Cheap Medium Format Cameras for Vintage Look Images
Less costly than classic lenses, they offer a retro shooting experience!
By Jason Schneider
Mounting a vintage lens on a digital or analog cameras is a great way to capture images with the coveted “vintage look.” It’s a concept that’s hard to define, but unmistakable once you’ve seen it. A typical “vintage look” image includes good detail where required, and has relatively low contrast, with smooth “rounded” rendition, fluid transitions, and attractive (creamy or swirly) bokeh. Unfortunately, because of their increasing popularity, the prices for many of the venerable classic lenses that can capture these qualities have gone through the roof. Example: A vintage ‘50s-era 100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan in Exakta or M42 mount, which would have gone for about 100 bucks 5-10 years ago now fetches $450-$850 in excellent or better condition. Yes, it’s a perfectly nice Cooke triplet design, does capture the vintage look, and has beautiful bokeh. But in my arrogant opinion it’s vastly overpriced. The Zeiss Triotar, Rodenstock Trinar, and Schneider Radionar, all worthy triplets, have similar imaging characteristics, and they can often be found at more reasonable prices since they aren’t considered “cult classics.” However, prices for the most desirable “vintage look” 35mm-format lenses, ranging from the 50mm f/2 Leitz Summar and Summitar to the 58mm f/1.4 and f/1.8 R.E. Auto-Topcor, have handily outpaced inflation.
100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan of the '50s in M-42 Practica/Pentax screw mount. It's a nice Cooke triplet, but is it really worth $450 and up?
To a lesser extent, lens price inflation has also hit vintage medium format lenses—just check the online auction prices for Zeiss Jena lenses that fit the Pentacon Six or Kiev 66, Zenzanon and Nikkor lenses for the Bronica S2A and EC, or Hasselblad V-system lenses, and you’ll see that prices have steadily crept upward, albeit at a slower pace than vintage full frame 35mm format lenses. One cool fun way around this dilemma is to get a hold of a stone simple, non-interchangeable lens, roll film camera that accepts readily available 120 film and have fun shooting “vintage look” medium format images on the cheap. There are scads of plain old scale-focusing folding roll film cameras and intriguing low-tech minimalist box cameras out there at prices ranging from under $25 to just over $100, and most are fitted with simple classic lenses that can capture authentic “vintage look” images that are a lot sharper and more visually engaging than the amorphously soft, dreamy ones you invariably get with a plastic “toy camera” like a Holga or a Diana (which admittedly have their own special charm).
100mm f/2.8 Zeiss Jena Biometar for the Pentacon Six is currently offered at $375--not bad, but a lot more than it fetched a few years ago.
Much of the joy in shooting with one of these “primitive” cameras comes from partaking in the traditional retro shooting experience—making pictures on film the way it was done 100 years ago, with none of those newfangled modern conveniences like autofocus, autoexposure, or even auto advance, automatic film stop, and automatic frame counting. Advancing the film manually while peering into ye olde red window, scale focusing or not focusing, and composing the subject in s tiny reflex finder or by sighting through a basic wire frame finder all take time and patience, but slowing down and making every frame count has its virtues. In short, shooting with an ancient low-end roll film camera can be a classic case of less is more if you have a positive attitude. And when you do succeed in creating an incisive, well executed, nicely composed image you’ll feel, and will have earned, a far greater sense of accomplishment than doing so with your upscale digital marvel or (heaven forefend) a cellphone camera.
A compendium of non-interchangeable “vintage look” lens types
The Single-Element Meniscus Lens
Meniscus lenses: Positive meniscus (top) has convex surface facing the subject. Negative meniscus has concave surface facing subject. Both types are used in a variety of simple low-end box and folding cameras.
Invented in 1804 by William Hyde Wollaston as a lens for eyeglasses, adapted by him as a camera obscura lens in 1812, and later used by Niépce and Daguerre in their early photographic cameras (1828-1839) this classic single element lens—convex on one side and concave on the other—provides reasonably good correction for astigmatism and coma and performs quite well with subjects such as landscapes. However, it can’t correct for chromatic or spherical aberrations, restricting its use to lenses with small maximum apertures in the f/11 to f/32 range. Despite these limitations, and because they’re very cheap and easy to produce, meniscus lenses have been used in myriad fixed-focus box cameras and low-end focusing folding cameras worldwide, from the vintage era to the present day. Happily, most medium format roll film cameras with simple meniscus lenses can capture “vintage look” images that are reasonably sharp and satisfying if you take the time and trouble to work within their occasionally frustrating limitations.
