low budget 6x9 folder

...My preferred option, the Agfa Record 3 seems too rare these days. Who's familiar with the very similar Franka Rollfix with Schneider Kreuznach 105mm? I think the lens is a triplet ( which i'm ok with) but not sure if it's coated ( which i' m not ok with)

You just missed the Ercona II that Certo6 sold a few days ago on eBay. Zone focus, but the Tessar lens is amazing.

Also look at the Zeiss Nettar. Usually a triplet "Novar" f6.3 or f4.5 lens with either the simple 3/4-speed Vario/Velio shutter or the 8-speed Prontor shutter. The Novar performs very well when stopped down a bit, even very acceptable wide open.

The Ikontas are usually Zeiss Tessar equipped, many with a rangefinder.

The post-WWII cameras have silver tops. That advantages to the Nettar & Ikonta:

• The bellows don't fall apart with time;
• There is no dried out 'green glue' lubricant on the focusing helical (Hell to get out of well-seized Agfa cameras)
• The front standard is very sturdy and it is rare to find a Zeiss folder that is out of alignment.

Prices for Nettars on ebay are all over the place but generally in the $50-$150 range.

I've been happy with both my Voigtlander Rollfilmkamer (ca. 1927, they only had one roll film model that year so no need for a model name -- this was the direct ancestor of the Bessa, though) and my Wirgin Auta (ca. 1950). The latter still has the format masks for 6x4.5, but they've got surface rust so I have to go over them with Scotchbrite or similar just before loading (if I ever get enough time, I should strip them down, soak them in Evaporust, and reblue the steel). I had a Moskva 5 several years ago (which I traded off) that did well, too, but I found it hard to hold steady so my minimum shutter speed was fairly high.

An Ercona I with the Novar should be inexpensive, thought I don't see any in the US on ebay right now.

Sorry no experience with Schneider Kreuznach 105mm. They are great lenses though.

Checking Agfa 6x9 on ebay (not cheap) I would vounch for Moskva 5 (or other version) camera. They have a similar price nowaday and they are great cameras, Great quality and quite dependable. Had mine for some years and havent let me down, neither on mechanics nor optics. Also, it can be used as a 6x6 quite easily (try finding one with the 6x6 mask). Rangefinder work like a charm. Greatly recommended.

Regards

I use a 6x9cm Ansco Viking with a 105mm f/6.3 lens. This folder only cost me about $30 usd. I did have to spend a little more to seal the holes in the bellows.

6x9 Agfa folder by Narsuitus, on Flickr

Seems cheap but most Ansco are like that. Not in a bad way though, pretty usable and capable of great pictures.

I've been very pleased with my Zeiss Ikon Mess Ikonta 524/2. Sports a coated Tessar lens. The rangefinder is easy to use, but you do have to transfer the distance to the front cell. Don't know how "budget" it might be nowadays, but I'm sure it's cheaper than a Zeiss Super Ikonta or a Voightlander Bessa II.

I have had several 6x9 folders with triplets. The Franka Rolfix with Schneider Radionar (coated, camera was from the "American Zone" in occupied Germany) was OK. Samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hsandler/albums/72157691682603795. The corduroy covering tended to peel.

I had a Braun Norca Super II for awhile with Steinheil Cassar lens. Also OK, but very thin aluminum body without chrome plating felt kind of cheap. Samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hsandler/albums/72157713030565261/with/49499348036/

I have a Zeiss Nettar 517/2 with a coated Novar anastigmat triplet. Nicest fit and finish of all my folders. Although the Zeiss struts are sturdy, I can detect just a bit of non-parallelism of the lens with the film, and softness in the corners, so I use it stopped down to f16 typically. Samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/hsandler/albums/72157715076633818

My best 6x9 folder, and the only one with a rangefinder, is a Moskva-5. Great image quality, but a finicky diva in terms of handling.

Umm, I could probably be persuaded to sell my 6x9 and 6x6 Nettars, as I have too many folders for my shooting needs...

If you live in the U.S Kodak Tourist, made in several versions over the years, 3 element or 4 element coated lens with a shutter that tops out at 1/400 or the top of the line at 1/800. The bottom feeders are more like a box camera with one or two shutter speeds. Downside is scale focus. I use mine for landscapes so I shoot at infinity and not a big deal. Like most folders that going 70 years bellows need to checked for light leaks.

