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 World War II, 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.
In 2026, the company had employees in Přerov and 150 in the United States.
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 28 October 2013.
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 United States and Canada. Tyrolit gradually changed its focus to manufacturing various optical products and in 2005 was renamed to Meopta U.S.A., Inc.
Cameras
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 Laborant (1939) – 9x12 Magnitarus 10x15 (1954–68) Magnitarus 13x18 (1954–72) Herkules (1955–69) – 18x24
Medium format 6x9 Multifax (1933) Magnifax (1954–67) Magnifax II (1958–73) Magnifax 3 (1972–80) Magnifax 3a (1981–84) Magnifax 4 (1985) Magnifax 4a (1998)
Medium format 6x7 Opemus 7
Medium format 6x6 Opematus (1940-45) Opemus 6x6 (1953–70) Opemus II 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 (1985) Opemus 6 Standard (1986) Opemus 6a (1998) Opemus 6 Student Opemus 6 Super
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 Standard Axomat 5 (1985) Axomat 5 Standard (1986) Axomat 5a (1998) Axomat 5 Autofocus Axomat 5 Student Proximus (1961–67) Proximus 2 (1970)
Subminiature 11x14 Mignoret (1961–62)
Enlarger Heads
Color Heads Barevná hlava (Color Head) Meochrom Meochrom 2 Meopta Color 3 Meopta Color 4-ES
Variable Contrast Heads Meograde
Projection Heads Projekční hlava (Projection Head)
Power Supplies Meochrom trafo TR 100 ST 100
Movie cameras
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
8 mm projectors 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 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 Meoclub 16 AS 3a
16 mm cinema projectors Meopton I (1945–50) Meopton II (1945–50) Meopton IIa (1966)
35 mm cinema projectors 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. 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
Rifle Scopes Steyr AUG factory optics MeoTac MeoStar R2 Meostar R1 MeoPro Optika 6 MeoPro ZD
Reflex sights MeoSight III MeoRed
References
External links
List of all Meopta cameras