The Achromatic Meniscus Lens
Achromatic meniscus lenses use cemented crown and flint glass elements of different refractive indices to achieve primary color correction, yielding better performance, wider coverage, but were still limited to small maximum apertures.
In 1839, optician Charles Chevalier invented the Meniscus Achromat, a lens with the general form and function of a single-element meniscus lens but consisting of two elements of crown and flint glass of different refractive indices cemented together. This design provides primary chromatic aberration correction, bringing the colors (wavelengths) at the blue end if the spectrum into a common point of focus to match the blue-sensitive emulsions of the day, and allowing the lens to be reasonably sharp over a wider 50-degree field. The innovation was soon copied by other lens makers because of its enhanced imaging performance and wider coverage despite its maximum aperture being limited to about f/16. Both types of meniscus lens could be mounted with either the concave or convex surface facing forward. Meniscus Achromat lenses were fitted to countless medium format box and folding cameras from the late 19th century to the ‘50s, and they can capture a “vintage look” with somewhat greater sharpness than a single-element meniscus lens.
The Rapid Rectilinear Lens
The Ra[id Rectilinear lens, invented simultaneously by Dallmeyer and Steinheil, was virtually distortion free due to its symmetrical construction, and permitted wider apertures, but it wasn't corrected for astigmatism. It yields gorgeous results at f/16.
The Rapid Rectilinear lens, a design consisting of two Achromatic Meniscus Doublets, symmetrically placed (back-to-back) around a central stop, was introduced by J.H. Dallmeyer (founder of the famed English lens maker of the same name) in 1866. He refined his original design after concluding it was better to make both halves of the lens identical, and the result was the symmetrical Rapid Rectilinear, a lens renowned for having virtually no distortion. Since previous designs (see above) were limited to very small maximum apertures, Dallmeyer felt justified in calling the lens “rapid” even though its maximum aperture was limited to f/8 (or f/6 at the most). Steinheil, the German (Munich-based) lens company, developed a similar design independently at the same time, resulting in a heated dispute that was eventually resolved in Steinheil’s favor, but Dallmeyer is widely credited with the design.
Rapid Rectilinear lenses were widely used in medium- and large- format Kodak folding cameras (e.g. the Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectilinear) of the 1890s to the 1920s and in some fancy box cameras (notably one version of the Ensign 2 1/4 B made by Houghton-Butcher in England. While the Rapid Rectilinear is not an anastigmat (a lens corrected for astigmatism) it provides gorgeous natural, rounded “vintage look” rendition, especially when stopped down to about f/16. Functioning medium format folders and box cameras with Rapid Rectilinear lenses that take 120 film aren’t always easy to find, but they’re well worth searching for.
The Cooke Triplet Anastigmat
A landmark anastigmat design that corrected for multiple aberrations simultaneously, it permitted wider apertures, and was widely used as a basic lens in countless medium format folding cameras, and as an inexpensive kit lens fir 35mm rangefinder cameras and SLRs.
The Taylor, Taylor & Hobson Cooke Triplet, a sophisticated 3-element design by Harold Taylor (not related to the company’s two Taylors!) in 1893, is a deceptively simple looking three element anastigmat formula created by starting with a clean sheet of paper and taking full advantage of the advances in the new types of Schott optical glass being introduced at that time. It was the first lens to simultaneously correct monochromatic aberrations such as astigmatism, field curvature, and distortion, along with longitudinal and transverse chromatic aberrations The new glass elements provided strong refractive power but required precision alignment. But overall, the lens is easy to manufacture and yields outstanding results with maximum apertures as wide as f/2.9 on small formats and f/3.5-4.5 on medium and larger formats.
The Cooke Triplet was (and still is) produced in vast quantities as an economical lens for 35mm-format cameras (e.g. the 50mm f/3.5 Cintar on the Argus C3 and the 50mm f/2.9 E. Ludwig Meritar “kit lens” for vintage Exaktas and Exas). It has also been pressed into service as the Novar and Nettar lenses found on innumerable scale focusing Zeiss Ikon folders, the Kodak Anastigmats on scads of higher-end Kodak folders, and innumerable variants bearing the “anastigmat” designation. The Cooke Triplet performs very well in all its iterations (except for some softness in the corners and edges if the field at the widest apertures), typically delivering the coveted “vintage look” at wide and moderate apertures, and a crisper but still pleasantly natural look at the smallest apertures. To quote the vintage Alka Seltzer ad, “Try it, you’ll like it!”
