Unknown camera

[Drew B.]

Has anyone ever seen a camera like this before? There is no name on the body but Voigthlander (sp?) is on the lens. Its metal and very modular....film would be 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 It also has a flip down grip...

 

[Ariston]

I'm pretty sure it is one of those new mirrorless cameras! You can confirm by looking to see if it has a mirror.

You're lucky - they are all the rage these days!

 

[AgX]

Never saw it before.

But
-) PC connector
-) cold shoe
-) international back
-) shutter speeds
-) "Lock"

are hints at time period and origin.

The first association I had was the Sinar Handy.

 

[macfred]

For my eyes this looks like a diy-construction with parts from a Perkeo II

 

[AgX]

The standard for sure is industrially made, but from what camera? The grip is casted, but may origin from something completely different.

But still I think this camera as a whole come from the industry.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

What's the distance from lens to film plane? Seems short for an 80mm medium format lens.

 

[Drew B.]

What's the distance from lens to film plane? Seems short for an 80mm medium format lens.

80 is wide for that format...I believe. No more than a couple inches...

 

[Drew B.]

I'm pretty sure it is one of those new mirrorless cameras! You can confirm by looking to see if it has a mirror.

You're lucky - they are all the rage these days!

there is no mirror...but all my LF cameras have no mirrors!. I'm not saying it is a large format...but it is sheet film...light is coming directly thru from lens to film

 

[AgX]

Someone should identify the standard:
-) 4 holes, taking tapered bolts from the international back
-) 2 sliding locks

 

[mshchem]

Something military? Aerial? How's it focus. Having a Graflok back could allow for a 70mm back. Could be something really boring or cool

 

[bdial]

It looks like a home-brew LF "point and shoot" to me, maybe cobbled up from pieces of a view camera.

 

[macfred]

The Color Skopar f/3.5 80mm comes -almost certainly- from a Voigtländer Perkeo II folder.

 

[foveon_m]

..light is coming directly thru from lens to film

how amazing^^

 

[macfred]

how amazing^^

Gentlemen, let's remain polite ...

 

[AgX]

The Color Skopar f/3.5 80mm comes -almost certainly- from a Voigtländer Perkeo II folder.

If I understand you right, you see this as indication for the camera to be a DIY assembly.

I agree, with a industrially made camera one would expect a "proper" LF lens. For which then a focusing helicoid would have to be made.
And in contrast to what I said above, I wonder whether the Scopar yields enough image-circle and -quality if employed as a wide-angle lens.
Seemingly it was at least satisfactory...

 

[macfred]

If I understand you right, you see this as indication for the camera to be a DIY assembly ...

This ...

... with a industrially made camera one would expect a "proper" LF lens. For which then a focusing helicoid would have to be made ...

and that!

 

[AgX]

The Scopar lens as mounted here has even only front cell focusing.

 

[AgX]

Next questions:

-) What kind of finder is employed?

-) What are these hinges(?) for at the top corners of the standard?

 

[Dan Fromm]

I wonder whether the Scopar yields enough image-circle and -quality if employed as a wide-angle lens.
Seemingly it was at least satisfactory...

I have never got a satisfactorily sharp shot from my Perkeo II, which has an 80/3.5 Color-Skopar. When I mentioned this to my friend Charlie Barringer (google him) he remarked that he'd never got a satisfactorily sharp shot from his. Eric Beltrando (visit dioptrique.info, his site) has a low opinion of Skopars. IMO the lens is a dog. It doesn't quite cover 6x6 at f/22. The idea that a fast Tessar type can be used as a wide angle lens is, um, silly.

As for the camera, I b'lieve it is home made. Artisanal. The focusing panel appears to be from a 2x3 Pacemaker Graphic.

 

[AgX]

Maybe the camera was not even intended as 6x9cm but only as 6x6 (for which the 80mm Scopar at least nominally is the standard lens). Maybe groundscreen control was more important? But then one would not add a handgrip...

As said, it reminds me of the 4x5" Sinar Handy, which was intended for out-of-hand viewer-controlled LF photography, plus groundscreen control, if on tripod.

 

[StepheKoontz]

Has anyone ever seen a camera like this before? There is no name on the body but Voigthlander (sp?) is on the lens. Its metal and very modular....film would be 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 It also has a flip down grip...

I agree, I highly doubt that lens would cover 6X9. Is it on a focusing helical? Looks like it might be.

 

[AgX]

As said, the lens (triplet) has front-element focusing.

 

[StepheKoontz]

As said, the lens (triplet) has front-element focusing.

OK but it -looks- like it might be on a helical focusing mount. Like maybe it was originally used with some other lens.

 

[AgX]

Do you thinks so?
Well, maybe that is what that added lever is for.


The longer we think about this thing, the more questions arise...

 

[Dan Fromm]

As said, the lens (triplet) has front-element focusing.

Tessar type.