Photographica Pages

An online guide to collectable cameras and related stuff


Eho-Altissa

Eho-Altissa was founded in Leipzig in 1892 as Richard Knoll's "Photo Spezialhaus". By 1904 they were repairing and building photo equipment. It was moved to Dresden in 1910, and was acquired by Emil Hofert in 1927, and later by Berthold Altmann. The name was changed to: EHO- Kamerafabrik GmbH in 1931.

By 1932 the company was making box cameras, and by 1936 was marketing a line of box cameras designed by Karl Heinrich Altmann, with the name Altissa. In 1937 they introduced a reflex camera, the Altiflex, and in 1939 began making 35mm viewfinder cameras under the Altix name.

In 1940 the name was changed to Amca Werk Berthold Altmann, and again in 1941 to Altissa Camera Werk. Sometime after World War II, it was changed again to VEB Altissa Camera Werk. Berthold Altmann moved to West Germany, and the East German government seized control of his company. It was merged in 1959 into of VEB Kamera-und Kinowerke. Production ended in 1961, but production of the Altix VI was licensed to a factory in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia using the original equipment from the closed factory.


EHO-Altissa Box Cameras