The redoubtable Tessar: a timeless classic
The Zeiss Tessar of 1902 set the standard for optical performance in moderate aperture normal lenses for well over a century and it can still give some of the latest lenses a run for the money. It also captures the "vintage look,"especially at its widest apertures.
Paul Rodolph, then working for Carl Zeiss, developed the immortal 4-element, 3 group Tessar with a cemented doublet bringing the rear, in 1902. One of the most successful lens designs of all time of all time it became the standard high-quality, moderate-aperture normal lenses of the 20th century, and it’s been used in moderate wide-angle and telephoto lenses as well. Allegedly Rudolph came up with the Tessar because he was dissatisfied with the performance of the older, slower Zeiss anastigmat, the Protar, but many optical experts view the Tessar as an enhanced variant of the classic Cooke triplet. Originally the Tessar was released as an f/6.3 lens, but with incremental upgrades it evolved into an f/4.5, an f/3.5, and even an f/2.8. While f/2.8 Tessars can work quite well for smaller formats (e.g. the 50mm f/2.8 Tessar in Exakta and M42 mounts and the 50mm f/2.8 Leitz Elmar for rangefinder Leicas, the practical maximum aperture limit for medium-format Tessars is really f/3.5, which is why Rollei ditched the 80mm f/2.8 Tessar on the Rolleiflex 2.8A and used 5- and 6-element Zeiss Planar and Schneider Xenotar lenses on subsequent f/2.8 Rolleiflex TLRs.
The doublet rear group in the Tessar corrects zonal spherical aberration, astigmatism at higher fields of view, and field curvature. As a result, the Tessar is a better performer than the Cooke triplet, especially off axis, and it delivers lovely “vintage look” rendition, smooth transitions, and a natural rendering of three-dimensional space.
Tessar formula lenses include the Voigtlander Skopar, Kodak Anastigmat Special, Kodak Anastar, Meyer Primotar, Schneider Xenar, Agfa Solinar, Rodenstock Ysar, Kodak Ektar (some, but not all), and the Russian KMZ Industar. All can be found on a stupendous variety of scale-focusing folding cameras., or if you have the inclination and the requisite bucks, high-end rangefinder folders like Zeiss Super Ikontas, Voigtlanderr Bessa IIs, Maniya Sixes, Konica Pearls, etc. Note: Unit-focusing Tessars perform somewhat better in terms of off-axis sharpness at close focusing distances than those that focus by moving the front element, but this has little effect on their “vintage look” rendition.
A Selection of Cheap Box and Folding Cameras that take 120
Box Cameras
Kodak Brownie No. 2, all models from 1901-1934 are fixed focus, and have meniscus lenses except for the Beau Brownie and Brownie Special No. 2 which have symmetrical 2-element Bi-Mat lenses. All have T and I (instantaneous) shutter settings and a selection of 3 aperture settings.
Note the Brownie No. 2 model F of 1924 or later is constructed of sheet metal rather than cardboard and wood, and it has two tripod sockets, but the shutter spring is weaker and less reliable. Take your pick.
Kodak Brownie No. 2, Model F in beautiful blue. Introduced in 1924 is performs amazingly well for a camera with a simple meniscus lens.
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson River at Catskill, NY. Shot with a Kodak Brownie No.2 Model F on Fuji Acros II film.
Agfa-Box, pre-war and postwar. Solid, well-made, low-tech box cameras with fixed focus meniscus lenses, T and I settings, a choice of apertures. A push-on “close-up” portrait lens is available. They perform better than expected based on their specs.
Agfa-Box 45 of 1938 (left) and Agfa-Box 50 of c. 1950 are almost identical, both perform very well despite their modest specs.
Zeiss-Ikon Box Tengor, often called the king of box cameras. All feature metal bodies and meniscus achromat Goerz Frontar lenses, Time and Instantaneous (1/50 sec) shutters, a choice of 2 or 3 apertures, and 2 or 3 focus settings, with closer distances set by swinging a close-up lens in behind the taking lens. Prewar models in black enamel were available in 6 x 9cm and 6 x 4.5cm formats; later postwar models with chrome finish have coated lenses and double exposure prevention and come in 6 x 9 cm format only. All perform very well. Similar cameras with fewer features were sold under the names Balda, Baldur, and Erabox.
Zeiss-Ikon 6 x 9cm Box Tengors, left to right, early and late pre-war models, and last chrome model of the '50s. All are outstanding performers.
