Alpa Alnea / Reflex 4–8
Pignons · Alpa mount · 24×36mm on 35mm film · 1952
Also known as: Alpa Alpa Alnea · Alpa Alnea · Alpa Alpa Alnea Model 4 · Alpa Alpa Alnea Model 5 · Alpa Alpa Alnea Model 6 · Alpa Alpa Alnea Model 7 · Alpa Alnea Model 7 · Alpa Alnea Model 6 · Alpa Alnea Model 5 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Model 4 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Model 5 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Model 6 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Model 7 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Model 8 · Alpa Reflex Model 7 · Alpa Alpa Model 7 · Alpa Alpa Mod. 7 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Mod.4 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Mod.5 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Mod.6 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Mod.7 · Alpa Alpa Reflex Mod.8 · Alpa Reflex Mod.6 · Alpa Reflex Mod.7 · Alpa Alpa Reflex 4 · Alpa Alpa Reflex 5 · Alpa Alpa Reflex 6 · Alpa Alpa Reflex 7 · Alpa Alpa Reflex 8 · Alpa Alpa 4 · Alpa Alpa 5 · Alpa Alpa 6 · Alpa Alpa 7 · Alpa Alpa 8 · Alpa Alpa 6b · Alpa Alpa 7b · Alpa Alpa 8b · Alpa Alpa 7s · Alpa Alnea 7 · Alpa Alnea 4 · Alpa Alnea 5 · Alpa Alnea · Alnea · Alpa Alnea Model 4 · Alpa Alnea Model 5 · Alpa Alnea Model 6 · Alpa Alnea Model 7 · Alnea Model 7 · Alnea Model 6 · Alnea Model 5 · Alpa Reflex Model 4 · Alpa Reflex Model 5 · Alpa Reflex Model 6 · Alpa Reflex Model 7 · Alpa Reflex Model 8 · Reflex Model 7 · Alpa Model 7 · Alpa Mod. 7 · Alpa Reflex Mod.4 · Alpa Reflex Mod.5 · Alpa Reflex Mod.6 · Alpa Reflex Mod.7 · Alpa Reflex Mod.8 · Reflex Mod.6 · Reflex Mod.7 · Alpa Reflex 4 · Alpa Reflex 5 · Alpa Reflex 6 · Alpa Reflex 7 · Alpa Reflex 8 · Alpa 4 · Alpa 5 · Alpa 6 · Alpa 7 · Alpa 8 · Alpa 6b · Alpa 7b · Alpa 8b · Alpa 7s · Alnea 7 · Alnea 4 · Alnea 5
Variants & identification
| Variant | Mount | Years | Serial ranges | Production |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alnea / Reflex 4 (1952–71) and 4a | Alpa | 1952–1971 | — | 354 (Pacific Rim Camera); the 4a with self-timer 'in very small numbers' |
| Reflex 4b (1959–89) | Alpa | 1959–1989 | — | 93 |
| Alnea / Reflex 5 (1952–59) and 5a | Alpa | 1952–1959 | — | 2,060; the 5a with self-timer 138 (1952–56, serials 33824–33903) |
| Reflex 5b (1959–89) | Alpa | 1959–1989 | — | 251 grey and 9 black (to 1966); serials 39801–41600 |
| Reflex 6 (1956–88) | Alpa | 1956–1988 | — | 2,575; serials 35650–39000 |
| Reflex 6b (1959–72) | Alpa | 1959–1972 | — | 1,957 grey, 43 black; serials 39601–42600 |
| Alnea / Reflex 7 (1952–) | Alpa | 1952 | — | 3,702 (Igor Camera) or 3,884 (camera-wiki) for the base 7 |
| Reflex 7b, 7s, 8 and 8b | Alpa | 1956 | — | Unpublished by model |
- One page for five model numbers because Pignons built them on one body across the same years and numbered them for their finders; the table says which finder each has. The 6c of 1960, with a meter and a straight prism, is the start of the next generation and has its own page.
- The model 7 count is 3,702 in Igor Camera's tally and 3,884 in camera-wiki's; the b, s and 8 variants are not separately counted in any source reached.
- Serial ranges overlap because Pignons numbered bodies as they were built, whatever the model: 30004–39000 covers the 4, 5 and early 6 together.
