An interesting rangefinder on the 'bay'

[Gabriel M.A.]

Nevermind the ridiculous price, whether it's the "right" price or not.

What caught my attention is the 100 f/2 lens for this 6x4.5 camera. Remarkably fast for a Medium Format camera of that era (it looks to me to be circa 1920s, if not earlier), heck for any camera of that era.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT

 

[enochRoot]

that's one neat lookin' camera! that seller has another one w/ an 85/1.8 lens too. if only i had 3 g's laying around...

 

[Time Freeze]

I sold one on the "Bay" for someone a few months ago in terrible cosmetic condition and had a inoperable shutter for $900 to someone in Germany. They are very much in demand.

John

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Thanks for the info, G. The name rings a bell; I'm sure I'll recognize some pics when I look his name up. Interesting how these things can "hold their value".

 

[RJBender]

I could be wrong, but I think the photographer you're thinking about is Erich Solomon, an early photojournalist.

The Ermanox was marketed under the slogan What you see, you can photograph.
Erich Salomon often dressed in formal clothes and crashed diplomatic gatherings with his Ermanox according to Time Life's The Camera. Here's one of his photos:

Pacific Rim Camera has had this Ermanox listed several times. If you really want to see some crazy bidding, search the completed listings for Zunow lenses, really fast lenses for Leica and Contax.

R.J.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Talk about "3D" effect; you can see/"feel" depth in that picture, despite the fact is not "printed".

Where's my Powerball ticket?...

 

[jlw]

It's weird, it's neat, it's fabulously collectible (the earlier version with the 100/2 even moreso than the later f/1.8 version) and its most famous exponent was indeed Dr. Erich Salomon...

...but it isn't a rangefinder camera!

Believe it or not, you got to focus that 100/2 monster for your sneaky indoor low-light shots either by scale or via a groundglass screen exchangable with the plateholder.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Believe it or not, you got to focus that 100/2 monster for your sneaky indoor low-light shots either by scale or via a groundglass screen exchangable with the plateholder.

I think that by today's standards, if it's not an SLR or a TLR, and it has a viewfinder on top, it may qualify as a rangefinder (do notice the frame's grid) although you may focus with the groundglass. A Baby Graflex is a view camera, but can also be a rangefinder.

At any rate, this one seems to be an expensive indulgence. OK, a very expensive overindulgence. I'm sure if I had the money handy, I'd go for either an M4 + 75 Summilux or a Canon 5D (yep). If I had petrodollars, though, well, I'd be one of those quick-finger ePrey buyers always snatching away those items at the last 8 seconds of the auction 😱

 

[FrankS]

He used the camera for many years before switching to Leica's.

He finally saw the Leitz. (groan!)

 

[jlw]

I think that by today's standards... it may qualify as a rangefinder

Yeah, but only by the same "today's standards" which claim that it's okay to say, 'I put a hedge around the parameters of my lawn" or "I'm going to go lay down" (you can lay carpet, but you can't lay down... unless you have a lot of geese!)

If the thing doesn't have SOME kind of rangefinder, how can it be a rangefinder camera?

Saint Oskar preserve us from this turning into "Non-Reflex Forum"!

 

[ErnestoJL]

The first name to came to my mind regarding the Ermanox was of Erich. Salomon (who died in Auschwitz), and seconds later the name of A. Eisenstaedt. AFAIK, most of the work we know of Eisenstaedt was done with Leicas.
Regarding the camera´s price, I don´t think it is too high, as it was "state of the art" regular production camera and lens for the time, and way beyond it´s competitors in terms of f numbers.
Ernemann was one of the companies which in time formed the Zeiss Ikon group, and if my memory doesn´t fail, I´ve read something about this company (before being part of ZI) making an exceptional lens for the time, it was something like a 100 mm f0,5 or so. Unfortunately this info was in a magazine I don´t have now , but I remember a small picture of the camera showing it´s body smaller than the lens diameter. Shape and external appeal was similar to a flashlight designed for flat 4.5 V batteries.
If someone has a picture of that camera, or heard about it...

Some previous posts make me wonder if a parallax corrected VF camera (no range finder, only scale focusing) like the Voigtländer Virtus (foldable 6x4.5) is an RF or not.
If yes I should add one to the count.

 

[reagan]

He used the camera for many years before switching to Leica's.

And from the look on his face, he used to shoot Zorkis too. ...... 🙁 That's the "switched-speeds-before-winding" stare if I've ever seen it.

But certainly an interesting photo!