Crumbling Classic. Once proud high-end American car of the '30s now moldering in a rural front yard in upstate NY was shot with a '50s Zeiss-Ikon Box Tengor like the one pictured above. Handheld exposure on Fuji Acros II, about 1/50 sec at f/16.
Ensign 21/4 B Box camera by Hougton-Butcher of London. All take 120 fil, and feature meniscus, meniscus achromat, or Rapid Rectilinear lenses depending on model, all offer a range of apertures, T and I shutters, and aperture selection. Some provide close-up capability. swing out wire frame finders to complement their small reflex finders, and hinged red widow covers. All are very well made, provide better than average imaging capability and often commend higher prices in the $40-80 range.
Roll film folders
Kodak No.1 Folding Cameras are very plentiful, and all are well made with lenses running the gamut from meniscus, meniscus achromat, Rapid Rectilinear, and the Kodak Anastigmat (a Cooke triplet). Most Kodak No 2 folders also take 120 film, but a few desgnated No. 2 don’t, so make sure yours does. Models marked “special” have better lenses, deluxe finish, and multi-speed shutters.
No. 1 Kodak Autographic Folding Camera of 1926. This is the bare bones version with simple lens and shutter. Note Autographic stylus in clip.
Welta Pearl: A well-made German 6 x 9cm folder with a Cooke triplet or Tessar-formula, unit focusing lens. Nice cameras.
Nagel folders: Those made prior to 1932 when August Nagel, Stuttgart was acquired by Kodak , take 120 film. Later models labeled Kodak take 620. All are well made with excellent lenses.
Zeiss-Ikon Folders, Labelled Ikonta or Nettar, they’re solid, beautifully made, and feature high quality Novar or Nettar Cooke triplet lenses or 4-excellent element Tessars. Great picture takers all!
Zeiss Ikonta A 6 x 9cm of mid to late '30s with scale focusing Novar lens, Compur 1-1/250 sec shutter. A solid performer. Note fancy case.
Voigtlander folders: Very well made, in 6 x9 cm and 6 x 6cm formats, they feature a variety of lens and shutter combinations. Look for those with Compur-Rapid, Synchro-Compur or Prontor-S shutters and Tessar or Voigtar (Cooke triplet) lenses. Earlier Inos models with unit-focusing Skopar and (5-element) Heliar lenses are superb, but pricey.
Early Voigtlander Bessa folding camera of the '30s with scale-focusing 105mm f/6.3 Voigtar lens, simple shutter with 2 timed speeds.
Deal breakers? Maybe.
Gunked-up reflex finders
The bane of box cameras is their small reflex finders, which aren’t ideal for precisely composing the shot in the first place, and are often afflicted with de-silvered mirrors, corrosion, and gunk on their lenses, which may render them difficult or impossible to use. They can usually be repaired but the cost of doing so is likely to exceed the value of the camera. Bottom line: reject box cameras with seriously impaired finders and make sure the seller accepts returns if you buy one online. Note: many folding cameras also have small reflex finders, but they’re usually complemented by a wire frame or optical finder so you can still view and compose the shot.
Holey bellows
The bane of folding cameras is the bellows, the very feature that lets you fold them into a smaller form factor and transport them much more easily. Checking a bellows for light leaks and pinholes is easy. Just shine a flashlight into the open camera back in a darkened room and move it around inside the camera to see if any light comes through, paying special attention to the pleats and corners. You can fix bellows by taping then from the inside and outside, but this may affect foldability, and is often not a permanent repaid. You can also use J.B. Wells black gasket maker (available at auto supply stores) for a more permanent repair. Best solution: avoid folders with holey bellows.
Less costly than classic lenses, they offer a retro shooting experience!
By Jason Schneider
Mounting a vintage lens on a digital or analog cameras is a great way to capture images with the coveted “vintage look.” It’s a concept that’s hard to define, but unmistakable once you’ve seen it. A typical “vintage look” image includes good detail where required, and has relatively low contrast, with smooth “rounded” rendition, fluid transitions, and attractive (creamy or swirly) bokeh. Unfortunately, because of their increasing popularity, the prices for many of the venerable classic lenses that can capture these qualities have gone through the roof. Example: A vintage ‘50s-era 100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan in Exakta or M42 mount, which would have gone for about 100 bucks 5-10 years ago now fetches $450-$850 in excellent or better condition. Yes, it’s a perfectly nice Cooke triplet design, does capture the vintage look, and has beautiful bokeh. But in my arrogant opinion it’s vastly overpriced. The Zeiss Triotar, Rodenstock Trinar, and Schneider Radionar, all worthy triplets, have similar imaging characteristics, and they can often be found at more reasonable prices since they aren’t considered “cult classics.” However, prices for the most desirable “vintage look” 35mm-format lenses, ranging from the 50mm f/2 Leitz Summar and Summitar to the 58mm f/1.4 and f/1.8 R.E. Auto-Topcor, have handily outpaced inflation.
