Noris Folding Camera

[JHannon]

(See Gallery Non-Gallery Pictures) I bought this camera for $30 at a shop recently. It is made by Noris (120 film) and has some nice and unusual features. the lens is a Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar f2.8. The shutter is a Compur. The strange thing is the back with it's 4 film number viewing openings. They all open at once with the lever. I have never seen something like this. It is only a bit bigger than my Kodak Retina Ia.

I am hoping someone may have some information on why the back is like this. My searches turn up only projectors under the Noris name. The lens is clear and the shutter works. I am going to try it out.



Thanks,
John.

 

[glbeas]

It's clear from the multiple windows the camera was made to be multiple format. That would imply the use of different masks that can be installed in the camera. Any evidence of that?
BTW the images wouldn't work because the image codes front and back of the link were swapped somehow. Try editing and rearranging.

 

[JHannon]

Sorry, I still can't insert the links to the posted photos. I tried reversing the img tags and I get a red X with no link. I am doing something wrong..

Hi glbeas,

I thought of multi format too but the film plane opening looks like a standard 2 1/4 size (no sign of adapter inserts) and the camera body is only 4 3/4 inches long. I would think that the body would be longer to support the larger formats.

My guess was that the older 120 film had frame number indicators in different locations.. depending on Manufacturer??

John

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

If the main format was 6x6, it looks to me as if the alternate format would have been 645. You could get 6x6 with the window in the center. To do 645 you would insert a mask and then use the numbers for 6x9, first in the left window and then in the right window (i.e., you would shoot with "1" in the far left window, advance the film so that "1" was in the far right window and shoot another frame, etc.).

I'm not sure, though, what that top center window would be for, nor why the windows are numbered the way they are "1,3,5,7" and "2,4,6,8", unless there was some sort of mask for yet another strange format.

 

[JHannon]

Thanks David,

I was using the Img button, pasting the url to where the picture is in APUG, then clicking on the *Img to end the statement. Gave up after editing 4 times.

The 645 mask is probably why the extra windows are there. I saw a German folder that had a metal insert to allow another format.

I just thought this was an interesting camera and small enough to carry around.

Thanks,
John