Voightlander Avus with Kalart Rangefinder

[spoolman]

I just picked up a 9x12 Voightlander Avus plate camera. I chose this one because it has the 135 mm Colour Skopar lens on it and I've heard that it is a excellent quality lens. For some reason the previous owner installed a Kalart Rangefinder on one side of the camera. It has linkages to the inside of the camera attached to the bed on one side but I don't think it actually does anything. Can anyone say for sure that this camera did actually come with this mounted on the camera or was someone trying to do something that the camera was not designed to do.

Thanks,

Doug

 

[Two23]

Can't say for sure, but I do know that a lot of these types of camera has rangefinders stuck to them starting in the 1930s through 1950s, i.e. after they were made.


Kent in SD

 

[snederhiser]

Hello;
I have a Recomar 33 which is the same camera as your Voitlander. It has the Kalart rangefinder mounted on it along with a viewfinder from a Monitor. The linkage has been correctly installed and works quite well, Steven.

 

[ntenny]

I have a Recomar 33 which is the same camera as your Voitlander. It has the Kalart rangefinder mounted on it along with a viewfinder from a Monitor. The linkage has been correctly installed and works quite well, Steven.

The Recomar is a very similar camera, but made by Nagel, not Voigtlaender. Before Kodak ingested Nagel, I think it was sold as the Fornidar 30. But any of the German 9x12 cameras of that general market segment should be adaptable in the same way to a rangefinder---you'd have to set up a linkage to the sliding bed, then calibrate the rangefinder accordingly. It seems like the hardest part would be setting up the linkage to allow the bed to fold up properly.

The Avus is a nice camera. I've never seen one with a rangefinder, and I'm not even sure the production dates of Avi and Kalarts overlapped; I'm pretty sure it's an after-market installation. Seems like a good idea; it certainly should beat scale focussing.

-NT

 

[spoolman]

Thanks all for the information. I partially disassembled the rangefinder last night and found one of the mirrors had come loose so I re-attached it with a little contact cement and now it works--- sort of. When I rack the bed with the front of the camera with the lens and shutter on it I can look through the eyepiece and line up the two images into one. The problem happens when I backed the bed back the rangefinder linkage had to be moved back manually.

Anyway, I guess I just ahve to live with it until it comes up for CLA and have the repair person have a look and make any adjustments necessary.

Doug

 

[snederhiser]

Hello;
I forgot to mention that I also have Voightlander Avus and you would be hard pressed to tell it apart from the Recomar 33. Steven.

 

[kalpana]

Thanks for sharing