100mm f/2.8 Meyer Trioplan of the '50s in M-42 Practica/Pentax screw mount. It's a nice Cooke triplet, but is it really worth $450 and up?
To a lesser extent, lens price inflation has also hit vintage medium format lenses—just check the online auction prices for Zeiss Jena lenses that fit the Pentacon Six or Kiev 66, Zenzanon and Nikkor lenses for the Bronica S2A and EC, or Hasselblad V-system lenses, and you’ll see that prices have steadily crept upward, albeit at a slower pace than vintage full frame 35mm format lenses. One cool fun way around this dilemma is to get a hold of a stone simple, non-interchangeable lens, roll film camera that accepts readily available 120 film and have fun shooting “vintage look” medium format images on the cheap. There are scads of plain old scale-focusing folding roll film cameras and intriguing low-tech minimalist box cameras out there at prices ranging from under $25 to just over $100, and most are fitted with simple classic lenses that can capture authentic “vintage look” images that are a lot sharper and more visually engaging than the amorphously soft, dreamy ones you invariably get with a plastic “toy camera” like a Holga or a Diana (which admittedly have their own special charm).
100mm f/2.8 Zeiss Jena Biometar for the Pentacon Six is currently offered at $375--not bad, but a lot more than it fetched a few years ago.
Much of the joy in shooting with one of these “primitive” cameras comes from partaking in the traditional retro shooting experience—making pictures on film the way it was done 100 years ago, with none of those newfangled modern conveniences like autofocus, autoexposure, or even auto advance, automatic film stop, and automatic frame counting. Advancing the film manually while peering into ye olde red window, scale focusing or not focusing, and composing the subject in s tiny reflex finder or by sighting through a basic wire frame finder all take time and patience, but slowing down and making every frame count has its virtues. In short, shooting with an ancient low-end roll film camera can be a classic case of less is more if you have a positive attitude. And when you do succeed in creating an incisive, well executed, nicely composed image you’ll feel, and will have earned, a far greater sense of accomplishment than doing so with your upscale digital marvel or (heaven forefend) a cellphone camera.
A compendium of non-interchangeable “vintage look” lens types
The Single-Element Meniscus Lens
Meniscus lenses: Positive meniscus (top) has convex surface facing the subject. Negative meniscus has concave surface facing subject. Both types are used in a variety of simple low-end box and folding cameras.
Invented in 1804 by William Hyde Wollaston as a lens for eyeglasses, adapted by him as a camera obscura lens in 1812, and later used by Niépce and Daguerre in their early photographic cameras (1828-1839) this classic single element lens—convex on one side and concave on the other—provides reasonably good correction for astigmatism and coma and performs quite well with subjects such as landscapes. However, it can’t correct for chromatic or spherical aberrations, restricting its use to lenses with small maximum apertures in the f/11 to f/32 range. Despite these limitations, and because they’re very cheap and easy to produce, meniscus lenses have been used in myriad fixed-focus box cameras and low-end focusing folding cameras worldwide, from the vintage era to the present day. Happily, most medium format roll film cameras with simple meniscus lenses can capture “vintage look” images that are reasonably sharp and satisfying if you take the time and trouble to work within their occasionally frustrating limitations.
The Achromatic Meniscus Lens
Achromatic meniscus lenses use cemented crown and flint glass elements of different refractive indices to achieve primary color correction, yielding better performance, wider coverage, but were still limited to small maximum apertures.
In 1839, optician Charles Chevalier invented the Meniscus Achromat, a lens with the general form and function of a single-element meniscus lens but consisting of two elements of crown and flint glass of different refractive indices cemented together. This design provides primary chromatic aberration correction, bringing the colors (wavelengths) at the blue end if the spectrum into a common point of focus to match the blue-sensitive emulsions of the day, and allowing the lens to be reasonably sharp over a wider 50-degree field. The innovation was soon copied by other lens makers because of its enhanced imaging performance and wider coverage despite its maximum aperture being limited to about f/16. Both types of meniscus lens could be mounted with either the concave or convex surface facing forward. Meniscus Achromat lenses were fitted to countless medium format box and folding cameras from the late 19th century to the ‘50s, and they can capture a “vintage look” with somewhat greater sharpness than a single-element meniscus lens.
