Welta Welti I locks shutter-release

I have a Welta Welti 1 from my mother in law. It has probably not been unused for more that 40 years, but seems to be in full working condition!

There is one thing though, that puzzles me:
After an exposure, the shutter-release button can not be pushed again until another button close to it is pushed and the film winded to next frame. This makes the shutter-release button free to be pushed again. But the shutter must be cocked manually (separately). So if I forget to cock the shutter before pressing the release, the release button is locked, and that frame can't be exposed!

It's hard to believe that this is intended, but this is a folding lens camera, and I can't spot any connection between the shutter (lens) back to the shutter-release mechanism that could communicate whether the shutter is cocked or not.
So I wonder..

Anyone knows this camera?

Welcome to Apug!

What you describe is a safety feature to avoid unintentional double exposures by forgetting to wind on film after exposure.
That the feature of automatic cocking of the shutter is missing is due to saving on mechanics necessary for allowing the folding operation.


On much simpler cameras than yours with a simple two(three) times-shutter and retractable tube you can find both features: double-exposure protection and cocking by pressing the release (eg. Agfa Isola family).

Your camera though has an advanced shutter that needs cocking of a spring with quite some load. That means more load to transfer in a even more complicated process due the kind of folding and more compact built.

Most german cameras of the period have the same thing whereby the shutter locks after the exposure to prevent double exposures, nothing wrong, I have many cameras of the period, all either German or English and one Japanese folder and the only camera without a shutter lock is the Japanese camera, so don't worry just Enjoy the camera, it will soon become a habit to cock the shutter before firing the shutter, also all knob wind folders have a shutter cocking lever, standard on 99% of folders, it is purely a mecahinal connection, when the shuttter is fired a lever somewhere locks the shutter release and is freed when you wind the film on, often there is a disc or arrow to indicate that the shutter is free or locked, sometimes a red disc when free and clear when locked, the reason that if you press the shutter without cocking the shutter it locks is that it is purely mecahinal, as an interesting fact I have an english camera, a Ensign 16/20 folder, 645, that has a little pin in the shutter release button that will prick your finger if you try and release the shutter without cocking it first,

OK. And thank you. So I will have to live with the risk of accidentally pushing the release, wasting one frame at a time. Until I learn 'the hard way'...

Well, actually not:
I discovered that I can release the shutter from a position on the lens below the upper lens cap strut by pressing a lever with my pinkie.
Great fun! That also makes intentional double exposures possible.

Here is the .pdf instruction manual.

http://www.cameramanuals.org/pdf_files/welti_i.pdf

i have a welta Weltur, rangefinder folder 120, that doesn't have that locking feature, perhaps mine is older than yours?

mine allows you to depress the shutter as much as you like without cocking the shutter and nothing happens. Cock the shutter and it fires it, of course. Nifty camera. only complain is the viewfinder doesn't take in all the image it shoots so it tends to surprise you at times, but that also allows for parallax. Give some, take some, that's life.