The company was initially founded in 1951 as the Warsaw Cine-Technical Works at the direction of Prime Minister Bolesław Bierut.
The company's name was then changed to the Warsaw Photo-Optical Works, and they began to focus exclusively on producing cameras and related equipment.
[1] The WZFO was the first company to mass-produce photographic equipment in Poland, beginning with the Start camera in 1953-1954.
[1] In 1962, the firm released the Alfa, a small 35-mm camera that came in unconventional colors such as powder blue.
[1] During its years in production, WZFO also produced a range of photographical equipment such as lenses, flash bulbs, magnifiers, and similar items.