Meopta

Meopta - optika, s.r.o.

Formerly called	Optikotechna
Industry	Optical, opto-mechanical and opto-electronic systems
Founded	1933
Founder	Alois Beneš Alois Mazurek
Headquarters	Přerov, Czech Republic Hauppauge, New York
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Consumer, Industrial & Military applications
Website	[1]

Meopta optika sro is a Czech Republic based company that manufactures various products mainly in the field of optics. The company was started in 1933 under name Optikotechna in Přerov with the intention of producing a limited range of lenses and condensers, however the production rapidly expanded to include enlargers, composite lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes, cameras and slide projectors. Meopta U.S.A., Inc. is a separate American company that manufactures and assembles optical and optomechanical systems for the Consumer, Industrial and Military Markets.

After 1935, Meopta optika became a subsidiary of Zbrojovka Brno and a major supplier of military optics for the Czechoslovak Army. Company retained its focus on military production when it was seized by Germans during the occupation of Czechoslovakia as well as after WW2, when it was nationalized and renamed as Meopta – an acronym for Mechanická optická výroba - mechanical optical manufacturing. Apart from military deliveries, the company became one of the world's major manufacturers of cinema projectors between 1947 and 1970. The abrupt halt of military demand after the dissolution of Warsaw pact forced the company to refocus mainly on civilian applications.

Today, military production constitutes about 10% of company's production, with 20% of its turnover being generated mainly by optics for sports and hunting applications and 70% being generated by production of optics for cinema and other projectors, optical tools for microprocessors manufacturing quality control, as well as optics for healthcare which are used in various applications such as RTG or mammography.

The company was privatized in 1992. Its majority owners are a Czech family that emigrated to the United States in 1946 amidst the rising power of communists in the Soviet Union liberated and dominated Czechoslovakia. During WW2 the three brothers had been - together with both their parents - active soldiers of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps and were decorated for their war duty.

Meopta U.S.A., Inc. is a separate company that was founded by the same Czech-American family in New York in 1960 under the name Tyrolit Company, Inc. At that time, its main business was selling grinding wheels in US and Canada. Tyrolit gradually changed its focus to manufacturing various optical products and in 2005 was renamed to Meopta U.S.A., Inc.

Cameras

• Meopta Flexaret VII Automat 1967.jpg

  Flexaret VII Automat 1967

• Meopta Milona.jpg

  Milona

TLR 6x6

• Flexette
• Autoflex
• Optiflex
• Flexaret II
• Flexaret III
• Flexaret IV
• Flexaret V
• Flexaret Standart
• Flexaret automat VI
• Flexaret automat VII

Folding 6x6

• Milona

Interchangeable lens (viewfinder/rangefinder) 35mm

• Opema I/II

Fixed lens 35mm

• Optineta
• Etareta

Stereo 35mm

• Stereo 35

16mm Subminiature

• Mikroma series

Large format 13x18

• Magnola

Movie Cameras

• Admica 8F.jpg

  Admira 8F

8 mm Cameras

• OP 8 (1939)
• Sonet 8 (1956)
• Admira 8 D (1946–47)
• Admira 8 IIa (1954)
• Admira 8 F (1960–64)
• Admira EL 8 (1960) - one and only camera having the Zoom lens
• Admira 8 G1 (1966–68)
• Admira 8 G2 (1966)
• Admira 8 G0 (1968–73)
• Admira 8 G1 Supra (1968–71)
• Admira 8 G2 Supra (1968–71)
• Admira 8 L1 Supra (1971)
• Admira 8 L2 Supra (1971)

Supra is an indication for Super 8.

9.5 mm Cameras

• Admira Ledvinka (Pocket) (1934)

16 mm Cameras

• Admira 16 (1937)
• Admira 16 A1 el. (1963–68)

Movie Projectors

• Meopton UM70x35 69118.jpg

  Meopton UM 70/35

8 mm and 9.5 mm Projectors

• Scolar (1934)
• Sonet 8 (1938)
• OP 8 (1936)
• Optilux (1945–50)
• Jubilar 9.5 (1945–50)
• Atom (1940–45)
• Meo 8 (1954–60)
• AM 8 (1960–69)
• Meocord (1966–67)
• AM 8 Super (1967–70)
• Meolux I (1969)
• Meolux II (1972–77)
• Meos (1978)
• Meos Duo (1977–86)
• KP 8-2 Super (1976–80)

16 mm Projectors

• OP16 silent and sound (1938)
• OP 16 (1951)
• Opefon (1945)
• Almo 16 (1936)
• Pictureta (1936)
• Meopton I (1945–50)
• Meopton II (1945–50)
• Meopton IIa (1966)
• Club 16 (1962–63)
• Meoclub 16 (1965)
• Meoclub 16 Automatic (1968)
• Meoclub 16 Automatic H (1970)
• Meoclub 16 Standard (1974–78)
• Meoclub 16 Electronic (1980–84)
• Meoclub 16 AS 2 (1982–84)
• Meoclub 16 Electronic 2 (1984)

35 mm Projectors

• Eta 7 (1947)
• Meopton III (1955–57)
• Meopton IV (1959) - IV S with magnetic soundhead
• UM 70/35 (1963–73)
• MEO 5X series (1978-?)

External links

• Flexaret VII Review by BKSPicture
• Official website
• Company Virtual Museum
• Stereo-Reels Meopta
• meopta Movie Equipment