Vintage French Manufactured Cameras

jmccl@yahoo.com · Jul 5, 2013

Hello.
I have heard of Foca cameras and Kinax 6X9 folders. Anybody out there in APUG country have any insight into these or other French manufactured cameras. I'm going to spend a month in France starting the end of August and thought it would be interesting to shoot a few frames on an indiginous camera. Anybody in the group do a CLA on something like this? Anybody got one sitting on the shelf that they'd donate/rent/sell for the project?

Jim

jmccl@yahoo.com · Jul 5, 2013

Hello.
I have heard of Foca cameras and Kinax 6X9 folders. Anybody out there in APUG country have any insight into these or other French manufactured cameras. I'm going to spend a month in France starting the end of August and thought it would be interesting to shoot a few frames on an indiginous camera. Anybody in the group do a CLA on something like this? Anybody got one sitting on the shelf that they'd donate/rent/sell for the project?

Jim

jmccl@yahoo.com · Jul 5, 2013

Vintage French Manufactured Cameras

Hello.
I have heard of Foca cameras and Kinax 6X9 folders. Anybody out there in APUG country have any insight into these or other French manufactured cameras. I'm going to spend a month in France starting the end of August and thought it would be interesting to shoot a few frames on an indiginous camera. Anybody in the group do a CLA on something like this? Anybody got one sitting on the shelf that they'd donate/rent/sell for the project?

Jim

summicron1 · Jul 5, 2013

You should hunt up a Richard stereo camera -- i have one with a roll-film back modified to use 120, but it's not leaving my house, sorry. Look around -- vintage 3d would be especially fun.

David A. Goldfarb · Jul 5, 2013

Threads merged. There is no need to start the same thread in more than one forum. They will all appear in everyone's "New Posts" view, except in forums they have specifically excluded, which is relatively unusual for forums other than classifieds or the off-topic forums.

elekm · Jul 5, 2013

The Focas are very nice cameras. Some are fixed-lens scale focus, while others are interchangeable lens rangefinders.

I've used the Foca Sport II, the Foca (two star) and a Focaflex Automatic. I also have a Foca Universal, which is the final model of the rangefinders.

The Foca Sport II is a fixed-lens rangefinder with a leaf shutter and a very nice lens. The Foca (two star) is an interchangeable lens rangefinder with a cloth focal-plane shutter. This model lacks slow speeds. The Focaflex Automatic is a fixed-lens SLR with an integrated selenium meter that offers trap-needle autoexposure or full manual exposure. It has a unique viewing system.

I have mini-reviews of each camera on my site.

The Foca cameras are easy to use, well made and don't give you any unpleasant surprises. However, the lenses with the Foca rangefinder can definitely benefit from the use of a lens shade.

As always, these cameras are anywhere from 40 to 60 years old and can benefit from service.

maderik · Jul 6, 2013

Here is a list of French camera and equipment companies: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Category:France.

I only have a MIOM Photax.

Philippe Grunchec · Jul 6, 2013

Have a look here:

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/general/html/nouveautes.php

jmccl@yahoo.com · Jul 7, 2013

maderik said:
Here is a list of French camera and equipment companies: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Category:France.

I only have a MIOM Photax.

Thanks for the link, I'll spend a few hours perusing it. Your photo of the esplanade between the admin bldg and the former library came out better than mine. http://www.flickr.com/photos/49889935@N07/sets/72157632860812400/

Jim

jmccl@yahoo.com · Jul 7, 2013

Thank you - Merci

Philippe Grunchec said:
Have a look here:

http://www.collection-appareils.fr/general/html/nouveautes.php

Thanks Philippe. I will spend a few hours following all these threads. Could you recommend a specific 6X9 medium format French manufactured camera that uses 120 film. The Kinax has a nice vintage look to it but the 620 film is a challenge. Unless of course the 620 film can be readily purchased in shops around Paris. I would appreciate your feedback.

Jim McClain

elekm · Jul 7, 2013

You can respool 120 film onto a 620 spool. Not difficult, but it takes some time.

Someonenameddavid · Jul 8, 2013

I have a Savoyflex fixed lens SLR that dates from about 1960 with a Som-Berthiot lens which is probably a lens- shutter Tessar type. You can take it s' il vous plait and bring some nice pictures back. If you lose it, replace it with something similar.

PM me

David

Dan Fromm · Jul 8, 2013

jmccl@yahoo.com said:
Thanks Philippe. I will spend a few hours following all these threads. Could you recommend a specific 6X9 medium format French manufactured camera that uses 120 film. The Kinax has a nice vintage look to it but the 620 film is a challenge. Unless of course the 620 film can be readily purchased in shops around Paris. I would appreciate your feedback.

Jim McClain

PMFJI.

Royer 6x9s. http://www.collection-appareils.fr/general/html/listeR_imagettes.php Take 120 and 620. A variety of specifications and vintages. Most don't have rangefinders, but the TeleRoy does. The TeleRoy is a problem for collectors, there are real ones (shipped with RF) and there are ordinary Royer 6x9s with an RF added.

Demaria-Lapierre Telka. 6x9. http://www.collection-appareils.fr/general/html/listeD_imagettes.php 120 film. A variety of specifications and vintages, most without RF.

If you're willing to put up with loading 120 film on to 620 spools (I use a changing bag), the Pontiac Bloc Metal. 6x9. http://www.collection-appareils.fr/x/html/appareil-12713-Pontiac_Bloc Metal 45 AF.html Lotsa variants, none with RF.

And, as you mentioned, Kinaxes.

To get an idea of what's around and of selling prices, visit www.ebay.fr

jmccl@yahoo.com · Aug 2, 2013

Thanks for all the input.

I found what appears to be a pristine 1937 Lumiere 6X9 with Fidor 6.3 lens. Claims to be single family owned since new and the photos of it makes me wonder if it ever had film run through it. I asked the seller to perform a couple of diagnostics that I believed would verify aperture adjustment and shutter functionality. I'll pick it up when I get to Paris on August 20. I will post results sometime this winter. Thanks again.

Jim

Fixcinater · Aug 4, 2013

I just spent two weeks in Paris and Lyon and would *strongly* suggest that you bring all the film you are going to shoot on the trip with you. Everything over there was 25-100% more than Freestyle prices.

While it is expensive compared to US gear prices, be sure to check out Boulevard Beaumarchais just off (north) from Bastille. There are a number of specialised shops and then some general new (and general used) shops. One shop in particular had a lot of interesting/top quality old gear, Canon 7 with 50/.95, Leicas, Rolleis, etc. There's also ones specific to large/medium format. The street market near Place de la Bastille was very good for food, as well.

Also, if you're looking to do some bargain hunting, the large flea market up on the north end of town did not seem to be the place to find it, but you may have better luck than I did. Everything that I saw was way overpriced compared to what I see around the US, even on eBay.

I brought 40 rolls of 120/220, didn't burn through it all but it was close at the end, especially the day in the Alps watching the tour. My girlfriend brought her Spotmatic and ran through 4, I think. My brother borrowed an XA from me and shot 3 through that plus another through his LOMO fisheye.

Anyway, if I can be of any further help, I'd be happy to help as I can.

jmccl@yahoo.com · Oct 5, 2013

Results from the Lumiere

Here is a link to my Flickr set. The only thing I did was to brush a little dust off the bellows and lens, clean the outer surfaces of the lens and "roll film". Circumstances conspired so that I could not do much more than snap shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49889935@N07/sets/72157635777168844/

Vintage French Manufactured Cameras

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