How to tell them apart
- A grey die-cast body where the first generation was bright chrome
- The 45° prism: you look down into the camera at an angle, an eye-level finder that is not level
- Model numbers are features, not dates: 4 no prism, 5 prism, 6 prism with split image, 7 prism with rangefinder; a adds a self-timer, b a lever
Alnea / Reflex 4 (1952–71) and 4a:
- Waist-level reflex hood and a plain eye-level finder, no prism and no rangefinder — the copy-stand and microscope Alpa
- Grey-painted aluminium die-casting, knob wind, cloth shutter 1–1/1000; serials 30004–39000
Reflex 4b (1959–89):
- Lever wind in place of the knob
Alnea / Reflex 5 (1952–59) and 5a:
- 45° prism finder, eye-level finder beside it, no rangefinder; knob wind; serials 30005–39000
Reflex 5b (1959–89):
- Lever wind
Reflex 6 (1956–88):
- The 5 with a split-image rangefinder spot in the 45° prism's screen and a self-timer; introduced to replace the 5a
Reflex 6b (1959–72):
- Lever wind
Alnea / Reflex 7 (1952–):
- The complete camera: 45° prism reflex finder and a coupled vertical coincident-image rangefinder with selectable 50, 90 and 135 mm masks — the last Alpa with a rangefinder
- Kern Switar 50mm f/1.8 as the standard lens from 1951; $469 with it in the United States in 1952 (Mike Eckman)
Reflex 7b, 7s, 8 and 8b:
- 7b: lever wind. 7s and 8: the 7 with a split-image prism screen. 8b: lever-wound 8 (camera-wiki, Pacific Rim Camera)
Specifications
- Format
- 24×36mm on 35mm film
- Finder (main)
- 45° roof-prism reflex finder (5 to 8); waist-level hood and plain eye-level finder on the 4; split-image spot on the 6, 7s and 8 · no rangefinder image
- Finder (rangefinder)
- Coupled vertical coincident-image rangefinder with 50/90/135 masks — models 7, 7b, 7s, 8, 8b only
- Shutter
- Horizontal cloth focal-plane · 1 s – 1/1000 and B · self-timer
- Meter
- None on any model of this generation
- Weight
- 810 g
- Country
- Switzerland
- Original price
- US$469 with the Kern Switar 50mm f/1.8 in 1952 (Mike Eckman).
Where sources disagree
- Production
- 3,702 (Igor Camera)
- 3,884 (camera-wiki)
Better supported: Unresolved
Both claim the factory record; the difference may be the 7b.
What reviewers say
- Mike Eckman, an Alpa Alnea Model 7 of 1952 (blog) — "The quality of finish is amazing" — soft Swiss curves against angular Japanese rivals, and a Switar that rivals the best German and Japanese lenses for sharpness and colour. The 45° finder is awkward and must be relearned for every portrait frame, and most Alneas now sit on shelves; "great camera is not always necessary to make great images."
History
In 1952 Pignons replaced the chrome Reflex with a grey die-cast body and sold it, for four years, under the name Alnea before reverting to Reflex. The model numbers describe the finder. The 4 has a waist-level hood and a plain eye-level window, for copy stands and microscopes. The 5 has a roof prism whose eyepiece tilts at 45°, so the photographer looks down into the camera at an angle — the Prisma Reflex’s arrangement made standard. The 6 adds a split-image spot to the prism’s screen and a self-timer. The 7 adds a coupled rangefinder with masks for 50, 90 and 135 mm beside the reflex finder, and is the last SLR anyone made with one. An a suffix means a self-timer, b a lever wind; the 7s and 8 are 7s with the split-image screen. The standard lens from 1951 was Kern’s Switar 50mm f/1.8, a seven-element apochromat, and a model 7 with it cost $469 in America in 1952, when the average salary was $3,500.
Pignons’ records, as the dealers transcribe them, give the runs to the unit: 354 model 4s, 2,060 model 5s, 2,575 model 6s and about 3,700 model 7s, with lever-wound b versions of each continuing in tiny numbers into the 1980s — 93 model 4bs between 1959 and 1989. Mike Eckman’s Alnea 7 review is the extended account: the finish “amazing,” the Switar sharp and colour-true against the best German and Japanese glass, the 45° eyepiece awkward every time the camera turns from landscape to portrait, and most surviving examples on shelves rather than in use.
This history is AI-written, from the sources listed at the foot of the page. Where the record is silent it says so rather than filling the gap — but no human wrote these sentences.
Photographs
Live listings
Asking price, USD: a median of $1,000 across 7 fixed-price listings on 2026-10-19 (middle half $400–$1,200). Tracked since 2026-09-06, 9 days: up 130% from $430.
By day
| Date | Median | Middle half | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-19 | $1,000 | $400–$1,200 | 7 |
| 2026-10-18 | $1,000 | $400–$1,200 | 7 |
| 2026-10-17 | $1,000 | $400–$1,200 | 7 |
| 2026-10-16 | $1,000 | $400–$1,200 | 7 |
| 2026-10-15 | $1,000 | $400–$1,200 | 7 |
| 2026-09-21 | $1,000 | $430–$1,200 | 5 |
| 2026-09-18 | $430 | $89–$1,200 | 8 |
| 2026-09-11 | $1,000 | $350–$1,300 | 9 |
| 2026-09-06 | $430 | $89–$1,300 | 7 |
Asking prices from the listings scanned, not sales; junk-flagged rows and auction lots excluded; other currencies are not converted.
- Alpa Reflex Mod.6 35mm SLR Film Camera Made in Switzerland
- [Exc+4] Rare Alpa Reflex Mod.6 35mm SLR Film Camera READ From JAPAN
- Alpa Reflex Model 5
- Alpa Alnea Mod.7 w.40mm Ex+/++
- Alpa Alnea Mod. 6 Chrome w. 50mm Lens Ex++
- Alpa Reflex 6 #38685 with KERN-SWITAR 50mm/1.8 in Ex+++ condition
- Alpa Reflex Mod.6 camera w. Schneider-Alpa Xenon 1.9/50 lens
Listings updated 2026-10-19. Links go to the shop or marketplace that carries the item.