Paul Howell said:

Like most folders that going 70 years bellows need to checked for light leaks.

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Kodak red bellows are generally very light-tight. Agfa bellows, on the other hand, were made out of toilet paper.

Don Heisz said:

Agfa bellows, on the other hand, were made out of toilet paper.

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I would figure on a bellows replacement for any Agfa folder.

Zeiss Ikon all the way.
Folding struts and standard are the best.
Grease holds up the best.
Bellows are very rarely pinholed. Real leather and quality leather.
The Novar is great. A triplet is better on 6x9 than on a 4.5x6. And it’s easier to service. No worries about separation ever.

I think that my favorite 6x9 folder is an old No. 1 Pocket Kodak Series II. This camera uses 120 roll film so is still easily usable today. Even after all these years the Kodak Ball Bearing shutter on this camera is very consistent and reliable though its' 3 speeds have all slowed a bit. The old, uncoated 108mm f7.7 Anastigmat lens (which I believe is a triplet) that can be set wide open at f/7.7 or closed down at f32. The aperture provides a continuously adjustable range between those two points. Though a bit old the lens is clear and produces some delightful images. It is focused by turning the front lens element. The camera folds up into a light and easy to carry package and it is very simple to use. The old leather bellows is still light tight. It has two 1/4x20 tripod sockets that allow the camera to be set up in landscape or portrait orientation.

On the other hand it does not have a meter or a rangefinder, coupled or otherwise. The small, magnified viewfinder located next to the lens rotates between portrait or landscape orientation. It is small but usable as long as you don't need to be real exact with your composition. While the camera can be handheld it takes great attention to detail on the user's part to press the shutter lever properly without moving the camera. It is far easier to use a shutter release cable and a tripod. Fortunately the camera is light enough that a heavy tripod is not necessary to keep it still. I even use the shutter release cable when hand holding the camera.

Being as old as it is there were some minor problems I have had to sort out but they were pretty easy to handle. The first was that the old door on the camera back that was opened to write on the original autographic film was no longer sealing tight. So, a strip of gaffers tape took care of that light leak. Next, after using it a few times the old red window in the back that allow you to see the film numbers on the backing paper cracked and fell out. It was so brittle that repair was impossible. So, as a temporary fix, I taped a red, transparent piece of a file index tab over the hole. After two years that little piece of plastic is still in place and working just fine.

This camera cost me a total of $25 including a case and shipping so it certainly meets the budget criteria. They are still easily available on-line at very reasonable prices. Just be sure you are buying the No 1 Pocket Kodak which uses 120 film, not the No 1A Pocket Kodak which used 116 film which is no longer made.

If the camera has an old Kodak Ball Bearing shutter I would be relatively confident that it still works though you should probably check the actual speeds when it arrives. I have been told that they are relatively easy to work on but I have never tried to do anything with mine as it really wasn't necessary.

Franka Rollfix also came with a Rodenstock triplet (Trioplan? I think)-- this is my favorite budget 6x9 folder. The higher end Kodak Tourist II's are good too, but rarer. My hot take: Voigtlander Color Skopars are a waste of time and film.

Agreed, Kodak tourist (II) is the one to beat. Get the anastar or anaston lens, (3 or 4 element), ideally with the 1/800 shutter though those can be a bit finicky.

Helge said:

Zeiss Ikon all the way.
Folding struts and standard are the best.
Grease holds up the best.
Bellows are very rarely pinholed. Real leather and quality leather.
The Novar is great. A triplet is better on 6x9 than on a 4.5x6. And it’s easier to service. No worries about separation ever.

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Ikonta from the West or Ercona from the East. Very sturdy. If you can' find one with Tessar in your price range, the Novar or Novonar are nice lenses. It can be difficult to find an Ercona marked in Feet, though. The Zeiss Jena Tessar on the Ercona is just as good as the West German Tessar, Color-Skopar or Solinar.

I have a nice little Kodak Sterling II with an Anaston 105mm f4.5 lens and Pronto shutter. It looks like the UK version of a Kodak Tourist. I think it was $25.