Medium format tube cameras

Removed Account2 · Jul 22, 2010

Was wondering wether anyone else out there share interest in these?

Generally speaking these are often simple cameras, but 6x6 negatives can still give impressive results.

I got another today, a Braun Paxina 29 with a nice, coated Bayreuth Praxar lens, 75mm f:2,9.

Th lens is in excellent condition, the tube locks just fine, focus is fine, (no rangefinder), diaphragm is fine, no oil, but the slow shutterspeeds (B 1- 1/300 sec) below 1/25 second tends to stick. This is no real problem, since I plan on handheld only and 1/25 and above.

Can't wait to put film through!

Curt · Jul 22, 2010

Got photo?

Removed Account2 · Jul 22, 2010

not yet, late at night here

Curt · Jul 22, 2010

Where is here Erik? They do sound interesting.

Andrew K · Jul 22, 2010

yep - one of my favorite cameras (collection wise) - I have 5 or 6 different ones - nearly the full set.. Plus the Agfa Isoly's with the collapsible lens...

Better than a Diana or Holga, but not as good as a Rolleicord.....capable of very good results with a very nice "feel" to them

Have fun!

Removed Account2 · Jul 22, 2010

Here is close to Trondheim, Norway over in Europe. We enjoy "summer" this time of the year, today was below 8 C and rain. Anyone needs water?

Removed Account2 · Jul 22, 2010

I have several of these critters by now, not Brauns, but general type, Agfa Click II, Dacora Digna, this one and a few others that share space in my bags with SLRs and RF's from time to time. One trick is to bring out the tubulus when photographing people in public space, especially if anyone get hyped up over photo's the sight of one of these brings the guards down and everyone and anyone shares a laugh, especially when they realize I'm serious about making pictures with SUCH a camera!

Curt · Jul 22, 2010

Erik, I'm from the Pacific Northwest and it's Summer here too but today it looks like rain, on again off again, it's unpredictable here. Washington State, North of Seattle. And no we get more than our share of rain, it's not fair is it, some place are starving for rain and we have a surplus.

Removed Account2 · Jul 22, 2010

Lots of people forgets to make pictures in the rain, drizzle, fog and mystery is just some of the attraction!

JoeA · Jul 22, 2010

I've been in both of your back yards, they told me in Seattle that it was a dry rain.
Gothenburg in August (Sweeden is close enough to Norway) a glorious cloudless day maybe 60 degrees, sorry no celcius translation, and that was a warm day.
I should have you both come to Florida in August, heat, humidity, maybe even a tropical storm.. Now that's summer.

Curt · Jul 22, 2010

Joe, in Atlanta it really rains.

guitstik · Jul 22, 2010

I grew up in Seattle and the saying goes "we don't tan we rust" is true. It took me several years to get rid of the webbing between my fingers and toes. Now I live in the hot south were we burst into flame instead of tanning.

Q.G. · Jul 23, 2010

So how do you keep your tube cameras dry, or cool?

Removed Account2 · Jul 23, 2010

In a box on a bookshelf among my modest collection of WW2 books..... I'm interested in history

P C Headland · Jul 23, 2010

We got plenty of rain down here too!

Back to tube cameras: I've got one as well. This one is a bit more unusual in that it has a coupled RF, similar in style to a Super Ikonta. It also has a frame counter (no red window), although there is no auto frame spacing. Weird, but it does work.

It's a Weha Chrome Six.

filmamigo · Jul 23, 2010

Interesting cameras.

When I ran across this thread, I thought "wow, people on APUG are hardcore about analog -- they are using tube-based analog video cameras!"

Removed Account2 · Jul 23, 2010

Weha Crome Six, interesting specimen. What did you pay for a find like that?

Removed Account2 · Jul 23, 2010

We have a bit of trouble pegging this gender, filmaigo, tube, tubular, collapsible...... none of them seem to fit, and the gender is largely overlooked for instance in Abring vol I & II which is the volumes I have, they are not important enough to have a section of their own....

P C Headland · Jul 24, 2010

Erik Prestmo said:
Weha Crome Six, interesting specimen. What did you pay for a find like that?

Can't remember - at least that's what I tell SWMBO

Removed Account2 · Jul 24, 2010

Now THATs a good plan - I used to be part of shooting sports. Every time I got a new gun it was a case of "oh THIS one, its been in the gun closet for a LOOOOONG time" with an innocent looking face I usually got away with that.

prumpkah · Jul 24, 2010

Grateful for solution to the mystery

Thanks for posting the link to the description of your very interesting camera. Until now I've been puzzling over WTH you chaps could mean by "tube camera", a term previously unknown to me. It turns out I have a "tube camera" as well, a 35mm Konica I (also with CRF, but mechanically linked).

P C Headland said:
Back to tube cameras: I've got one as well. This one is a bit more unusual in that it has a coupled RF, similar in style to a Super Ikonta. It also has a frame counter (no red window), although there is no auto frame spacing. Weird, but it does work.

It's a Weha Chrome Six.

Denverdad · Jul 24, 2010

Erik Prestmo said:
Was wondering wether anyone else out there share interest in these?

Yes I do. I just didn't know they were called "tube cameras"! In my quest to find a classic camera that could serve as an alternative to my Holga, I have researched quite a few oldies which may fall under that category.

Now I don't know whether this genre requires a camera to have a retractable tube-mounted lens or not, but my most recent purchase does, so it definitely fits the bill. It is a Meteor - a rather basic 6x6 format camera that takes 620 film, made by Universal Camera Corporation from the late '40's through the early 50's. If you haven't seen one of these before, this guy has some great pictures and a good write up.

What first caught my eye were the fairly clean lines (not too ugly ), and that it looked simple to operate. But it also has some unusual features compared to most of the more basic cameras I have seen, including a coated meniscus lens, a continuously adjustable square aperture, and an extinction meter. I am currently having way too much fun rebuilding this camera and modding it to my liking.

Medium format tube cameras

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