Interesting little German made Dacora I camera from 1952 that needs a little TLC but takes great pics as it is. Not a rare camera, but not common either. It takes 120 film, but for some reason my Shanghai GP3 spools needed a little trimming down on the ends to make them turn freely. The length is fine, but the end diameters were a little big. Whether this is true w/ other 120 films I couldn't say as that's the only 120 film I have here.
The lens is surprisingly good!. It seems to be single coated and has plenty of contrast and sharpness. Focus is smooth, no light leaks, excellent bellows, folds and unfolds properly, good struts, good red window, etc. No issues other than: Someone seems to have either taken the front element out at some point and mis-started it on the helical threads, or taken the whole lens/shutter off and not put the spacer back in between the shutter and the lens board. In order to get it going quickly I simply got my loupe and ground glass on the film rails, then put three marks on the outside w/ a pen to indicate infinity, 20' and 10', which is about all I need for a folder. The other thing is that the shutter button on top has lost its screw that holds it in from the bottom.
The shutter button screw (if I had one) goes on from the bottom and looks like a PITA to put in, so if I were keeping this I would just put a dab of good glue on the bottom of the little button and let it sit over night. It works fine now, but you have to be sure that when you're shooting that it doesn't fall off somewhere.
These are pretty minor issues if you want something to play around with, and as I said it does take great pics just as it it. Price for the little guy is just $15, plus actual shipping within CONUS, which would be $9 to $13, depending on how far you are from Florida. Cosmetics are good except for the ding on top and there is a brown leather case but its ratty. So, 15 bucks for a medium format camera you can slip into your back pocket that takes tack sharp photos which can easily be blown up to 4'x4'. Pretty neat. Looks nice on a tripod in the living room too :}
The lens is surprisingly good!. It seems to be single coated and has plenty of contrast and sharpness. Focus is smooth, no light leaks, excellent bellows, folds and unfolds properly, good struts, good red window, etc. No issues other than: Someone seems to have either taken the front element out at some point and mis-started it on the helical threads, or taken the whole lens/shutter off and not put the spacer back in between the shutter and the lens board. In order to get it going quickly I simply got my loupe and ground glass on the film rails, then put three marks on the outside w/ a pen to indicate infinity, 20' and 10', which is about all I need for a folder. The other thing is that the shutter button on top has lost its screw that holds it in from the bottom.
The shutter button screw (if I had one) goes on from the bottom and looks like a PITA to put in, so if I were keeping this I would just put a dab of good glue on the bottom of the little button and let it sit over night. It works fine now, but you have to be sure that when you're shooting that it doesn't fall off somewhere.
These are pretty minor issues if you want something to play around with, and as I said it does take great pics just as it it. Price for the little guy is just $15, plus actual shipping within CONUS, which would be $9 to $13, depending on how far you are from Florida. Cosmetics are good except for the ding on top and there is a brown leather case but its ratty. So, 15 bucks for a medium format camera you can slip into your back pocket that takes tack sharp photos which can easily be blown up to 4'x4'. Pretty neat. Looks nice on a tripod in the living room too :}
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