple topics: *Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports *Standing start, and rolling start, in an auto race Acronyms *St ...

camera in 1953-1954. Between 1954-1957, WZFO introduced the

Fenix Fenix, Fénix (Spanish and Portuguese) and Fênix (Brazilian Portuguese) all mean Phoenix (mythology), phoenix and may refer to: Business * Fenix Automotive, a British supercar manufacturer founded by Lee Noble in 2009 * Fénix Directo, a Spanish ...

, a relatively higher-end viewfinder camera, and the Druh, a simple

Bakelite Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...

-cased camera popular with young people. When the Druh series ceased production around 1958, the

Ami AMI or Ami may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media *AMI-tv, a Canadian TV channel **AMI-télé, the French-language version * AMI-audio, a Canadian audio broadcast TV service *''Ami Magazine'', an Orthodox Jewish news magazine Businesses ...

series was introduced as its replacement. In 1962, the firm released the Alfa, a small 35-mm camera that came in unconventional colors such as powder blue. During its years in production, WZFO also produced a range of photographical equipment such as lenses, flash bulbs, magnifiers, and similar items. In 1968, at the direction of the Heavy Industry Ministry, WZFO was merged with Polish Optical Industries.

Gallery

File:Alfa-2 Krakow 1.jpg, Alfa 2 in burgundy File:Ami 2 (6).JPG, Ami 2 File:Ami66.jpg, Ami 66 File:Druh Synchro.jpg, Druh Synchro File:Fenix II.jpg, Fenix II File:Start-B ver 2.jpg, Start B File:Start 66 Krakow 1.jpg, Start 66

References

{{authority control Defunct manufacturing companies of Poland Government-owned companies of Poland Defunct photography companies 1951 establishments in Poland Technology companies established in 1951 Technology companies disestablished in 1968 1968 disestablishments in Poland Photography companies of Poland Polish brands