Ensign Autorange 20, c1937

[marcusverger]

I have an Ensign Autorange 20 of c1937. I have had it for quite a while but have only just rediscovered it as it was stored away in a box for a while.

Its rangefinder doesn't work and has general pitting on the back under the bellows, but otherwise sound throughout.

The lens is - Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 1:4.5 F=10.5cm, set in a Compur shutter. T, B & 1 - 1/150 speeds (Again all working!).

Is this a good camera to use (Cannot remember ever using it..!).

Your kind thoughts and advice please....

 

[Donald Qualls]

Without a rangefinder, it should be about equal to other good 6x9 scale focus folders -- stop down to f/8 or smaller, and get good at estimating distances, and you can make a lot of good images with that Tessar. I have a Voigtlander a round decade older than that, and even with an Anastigmat (triplet) it produces nice negatives.