Meopta

Meopta, s.r.o.

Formerly	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
Revenue	2,519,362,000 Czech koruna (2017)
Operating income	99,134,000 Czech koruna (2017)
Net income	178,696,000 Czech koruna (2017)
Total assets	3,017,122,000 Czech koruna (2017)
Number of employees	2,364 (2017)
Website	www.meopta.com

Meopta, s.r.o. is a Czech-based company that manufactures various products mainly in the field of optics. The company was once well-known for its still and movie cameras, although it no longer manufactures such products.

History

The Optikotechna company was founded in 1933 in Přerov, Czechoslovakia. Originally established with the intention of producing a limited range of lenses and condensers, the company rapidly expanded the range of products to include enlargers, composite lenses, binoculars, riflescopes, cameras and slide projectors.

In 1935 Optikotechna became a subsidiary of Zbrojovka Brno and a major supplier of military optics for the Czechoslovak Army. The company retained its focus on military production when it was seized by the Germans during the occupation of Czechoslovakia as well as after WWII, when it was nationalized and renamed to Meopta – an acronym for MEchanická OPTická výrobA ("mechanical optical manufacturing"). In 1945 the company merged with the Bratislava subsidiary of C. P. Goerz. 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 the Warsaw Pact forced the company to refocus mainly on civilian applications.

The company was privatized in 1992. Members of the Rausnitz family, who emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1946, became the majority owners.

In December 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued a decision to provide a subsidy from the OPEI for the Modernization of Meopta Research and Development project, so that the following year the development building could be reconstructed and research and development capacities were significantly expanded. ^[1]

In 2013, the company had 2,200 employees in Přerov and 150 in the USA.

Meopta owner Paul Rausnitz received the Medal of Merit for the State in the field of business from the hands of the president of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman on 28th October 2013. ^[2]

Meopta U.S.A., Inc.

The company which became Meopta U.S.A., Inc. was founded by the Czech-American Rausnitz family in New York in 1960 under the name Tyrolit Company, Inc. At that time, its main business was selling grinding wheels in the US and Canada. Tyrolit gradually changed its focus to manufacturing various optical products and in 2005 was renamed to Meopta U.S.A., Inc. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Cameras

Cameras

• 
  Flexaret VII Automat 1967
• 
  Milona

Large format 13x18 Magnola TLR 6x6 Flexette Autoflex Optiflex Flexaret Flexaret II Flexaret III Flexaret IV Flexaret V Flexaret Standart Flexaret automat VI Flexaret automat VII Folding 6x6 Milona Panoramic 6x23.5 Pankopta

Interchangeable lens 35 mm Opema I Opema II Fixed lens 35 mm Cola Etareta Optineta Opema 95 Axoma AF 96 Stereo 35 mm Stereo 35 Subminiature 16 mm Mikroma Mikroma II Mikronette Stereo 16 mm Stereo-Mikroma Stereo-Mikroma II

Enlargers

Professional enlargers Agrand (1967–68) – 10x12 Meogrand (1968–70) – 6x9 Large format Herkules (1955–69) – 18x24 Magnitarus 13x18 (1954–72) Magnitarus 10x15 (1954–68) Laborant (1939) – 9x12 Medium format 6x9 Multifax (1933) Magnifax (1954–67) Magnifax II (1958–73) Magnifax 3 (1972–80) Magnifax 3a (1981–84) Magnifax 4 Magnifax 4a Medium format 6x7 Opemus 7

Medium format 6x6 Opematus (1940-45) Opemus 6x6 (1953–70) Opemus IIa (1960–69) Opemus III (1969–75) Opemus Standard (1970) Opemus 4 (1974–77) Opemus Standard 2 (1977) Opemus 5 (1978–80) Opemus 5a (1982–84) Opemus 6 Opemus 6 Student Opemus 6a Medium format 6x4.5 Ideal (1934) Medium format 4x4 Colombo (1936) Opemus 4x4 (1953-70)

Small format 24x36 Axomat (1938) Axomat Ia (1960–69) Axomat II (1969–71) Axomat 3 (1974–77) Axomat mini Axomat 4 (1978–80) Axomat 4a (1980–84) Axomat 5 Axomat 5 Standard Axomat 5 Student Axomat 5 Autofocus Axomat 5a Proximus (1961–67) Proximus 2 (1970) Subminiature 11x14 Mignoret (1961–62)

Movie cameras

Admira 8 F

8 mm Cameras OP 8 (1939) Somet 8 (1956) Admira 8 C (?–46) Admira 8 D (1946–51) Admira 8 E (1952–57) Admira 8 II (1955–58) Admira 8 IIa (1958–61) Admira 8 IIb (1958–62) Admira 8 F (1960–64) Admira EL 8 (1962–64) – the only camera with zoom lens A8 G (1964–68) A8 G0 (1966–67) A8 G2 (1966–68) A8 G0 Supra (1968–73) A8 G1 Supra (1968–71) A8 G2 Supra (1968–71) A8 L1 Supra (1971–77) A8 L2 Supra (1971–77) Supra is an indication for Super 8.

