What is Your Favorite 6x6 Folder?

My Agfa Super Isolette is my favorite to shoot with. The ergonomics are difficult to beat and it the prints look almost identical to those from my TLR.

My favorite lens on the other hand is the 105/3.5 Heliar. If the Bessa II had a more conventional ergonomic layout - it would be my favorite.
 
I own 3 6x6 folders.
Balda Mess Baldix
Balda Super Baldax
Iskra

The Super Baldax wins the prize for me. The Iskra comes in a close 2nd.
Both the Super Baldax and the Iskra have sharp 4 element lenses that record a great deal of detail. The Baldax lens is f2.8 vs f3.5 for the Iskra. I do put the extra speed to work and shoot wide open.
That brings up another winning feature for the Baldax. It has a 40.5mm filter ring. I can easily use ND filters to control Dof in spite of the slow maximum shutter speeds.
Size wise the Balda is about 20% smaller and lighter than the Iskra.
The film advance on the Iskra is superior to the Super Baldax. Both my Baldas have the same neat film advance system that would allow you to work without the red windows...if they worked. I suspect they used to work, but they're just too fiddly now on my old cameras.
I'd have to give build feel to the Iskra as well. They're tanks. Of course, that leads to the larger/heavier thing.

Finally, the Super Baldax is just pretty....

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I like my Ansco Super Speedex (rebranded Super Isollete, right, Andrew?) the most. It knows when to stop after advancing the frame (sayonara red window).

Second one, the CLA'd Speedex with uncoupled rangefinder. Smaller, lighter.

Both have the Solinar lens on it, very potent.

I also like the Ansco Titan that I got for changes, problem is, it has a hole where the dial on the left once was. 🙁
 
Isolette II at first place for its build and ease in taking pictures.
Iskra comes next for its very very sharp lens and design. Unfortunately my Iskra has a light leak problem which I still couldn't solve.
 
Agfa Isolette III with URF with Apotar or Solinar. Or the Super Isolette when I feel like carrying a heavier load!!! I also like the Color-Skopar very much.
 
shadowfox said:
I like my Ansco Super Speedex (rebranded Super Isollete, right, Andrew?) the most. It knows when to stop after advancing the frame (sayonara red window).
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Except for the branding for North America - the Super Isolette and Super Speedex are identical. The Agfa/Ansco are totally automatic with regards to loading the first frame and stoping the winder at each succeeding frame.

With regards to the automat film winding - this is the reason my Perkeo II is my 2nd favorite 6x6 folder, as it automatically stops the film winding beginning at frame #2 - once the first frame has been manually line up via the red window.

The Perkeo II is not only lighter - but truly a pocketable 6x6 camera when compared to the Super Isolette/Super Speedex. The munchkin as I call it is my smallest folder. The Perkeo was named after a famous court jester who was a midget and allegedly keeled over dead after drinking water rather than imbibing his usual glass of wine.
 
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My personal favorite is my Super Ikonta III. Light weight, compact, fast action and great Tessar lens.
Second is my Super Isolette. Somewhat bulkier and heavier, but a fine performer, as well.

RB
 
Since this is RFF an RF is implied, but you didn't say so. The only RF 6x6 I have is my Mamiya six, which I just haven't found time to fix. Of my non-RF folders, it is a toss up between my Fuji Six and my Welta 6x6. They are both good.

Where's Chippy?
 
oftheherd said:
Since this is RFF an RF is implied, but you didn't say so. The only RF 6x6 I have is my Mamiya six, which I just haven't found time to fix. Of my non-RF folders, it is a toss up between my Fuji Six and my Welta 6x6. They are both good.

Where's Chippy?
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hey here i am...i'm in a different time zone to you lot haha

I am guessing that the welta 6x6 you have oftherherd is the Weltax (what lens is it? also coated lens-post war or uncoated pre-war)

my favourite 6x6 folder! ( makes it easy to elimate my slr and tlr). i have real dificulty with this question and choosing which is my fav. it depends on whether i base it on usabilty, quality and features or whats conveinent for a situation (i.e if i want to just pop it in my pocket) or what has appeal to me from history point of veiw. i also tend to seperate pre war to post war when i consider a camera. from a photographic point of view i think the war really deprived us all from some would be excellent cameras that never got produced because of it (b*st&*ds! 😡 LOL). the mind boggles at what many of those german brand companies had on their drawing boards or in their minds yet to produce. leica apparently had the plans for the m3 pre-war and who knows what Ziess, Welta, Balda, Voigtlanda ect would have made. as it turned out every man and his dog was allowed access to patents,,, and copies of zeiss and others were rife, which provided the foundations for the modern cameras and companies we have now. anyway i digress...

my choice for 6x6, whilst i would like to try the last Ensign Autorange and the Fuji i'll stick to choosing from what i have..oh and the the Super Badax identicle to dazegoneby i nearly bought the other day (it went for under $200) but I didnt because it was missing the part for the auto film stop/wind. i was thinking to machine a new part for it but i would of needed at least the old part to use as a template/guide.

