1945

The Berlin Kurfürstendamm was still in ruins when the Photo-Cabinet, the "small" portrait studio, opened there on August 4th. It soon had two studios and 35 employees. The owner was Otto Hedler.

1948 - 1959

The Photo-Cabinet takes over the representation for the East German lens manufacturer Meyer Optik and the camera manufacturer Bentzin, both from Görlitz. In 1950, the representation of the Altissa camera factory is added. 

The company Foto Hedler, based in Berlin-Grunewald, takes over the general representation for the Federal Republic and West Berlin in 1952 for the Kamerawerkstätten Niedersedlitz, Zeiss Ikon from Dresden, and – in the field of optics – the company Carl Zeiss from Jena. Through its initiative, the Meister-Korelle, the Praktica, and the Primarflex II are introduced to the West German market.

1961

The company Foto Hedler, now based in Hamburg, establishes the German representation for Yashica Europe GmbH.

1963

Under the now world-famous company logo, the HEDLER rhombus, Otto Hedler imports and distributes Japanese quality prisms. In addition, in 1967, he begins the production of the Hedler Slide Projector 800 MH De Luxe in Diez on the Lahn.

1968

After two years of development, the first halogen film light in the world with fan cooling – the De Luxe 2000 – is presented as a world premiere at the photokina in the autumn. This light groundbreakingly paves the way for today’s safety lights. 1968 also becomes a decisive year for the company. On April 16, 1968, the company’s headquarters is relocated from Hamburg to Runkel on the Lahn.

1969

The right product at the right time: The great success of the Hedler De Luxe photo and film light necessitated the expansion of the system. Later in 1969, it received a sister model designed according to the same principles – the Ventilux 1250. The following year, at the photokina 1970, the Ventilux battery-powered lights were introduced.

1974

Two HEDLER lights mark the progress at the photokina – the De Luxe automatic 2000 and the small Jet-Lux 1250. And although HEDLER lights, thanks to their highly effective fan cooling, never posed a safety risk to the user, Otto Hedler presented all of his lights additionally as safety models – with safety glass and safety net.

1975

A completely newly designed light makes safety the top construction feature: the Jet-Lux Super-Safe, presented on the occasion of Otto Hedler's 30th anniversary in the service of photography. The Compact Flash is also released, a professional flash unit with modeling light. This device was developed in collaboration with the company Paul Teufel, Stuttgart.

1978

1980

Introduction of the Power-Flash 150 studio flash, featuring automatic fan cooling and 150 Ws. It is an evolution of the Power-Flash 120 but now housed in the larger casing of the lights from the De Luxe series.

1984

New at photokina 84: The Videolux 300 light, designed for video recording, is HEDLER's first light without a fan. Thanks to a power-saving 300-watt halogen lamp—sufficient for video recording—the heat generation is so low that the reliable fan cooling system could be omitted.

1988

Opening of the newly acquired production facility, previously owned by Optik Will.

1992

On December 19, Otto Hedler tragically passes away in a traffic accident.

1993

Renamed to Hedler Systemlicht GmbH.

1998

New: The Uni-Adapt System for all Hedler halogen and daylight lights, including both new and older models from the professional range. The system comprises the Uni-Adapter for fixed mounting on the lights and, for quick changes, the 360° 4-leaf barndoor frame as well as foldable and metal reflectors.

2000

Just in time for photokina 2000, the new generation of advanced halogen daylight lights is introduced, meeting the latest continuous lighting standards. The five Hedler H- (Halogen) lights and the three Hedler D- (Daylux) daylight lights are housed in rectangular metal casings, feature ergonomically integrated handles, and include a Uni-Adapt system connector for interchangeable reflectors.

2014

Introduction of the first HEDLER LED light – the HEDLER Profilux LED 1000 with a power consumption of 185 watts, 750 watts of output, 5600°K color temperature, and fully dimmable from 5-100% while maintaining the same color temperature.

2019

Market launch of the first speedring adapters for light modifiers from the brands Bowens, Elinchrom, and Hensel.

2020

Market launch of the Primalux 1000 LED light with adjustable color temperature.

2022

At the end of the year, HEDLER Systemlicht GmbH will become part of NOVOFLEX, expanding its product range to include professional lighting solutions for studio, video, and streaming applications.

2024

Introduction and market launch of the Profilux LED2000.