9.5 mm Cameras Admira Ledvinka (1934) 16 mm Cameras Admira 16 (1932) Admira 16 A Electric Admira 16 A1 Electric (1963–68)

Movie projectors

Meopton UM 70/35

8 mm projectors [6] OP 8 (1936) Somet 8 (1938) Optilux (1945–50) Atom (1940–45) Meo 8 (1954–60) AM 8 (1960–69) Meocord (1966–67) AM 8 Super (1967–70) Meolux (1969) Meolux 2 (1972–77) KP 8 Super KP 8 Super 2 (1976–80) Meos Duo (1977–86) Meos (1978) 9.5 mm projectors Scolar (1934) – modular projector for 9.5mm/8mm and 5x5 slides Jubilar 9.5 (1945–50)

16 mm projectors [7] Almo 16 (1936) Pictureta (1936) OP 16 silent and sound (1938) OP 16 (1951) Opefon (1945) Club 16 (1962–63) Club 16B Club 16C Meoclub 16 (1965) Meoclub 16 Automatic (1968) Meoclub 16 Automatic H (1970) Meoclub 16 Automatic S (1974–78) Meoclub 16 Electronic (1980–84) Meoclub 16 AS 2 (1982–84) Meoclub 16 Electronic 2 (1984) Meoclub 16 AS 3 16 mm cinema projectors Meopton I (1945–50) Meopton II (1945–50) Meopton IIa (1966) 35 mm cinema projectors [8] Eta 7 (1947) Meopton III (1955–57) Meopton IV (1959) - IV S with magnetic soundhead Meopton UM 70/35 (1963–73) Meo IVa Meo 5X series (1978-?)

Sport optics

Meopta is producing Binoculars, Telescopic sights, Red dot sights and Monoculars on the field of sport optics and caters hunters, birdwatchers and sport shooters. ^[9] In 2019 the production includes the following series of products:

Binoculars:

• Meostar B1
• MeoRange (available only in EU, with laser rangefinder integrated)
• MeoPro HD
• MeoSport
• Optika HD ^[10]

Rifle Scopes ^[11]

• Steyr AUG factory optics
• MeoTac
• MeoStar R2 ^[12]
• Meostar R1
• MeoPro Optika 6 ^[13]
• MeoPro
• ZD

Reflex sights

• MeoSight III ^[14]
• MeoRed

References

1. "Meopta :: Modernizace výzkumu a vývoje". 2014-04-07. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
2. "Medaile Za zásluhy pro pana Paula Rausnitze | Meopta :: Lepší pohled na svět". www.meopta.com. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
3. "Série útěků mu zachránila svobodu i život, vrátil se jako přerovský Baťa". iDNES.cz. May 10, 2015.
4. "Historie | Meopta :: Lepší pohled na svět". www.meopta.com.
5. Najďonovová, Iva (June 2, 2015). "Generální ředitel Meopty: Biatlonisté nedají na naše dalekohledy dopustit". Deník.cz– via www.denik.cz.
6. "Projectors 8 and 9.5 mm | Meopta". Meoptahistory.com. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
7. "Projectors 16 mm | Meopta". Meoptahistory.com. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
8. "Projectors 35 mm | Meopta". Meoptahistory.com. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
9. "Meopta Sports Optics - Welcome". www.meoptasportsoptics.com.
10. "Meopta Optika HD Binoculars". 15 February 2019. "Prikazna". February 15, 2019.
11. "Meopta Sports Optics - Knihovna". www.meoptasportsoptics.com.
12. "Meostar R2 review". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
13. "Meopta Optika 6 Riflescopes". 18 February 2019. "Prikazna". February 15, 2019.
14. "Meopta Sports Optics - Red dot sights MeoSight III". www.meoptasportsoptics.com.

External links

• "Flexaret VII Review". BKSPicture.
• "Company Virtual Museum".
• "Stereo-Reels Meopta".
• "Meopta Movie Equipment".
• List of all Meopta cameras