my post war fav (not counting any without rangefinder and with a rangefinder i prefer coupled) is my super speedex although i always seem to call it S/Isolette; probably because i have every other Iso there is bar the air operated auto exposure model. as Andrew (Texas) mentioned its only the stick on metal badge that is different although there is one other difference which is the scale is in feet and not meters. i prefer metric nowadays so sometimes i think i should sell or swap it for an Isolete but it doesnt bother me too much. being a coupled rangefinder it only comes into play if reading the DOF scale. this camera is just so easy to use with its auto film stop/counter. and is a real step up in quality compared to the isolette models below it.

having used hasselblad for years i like the EV system on the S/Isolette as well. i hardly ever use a light meter with it (although i dont often with any of my cameras if i am at an event). its coated lens is an advantage to the older cameras and that it moves all lens elements together makes better results i find.

my perkeo E (or III if you prefer) is excellent although i do admit i tend to use my perkeo II more because i tend to throw it in my pocket or have it in the console of my car i dont have to worry about puting a scratch on it.

pre-war 6x6 comes down to a choice between super Ikonta and Welta Weltur. there is no denighing the quality of the ikonta and it has double exposure prevention like many post war camera. a beautifull camera in its own right but as a negative it weighs 950grams nearly a Kilogram! (although i love its engineering) and what i count against it more compared to ..wait for it hahaha...my weltur is the front cell moves to focus.

the Weltur moves all lens elements together which gives better results and weighs 740g compared and is smaller by an inch in lenght and shorter as well. i wouldnt put it into a jeans back pocket, though it does just go, but its retro shape might catch so i dont. it does ok in coat pocket only about 15mm longer than a perkeo but most of the time a use a case out of respect lol for the ol girls. double exposure prevention is good but it doesnt take long to become acustomed to use with out it. the veiwfinder is as big and bright as the S/isolette, the build quality is comparable to the others. i dont have any trouble using the aperture and speeds as though they do have EV scales so that is easy. it doesnt have a coated lens which is about the main drawback but as all my old 1937-38-39 advertisments say for the Weltur ...with colour corrected lens...i find that it takes marvelous b&w and colour pics..actually colour slide film often seems to have a brighter look with an uncoated lens.

having said that i do have a chrome top 6X4.5 Weltur that i have yet to restore that has a very nice looking tessar on it with what lookes to be an early light coating or quite possibly it may be a naturaly formed coating. at some point i will give this try and if it shows some improvement over the others then i will swap it on to a Weltur 6x6 as i rarely shoot 6x4.5 (why bother compared to 6x9 lol).

so considering the Weltur was made by a couple of blokes that learnt their trade working for their unlce at Merkle (whom made excellent cameras and trained quite a few well known names that went on to make cameras and shutters we are familar with), built a company foundation during the first war (undetected by the govement lol) and the 20's, then by the 1930's really came up with some amazing inovative quality cameras. so the Weltur that was made 22 years before the S/Isolette and works close to the same standards is my overall favourite and i often pick it up to take out over any others..but hey its a tough choice
 
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For the cameras I own it would be my Super Ikonta B with the Zeiss Opton lens. The thing is heavy, tough and so far very, very reliable. The images are excellent. I think I will always own it.

Next I'd have to say would be my Certo 6. The lens is very good, even wide open. The thing handles differently, but once understood....marvelous. (Yep, lever focus, lever advance, can't close the thing with the lens cocked.)

For the cameras I don't own, it would most certainly be the Super Baldax. Then it would be the Welta Weltur. There is just something about looking at that stuff that turns my focus wheel.
 
chippy said:
my choice for 6x6, whilst i would like to try the last Ensign Autorange and the Fuji i'll stick to choosing from what i have..oh and the the Super Badax identicle to dazegoneby i nearly bought the other day (it went for under $200) but I didnt because it was missing the part for the auto film stop/wind. i was thinking to machine a new part for it but i would of needed at least the old part to use as a template/guide.
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The mechanism on my mess baldix is the same. I'd be happy to loan you that for a template.

As I stated, the advance doesn't work well on either of my Baldas. I wouldn't let that keep me from an otherwise excellent camera. The red window works fine.
 
Does anyone in this forum use a FRANKA.SOLIDA ? ? ?

Besides a WELTA WELTAX with a ZEISS TESSAR in like to use the FRANKA .
The range finder is a ZEISS IKON with a metric distance scale .
 
dazedgonebye said:
The mechanism on my mess baldix is the same. I'd be happy to loan you that for a template.

As I stated, the advance doesn't work well on either of my Baldas. I wouldn't let that keep me from an otherwise excellent camera. The red window works fine.
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Dam! that would of been just the thing!

thanks Steve for the offer! that would of been just the thing to solve it but alas i used self restraint and didnt bid (it finished a day or more ago). because i thought i would then have to eventualy buy another in (maybe worse overal condition) just to get that part (to be able to copy it). i knew i could use the camera without it and was VERY tempted to bid at the last moment, but if at all possible i like to have the camera working as it was origonaly intended, and wanted to at least have the part to work with to have the opotunity to give it a go. it did look in good condition overall ..bugger hehe



Does anyone in this forum use a FRANKA.SOLIDA ? ? ?
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i am sure i have seen a couple of people that use them...RAID i think has one silver lining maybe...i am sure i have seen other--or least talk abou them
 
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