Old Cameras

[.]

Looking at the various lists online, a 515/2 dates to around 1937, but that only lists the shutter as a Compur. Yours has a Pronto shutter, so there's two conclusions...

1. Your camera has had a lens/shutter refit sometime in its life. Bellows cameras can have the lens/shutter removed/replaced by simply unscrewing the mount. The drawback is though, the bellows then detaches (and collapses), and can could be fiddly to reattach.
2. The various lists found aren't complete. This one's more feasible, as I've seen a number of lists with peoples comments below saying things like "What about a 512 with a 'brand x' lens, like the one I have?"

[Reinardina]

Looking at the various lists online, a 515/2 dates to around 1937, but that only lists the shutter as a Compur. Yours has a Pronto shutter, so there's two conclusions...

1. Your camera has had a lens/shutter refit sometime in its life. Bellows cameras can have the lens/shutter removed/replaced by simply unscrewing the mount. The drawback is though, the bellows then detaches (and collapses), and can could be fiddly to reattach.
2. The various lists found aren't complete. This one's more feasible, as I've seen a number of lists with peoples comments below saying things like "What about a 512 with a 'brand x' lens, like the one I have?"

Somehow I think the second option is the right one.

If it was a 1937 camera, it must have been bought second hand, as my parents lost everything to the Japanese, and had to start afresh after the war. I'm sure they must have bought it in 1952/53, as that is when they returned to Holland.
It's getting more and more mystifying!

For a '37 camera it looks too new, unless the whole thing was refurbished at some time.

By the way, it has a Prontor-S shutter, which I think, may yet again, be slightly different from the 'plain' Prontor shutter.

There must have been endless variations in those days!

[.]

Somehow I think the second option is the right one.

If it was a 1937 camera, it must have been bought second hand, as my parents lost everything to the Japanese, and had to start afresh after the war. I'm sure they must have bought it in 1952/53, as that is when they returned to Holland.
It's getting more an more mystifying!

For a '37 camera it looks too new, unless the whole thing was refurbished at some time.

I think you've nailed it there. I'm guessing that it started out with the standard lens/shutter. But either an identical setup was unavailable, or an upgrade was requested, at the time of service/refurb.

[Reinardina]

Somehow I think the second option is the right one.

If it was a 1937 camera, it must have been bought second hand, as my parents lost everything to the Japanese, and had to start afresh after the war. I'm sure they must have bought it in 1952/53, as that is when they returned to Holland.
It's getting more an more mystifying!

For a '37 camera it looks too new, unless the whole thing was refurbished at some time.

I think you've nailed it there. I'm guessing that it started out with the standard lens/shutter. But either an identical setup was unavailable, or an upgrade was requested, at the time of service/refurb.

One thing still puzzles me; the whole thing looks brand new, not a scratch or dent anywhere. If it had been treated with that much care (or lived unused in a drawer) would it have needed a refurbishment? An upgrade maybe ... but would someone who hardly used
the camera have had it refurbished/updated?

I even scoured German 'virtual' camera museums today, without any luck. If/when I feel in the mood, I'll try to compose an email in German and see if they can shed any light. Need time for that though, as my written German has, like the camera, not been used for ages, and, unlike the camera, is not in such good nick!