C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →compact-35mm
The Werra IV (~1961) is a 35mm viewfinder/rangefinder camera produced by VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in Jena, East Germany. It represents the most fully specified model in the Werra series at the time of its introduction, combining the built-in selenium exposure meter introduced on the Werra 3 with a coupled rangefinder for precise distance measurement -- the two major additions that the basic Werra 1 lacked.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
View profile →C41
Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
View profile →C41
Kodak UltraMax 400 is a versatile consumer-grade ISO 400 daylight-balanced color negative film with T-grain emulsion, delivering warm Kodak colors, fine-for-speed grain (PGI 46), and wide exposure latitude. Currently in production and available globally as a single-roll and multi-pack.
Develop 35mm film
Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The complete Werra -- metered, rangefinder-coupled, still wrapped in olive felt.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm (24x36 mm) |
| Lens | Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50/2.8 |
| Mount | Fixed |
| Year introduced | ~1961 |
| Shutter | Leaf: 1s - 1/250s + B |
| Meter | Selenium (no battery required) |
| Exposure | Manual (meter-guided) |
| Viewfinder | Optical with coupled rangefinder |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder |
| Battery | Not required |
The Werra series began in 1954 with the unmetered Werra 1. VEB Carl Zeiss Jena progressively added capabilities to the line: the Werra 3 (~1958) incorporated a selenium exposure meter while retaining zone focus; the Werra IV extended the specification further by coupling the focus to a rangefinder mechanism. The Werra V followed as a further refinement.
The addition of a rangefinder to the Werra design was not straightforward: the original body's minimalist aesthetic left little room on the front face for the secondary rangefinder window. The engineers accommodated it while preserving the distinctive control-free top deck and the rotary-collar shutter cocking. The selenium cell, already proven on the Werra 3, was retained; its battery-free operation remained a selling point for a camera exported to Western European markets where battery availability varied.
The Werra IV occupies a distinctive place among 1960s European compacts: it offers the trio of Tessar glass, built-in metering, and coupled rangefinder in a body that is aesthetically unlike anything else produced in the same era. The felt covering, the rotary-collar cocking mechanism, and the bare top deck make the IV immediately recognisable and genuinely pleasing to handle.
For practical photography, the Tessar 50/2.8 is a sharp, well-corrected lens at moderate to small apertures, and the coupled rangefinder removes the guesswork of zone focus. The selenium meter is convenient as long as the cell remains functional -- a significant caveat after six decades. As a piece of East German industrial design, the Werra IV is among the most accomplished cameras produced at Carl Zeiss Jena.
C41
Kodak ColorPlus 200 is an affordable, consumer-oriented daylight-balanced color negative film at ISO 200. Known for warm, slightly muted color rendition, fine grain, and wide exposure latitude, it is currently in production and widely available in Asia and select global markets.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →VEB Carl Zeiss Jena Werra IV
Image coming soon