Seeking Folding Camera dealer Melbourne

patricia de roeck

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Feb 8, 2006
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Tasmania, Au
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Do any of the Oz members know of someone in Melbourne that I could buy (with confidence) from, a restored/repaired/fully functioning folder. I'm looking for a 6 x 9 105mm bellows, rangfinder if possible. I've been looking at the certo6 site in the states but have found quite a lot of adverse comments regarding this guy and am loath to take a chance with someone so far afield.

Thanks, everyone. Patricia in Tassie
 

Poisson Du Jour

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The Camera Exchange at 377 Lonsdale Street, just up from another gem, Michaels Cameras. Both have a vast array of pre-loved gear, but Michaels has a huge gallery of antique gear in every shape and size (none for sale; it's a private collection). Any of the stuff could actually give you information on the likelihood of tracking down what it is you are after, maybe even show you one in the collection. TCE has a smaller antique section (but enormous pre-loved pro gear area taking up most of the shop). Generally you may have to keep an eye out over time. Mainlinephoto in Sydney might also be able to help (Voigtlander, Bessa, others...).

Also have a look on eBay Australia (restrict search to Australia to lessen overseas risk), but make sure you carefully suss anything out, along with the Seller — far too much stuff is more about gilding the lily.


LINKS: The Camera Exchange; Dead Link Removed; Mainline Photographics
 

Mick Fagan

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The current Photographic Trader, which I picked up on Thursday has a Voigtländer Bessa 1 F4.5 105 Vaskar, Prontor-S

It's on page 18 far right column.

It's in Townsville and is $100.00.

Looks like a good user camera, albeit at the lower end of the Voigtländer Bessa 1 range.

Mick.
 
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patricia de roeck

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Tasmania, Au
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Thanks everyone - Mick, the guy with the ad in Photo Trader is sending me a Bessa 1 so I can try before I buy- will put a film through

Thanks everyone - Mick, the guy with the ad in Photo Trader is sending me a Bessa 1 so I can put a film through before I decide to buy - or not. Should be fun - or not!

Patricia
 

Mark Layne

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For what it's woth Patricia, I have bought quite a few items from Certo6 over several years and always found his work well done. There are not many people installing new bellows in folders and checking focus. Almost all the folders I have bought from flea markets etc have needed to have their focus tweaked.
Mark
 
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patricia de roeck

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Feb 8, 2006
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Tasmania, Au
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Just thought I'd let you know that I've just put a roll of PanF through the Bessa 1folder
I was sent - after wasting two rolls of film I finally put the film in the camera the right way round - kept wondering why I couldn't see any numbers in the little red window - Duh! I've just done some 10 x 8 prints and they're not too shabby for a camera over 60 years old.. I found that printing them at grade 1 to 1.3/4 gave the prints the right 'look' for the soft (compared to today's) lens.
Found its no good hand-holding either, but no doubt that's my old age, not the camera's. Realise this should be in the Antiques forum but thought I'd let everyone who responded to my original post know how I went.....was hoping that the 6 x 9 negs would allow me to go to 12 x 16 prints but will have to settle for 10 x 8's. Looks like my dream of a small, cheap camera that gives big negs with razor sharp results was a bit ambitious.
Cheers, Patricia
 

pschauss

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Nov 29, 2002
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Patricia, With a 6x9 folder you may be running into a problem with film flatness. If you open the camera after you advance the film the vacuum created pulls the film away from the pressure plate. With my Moskva 2, I usually advance the film until the number just appears at the edge of the red window. Then, after I open the camera and just before I snap the shutter, I advance it until the number is centered in the window. In addition, I usually use ISO 400 film and try to use the fastest shutter spead. With that combination I can shoot hand-held and still enlarge to 11x14".
 

BetterSense

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I second really, actually checking the focus with a piece of ground glass. Many range focusing folders have distance scales that are not accurate, and are designed to place infinity at some hyperfocal distance rather than actual infinity...and don't use a very discriminating criteria for determining sharpness. I had to make my own focusing distance scale with a sticky label on the focus ring. I get a lot more sharp shots now that the marked distances correspond to the actual focal distance, and aren't already taking DOF into account.

I got a folder with a new bellows by certo6 but the back was bent and the bellows he put on sticks into the film gate, eating up usable negative area.
 
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patricia de roeck

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Feb 8, 2006
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Location
Tasmania, Au
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Medium Format
Thanks for the advice everyone - forgot to mention that I only hand-held one shot as an experiment - the rest were all on tripod with cable-release, and I didn't wind on fully to the next exposure until I'd opened the camera and was ready for the next shot, so the film should have been as flat as possible. So those precautions should have eliminated a few 'quirks' plus the fact that all the shots were taken at least 60ft away from the subject and focused on infinity - all landscapes - so that should take care of lack of DOF. Looks like all I'm left with after elmiminating all those variables is that the lens needs adjusting in some way, it would seem that such a very good lens should allow me to print a sharp 12 x 16.. anyway, thats my next option and I'll persevere with it - I enjoyed using the camera very much and the challenge of using a 60 year old 'black box with a hole in it' to produce a large'ish print is irresistable. Oh, yes - will try a faster film next time to get optimum shutter speed and aperture setting.. thanks again everyone for your input.
Patricia.
 
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