Darryl Roberts
Subscriber
I have $250 and would like a 6x9 folder. Can you recommend one?
Thank you
Thank you
I have $250 and would like a 6x9 folder. Can you recommend one?
Thank you
JPD’s post made me check. My Ercona II also has the Tessar and is marked in meters. I’ve never found it that hard to multiply by 3 to get feet, and that’s plenty close enough.
I have an Ercona II and back when I was looking, the hoods by Voigtländer were priced as if they were made of gold. I theorize it's related to the collector attraction of the Bessa cameras. I worked out a push-on adapter by thinning the tabs on a Kodak 1 15/32" to Series VI adapter, as shown here (3rd row). While that works, it is not as secure as I would like; had it fall off with shade and filter at least once (fortunately onto a flat grassy area at the time).[ ...]
The Ercona II uses 37mm slip-on filters and hood, and it's a common size and easy to find.
That depends heavily on what camera you choose. The Super Ikontas are often in excellent shape unless they've been abused. But if you opt for a Kodak Tourist, don't be surprised if you get one that has bad bellows and a dysfunctional shutter. Choose wisely.The problem with old folders is that good ones are difficult to find
That applies to any camera more than thirty or forty years old.and
even the good ones will require service at some time.
Finding a capable repair technician isn't a "local" issue: you find the right person for the job, and mail the camera to them. All you need to do is ask this forum for recommendations and they will come pouring in. (If there are shops to be avoided, that will also come out in the conversation)Finding a reliable service person in my neck of the woods is all but impossible.
That can happen if you settle for someone who may not be the best choice, rather than finding an excellent technician qualified to work on the specific camera. As I say, send the camera to the best technician you can find, and choose a technician who is known for doing good work on your specific camera. There are plenty of excellent camera technicians in this country.I spent a small fortune trying to get my Mamiya 6 Automat folder repaired only to have it come back to me in a worse state than ever!
The problem with old folders is that good ones are difficult to find and
even the good ones will require service at some time.
Finding a reliable service person in my neck of the woods is all but impossible.
I spent a small fortune trying to get my Mamiya 6 Automat folder repaired only to have it come back to me in a worse state than ever!
Still , the urge to purchase a usable 6x6 folder is still with me.
You can't fix stupid.
One of the best picture taking folders I have is an old Kodak Monitor 620 with the "special" lens where "special" is written in red letters. Yes, I have to respool 120 film to 620 spools , but that's not a big deal. I also had to put a new bellows on the camera since Kodak decided to go cheap on bellows material at that time. I have a beautiful Zeiss Super Ikonta C with a coated Zeiss Opton Tessar and I'll take the Kodak for image quality. Also, the older Zeiss Nettar cameras can be very good when it comes to image quality. I have one that has the 105mm f6.3 Novar lens that amazes me when stopped down to f8-11-16. It's better than my Zeiss Ikomat with the 105mm f4.5 Novar for sure.
I do have to agree with retina_restoration above saying the Kodak Medalist II is my all-time favorite 6X9 camera by far.
Yes, and you sure can't complain about your copy of the Anastigmat Special being of poor quality. As for the bellows on the later Kodak folders goes.........they suck! I did find some original Kodak replacement bellows for the Monitor Six-20 and the Monitor Six-16, but the supply is hit and miss at best. It's probably better to buy a newly made replacement bellows from a bellows maker. Or just buy a good Zeiss Super Ikonta since most of those still have good bellows. Of course the OP has $250.00 to spend and there are a lot of good folders in that range, but finding one in perfect working order is becoming more of a chore these days. I recently bought a late Zeiss Super Ikonta B (II) in really nice shape with a coated Opton Tessar for $20 more than the OP's $250.00 limit. There are still some good deals out there, but certainly not as good as there used to be.What John says is correct: the Kodak folders equipped with an "Anastigmat Special" lens will deliver excellent photographs. (Sample images here and here) The biggest weakness of many of the Kodak folders is the bellows - cameras like the Tourist and the Monitor have plastic bellows that are notorious for failing at the crease points. Odds are extremely high that you'll have to deal with pinholes in the bellows of any of these models.
I don't have either of those two models, but I do have a Kodak Special Six-20 with the Anastigmat Special lens (see sample images above), and it had at least a dozen holes in the bellows that had to be plugged before I could use it. I'm not sure what the bellows material is - it isn't the cheap plastic like what's on the Tourist/Monitor, but it's definitely cheaper than what was made for the Vollenda 620, also an excellent 6x9 if you can find one. Mine has an f4.5 Schneider Xenar lens, and it's very capable. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a Vollenda 620 with anything but the Kodak Anastigmat lens on it. It's worth waiting to find one with a Xenar lens. There were Vollendas fitted with a CZJ Tessar lens, but good luck finding one of those!
I've been eying a boyer altessa, nice looking camera
My bad, royer...
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here. |
PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY: ![]() |