chronology of later compur shutters

[Tim Deming]

I recently acquired this late version small Voigtlander Telomar in a synchro-compur MXV shutter. Interestingly, the lens has no serial number on it. I'm trying to get an idea of when it was produced and I'm hoping some folks here can help by having a look. I think these type of synchro compur shutters were made around the early 70s, but does anyone have better information on the evolution of compur/synchro compur/compur electric/electronic shutters from the 60s onward until their production stopped? I've not been able to find much info on this on the internet and I think it would be useful to have a clear picture of their chronology.

Tim

[Bob Salomon]

The last Compur shutters were black, were not labeled "Synchro Compur", had disengageable click stops on the 1 and 3 sizes and gear wheels on the back to hook up an aperture control stick and a shutter speed control stick (1 and 3 size only). They did not have the self timer that the Synchro Compur had (V). My oldest brochure showing this design dates to 1988 when this series was introduced by Prontor and marked as (new) for the 1 and 3 sizes.

The version you have is the one before the above series and is illustrated in the Prontor catalog that I obtained at the Zeiss booth at Photokina, probably in 1986. The catalog itself has a forward that is dated Jan. 1975. If it helps you the Compur 3 shutter in that series was a model 146, the Compur 1 was a model 145 and the 0 was still a Synchro Compur model 800. While the 1 and 3 had click stopped apertures in 1/3rd stops the 0 size had 1/2 stop click stops on this model.

In my 1975 catalog the following shutters from Prontor Werke Alfred Gauthier GMBH are listed and detailed:

Prontor Magnetic E models 179,177 (6 types), 178 (2 types), 176 (6 types), 175
Compur Electronic models 138, 134
Compur models 146,145
Synchro Compur 800
Compur Electronic M 4 models 018, 141,142,143,
Prontor Magnetic 3 models 016, 1, 3
Prontor Press 4 models 0-12, 0-13, 1-12, 1-05

All of these shutters are discontinued except for whichever Prontor magnetic models maybe be used for OEM shutters like the Schneider, Rodenstock and SInar electronic shutters.