Vintage Voigtlader Bessa 6x9 folder --any good

JosBurke · Nov 5, 2006

see ebay item 130040021974 $CHEAP---I received this and what a gem--glass is flawless--clear as new and has the Aniastigmat Voigtar 4,5 version lens in compur shutter--shutter sounds dead on even on slowest speeds---am I in for a treat or is this camera a dog (lens) Have I wasted my $11.83 on junk or is this a heck of a bang for my 11 bucks (and change, of course!) Any tips--Original Instruction booklet enclosed as well.. BTW--it'll accept 120 film

Buster6X6 · Nov 5, 2006

After a question on folders from Alex I started looking and bid on some folders for 120 film on eBay without success. To expensive and I did not know what I would get. So I decided as many on this forum to go and get my camera from Jurgen. I got my camera for $225 and better color Scopar lens shutter CLA, works so smooth. Wonderful camera. In my opinion you got a good deal and if you send camera to Jurgen he will CLA it for about $150 I think I read somewhere. Go to his web site for more info.certo6.com

Hope this helps

Greg

Alex Hawley · Nov 6, 2006

JosBurke said:
Have I wasted my $11.83 on junk or is this a heck of a bang for my 11 bucks (and change, of course!) Any tips--Original Instruction booklet enclosed as well.. BTW--it'll accept 120 film

As I recently learned, the Bessa I is highly regarded for the type of camera it is. Only the much-more expensive models with coupled range finders do any better. Run a couple rolls of film through it. I hope its a winner for you.

ChuckP · Nov 6, 2006

The lens is the cheaper 3 element version. I'm sure it will produce OK pictures. I have a couple old (pre -I) Bessa cameras with the 4 element Skopar and they work better than the Voigtar I have. All depends on what you are looking for. None of these are really up to a modern camera for sharp images. But may have some special look that fits your photography. And a good lens is probably overrated.

matti · Nov 6, 2006

I got one of those from my grandfather. He bought it for two kilos of butter in Germany just after the war. The lens was really hazy, so I took it apart (really easy to do on these) and cleaned it with isopropanol. Then there was much more contrast in the pictures... I kind of liked it. Maybe I should try it out some more and make some contacts with it. And use my daughters jagged scissors to cut the edges That would look exactly like the pictures in my mothers family album.

/matti

Ole · Nov 6, 2006

I thought I'd answered this already, but my posts seems to have got lost on the way in from the oil rig. Oh well...

The Voigtar is a "cheaper 3-element lens", or in other words a "Cooke triplet". Doesn't that sound much better?
It's actually good. Surprisingly good, especially stopped down to f:11 or f:16! Mine is on a round-the-world trip at the moment as "Travelling Camera #3". I hope to be able to develop the film soon and see what my camera has seen!

A Bessa I with Voigtar lens is both cheap enough, robust enough and most of all good enough to be worth sending out on such a trip.

dbltap · Nov 8, 2006

I have a 3.5 105 Skopar that I salvaged from a Bessa that self-destructed some time ago. It took great photos at the time. I have tried to mount this lens on other makes of folders, but the distance from lens to film plane seems to be critical. Would this lens fit on a Bessa equipped with a Voigtar?
Thanks
Jim

scratchee · Nov 11, 2006

Good lord people! He paid $11.83 for this camera!

I say if it takes a decent picture at all it was a good buy. Congratulations and have fun.

Vintage Voigtlader Bessa 6x9 folder --any good

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