More for the Food Bank. Thanksgiving is neigh, so please consider.
From a collector's standpoint these are fascinating -- two folders of good quality, both made by Balda Werk on the eve of World War II, but one is not labeled as such.
What the heck is a Hapo 45? I'm very glad you asked.
Balda, of course, was a German camera maker of very nice equipment. Not professional level, not junk. Good solid stuff, and the Balda Pontina on offer here is a good example.
It is a self-erecting 120-film folding camera with a 1-250 Compur shutter that sounds dead-on at all speeds. The Meyer Gorlitz Trioplan 4.5 lens is clear, fungus-free, the camera even has a body release. Except for needing a tiny bit of jiggering to get the front standard fully erected, the camera is a good solid user. Cosmetically a bit worse for the wear. A little steel wool, a little shoe polish, you're there.
But the Hapo 45? Gee, it sure looks to be about the same thing. Even says Balda on the shutter.
McKeown's says Hapo was the brand name of the Porst camera distributor in Germany. Porst sold a lot of cameras, some of which it made, some just rebranded. As recently as 1996 it was Germany's largest photographic retailer, and they still seem to be in business unless the Internet lies (which it would never, ever do!) http://www.photo-porst.de/cms/porst/cms07.nsf/id/pa_home.html
There are some minor differences -- the Porst has a Schneider Radionar lens. The Balda viewfinder has a parallax compensator, the Porst does not. But they're both, essentially, the same camera. At one time they both had inserts to shoot 16 frames instead of 8, now long lost. Both internal and external viewfinders adapt for both formats.
On this Porst example I must say, the shutter needs something done. While it sounds OK, it does not stay cocked. You push the lever over, it fires the instant you let go. Something in there is not catching -- my guess is sticky grease after 70 years. My repair skills consist of ruining things, so I leave this to you. A quick clean, it's ready to go.
And on the Porst the viewfinder glass is cracked.
Bellows on both look good. Those on the Porst look just a bit better, cosmetically, but I don't see any leaks in either.
How about $50 for both? That includes shipping anywhere in the United States. The shutters alone are worth that.
Because this is for charity, I pay the shipping out my own pocket. Your entire payment goes to the Joyce Hansen-Hall Food Bank in Ogden, Utah, providing needed food for more than 2,000 households every month.
The fed's have cut back on food stamps, people (many who go to the food bank are seniors on social security) are hungry. It's up to us.
Please help. If you feel a need to verify, google the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden, Utah. Ask for Marci Valdez the executive director. She will verify Charles Trentelman (me) and my pal Maurice (who has donated many cameras, but not these) have donated more than $600 through these camera sales.
As always, first money takes them. Paypal and my email is -- summicron12000@yahoo.com.
Be sure to include a mailing address. I'm using flat rate boxes, so I'll pad your cameras with other goodies from my collection that aren't worth trying to sell individually. Everyone wins!
Thanks
Charlie
From a collector's standpoint these are fascinating -- two folders of good quality, both made by Balda Werk on the eve of World War II, but one is not labeled as such.
What the heck is a Hapo 45? I'm very glad you asked.
Balda, of course, was a German camera maker of very nice equipment. Not professional level, not junk. Good solid stuff, and the Balda Pontina on offer here is a good example.
It is a self-erecting 120-film folding camera with a 1-250 Compur shutter that sounds dead-on at all speeds. The Meyer Gorlitz Trioplan 4.5 lens is clear, fungus-free, the camera even has a body release. Except for needing a tiny bit of jiggering to get the front standard fully erected, the camera is a good solid user. Cosmetically a bit worse for the wear. A little steel wool, a little shoe polish, you're there.
But the Hapo 45? Gee, it sure looks to be about the same thing. Even says Balda on the shutter.
McKeown's says Hapo was the brand name of the Porst camera distributor in Germany. Porst sold a lot of cameras, some of which it made, some just rebranded. As recently as 1996 it was Germany's largest photographic retailer, and they still seem to be in business unless the Internet lies (which it would never, ever do!) http://www.photo-porst.de/cms/porst/cms07.nsf/id/pa_home.html
There are some minor differences -- the Porst has a Schneider Radionar lens. The Balda viewfinder has a parallax compensator, the Porst does not. But they're both, essentially, the same camera. At one time they both had inserts to shoot 16 frames instead of 8, now long lost. Both internal and external viewfinders adapt for both formats.
On this Porst example I must say, the shutter needs something done. While it sounds OK, it does not stay cocked. You push the lever over, it fires the instant you let go. Something in there is not catching -- my guess is sticky grease after 70 years. My repair skills consist of ruining things, so I leave this to you. A quick clean, it's ready to go.
And on the Porst the viewfinder glass is cracked.
Bellows on both look good. Those on the Porst look just a bit better, cosmetically, but I don't see any leaks in either.
How about $50 for both? That includes shipping anywhere in the United States. The shutters alone are worth that.
Because this is for charity, I pay the shipping out my own pocket. Your entire payment goes to the Joyce Hansen-Hall Food Bank in Ogden, Utah, providing needed food for more than 2,000 households every month.
The fed's have cut back on food stamps, people (many who go to the food bank are seniors on social security) are hungry. It's up to us.
Please help. If you feel a need to verify, google the Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank in Ogden, Utah. Ask for Marci Valdez the executive director. She will verify Charles Trentelman (me) and my pal Maurice (who has donated many cameras, but not these) have donated more than $600 through these camera sales.
As always, first money takes them. Paypal and my email is -- summicron12000@yahoo.com.
Be sure to include a mailing address. I'm using flat rate boxes, so I'll pad your cameras with other goodies from my collection that aren't worth trying to sell individually. Everyone wins!
Thanks
Charlie
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