The Rapid Rectilinear Lens
The Ra[id Rectilinear lens, invented simultaneously by Dallmeyer and Steinheil, was virtually distortion free due to its symmetrical construction, and permitted wider apertures, but it wasn't corrected for astigmatism. It yields gorgeous results at f/16.
The Rapid Rectilinear lens, a design consisting of two Achromatic Meniscus Doublets, symmetrically placed (back-to-back) around a central stop, was introduced by J.H. Dallmeyer (founder of the famed English lens maker of the same name) in 1866. He refined his original design after concluding it was better to make both halves of the lens identical, and the result was the symmetrical Rapid Rectilinear, a lens renowned for having virtually no distortion. Since previous designs (see above) were limited to very small maximum apertures, Dallmeyer felt justified in calling the lens “rapid” even though its maximum aperture was limited to f/8 (or f/6 at the most). Steinheil, the German (Munich-based) lens company, developed a similar design independently at the same time, resulting in a heated dispute that was eventually resolved in Steinheil’s favor, but Dallmeyer is widely credited with the design.
Rapid Rectilinear lenses were widely used in medium- and large- format Kodak folding cameras (e.g. the Bausch & Lomb Rapid Rectilinear) of the 1890s to the 1920s and in some fancy box cameras (notably one version of the Ensign 2 1/4 B made by Houghton-Butcher in England. While the Rapid Rectilinear is not an anastigmat (a lens corrected for astigmatism) it provides gorgeous natural, rounded “vintage look” rendition, especially when stopped down to about f/16. Functioning medium format folders and box cameras with Rapid Rectilinear lenses that take 120 film aren’t always easy to find, but they’re well worth searching for.
The Cooke Triplet Anastigmat
A landmark anastigmat design that corrected for multiple aberrations simultaneously, it permitted wider apertures, and was widely used as a basic lens in countless medium format folding cameras, and as an inexpensive kit lens fir 35mm rangefinder cameras and SLRs.
The Taylor, Taylor & Hobson Cooke Triplet, a sophisticated 3-element design by Harold Taylor (not related to the company’s two Taylors!) in 1893, is a deceptively simple looking three element anastigmat formula created by starting with a clean sheet of paper and taking full advantage of the advances in the new types of Schott optical glass being introduced at that time. It was the first lens to simultaneously correct monochromatic aberrations such as astigmatism, field curvature, and distortion, along with longitudinal and transverse chromatic aberrations The new glass elements provided strong refractive power but required precision alignment. But overall, the lens is easy to manufacture and yields outstanding results with maximum apertures as wide as f/2.9 on small formats and f/3.5-4.5 on medium and larger formats.
The Cooke Triplet was (and still is) produced in vast quantities as an economical lens for 35mm-format cameras (e.g. the 50mm f/3.5 Cintar on the Argus C3 and the 50mm f/2.9 E. Ludwig Meritar “kit lens” for vintage Exaktas and Exas). It has also been pressed into service as the Novar and Nettar lenses found on innumerable scale focusing Zeiss Ikon folders, the Kodak Anastigmats on scads of higher-end Kodak folders, and innumerable variants bearing the “anastigmat” designation. The Cooke Triplet performs very well in all its iterations (except for some softness in the corners and edges if the field at the widest apertures), typically delivering the coveted “vintage look” at wide and moderate apertures, and a crisper but still pleasantly natural look at the smallest apertures. To quote the vintage Alka Seltzer ad, “Try it, you’ll like it!”
The redoubtable Tessar: a timeless classic
The Zeiss Tessar of 1902 set the standard for optical performance in moderate aperture normal lenses for well over a century and it can still give some of the latest lenses a run for the money. It also captures the "vintage look,"especially at its widest apertures.
Paul Rodolph, then working for Carl Zeiss, developed the immortal 4-element, 3 group Tessar with a cemented doublet bringing the rear, in 1902. One of the most successful lens designs of all time of all time it became the standard high-quality, moderate-aperture normal lenses of the 20th century, and it’s been used in moderate wide-angle and telephoto lenses as well. Allegedly Rudolph came up with the Tessar because he was dissatisfied with the performance of the older, slower Zeiss anastigmat, the Protar, but many optical experts view the Tessar as an enhanced variant of the classic Cooke triplet. Originally the Tessar was released as an f/6.3 lens, but with incremental upgrades it evolved into an f/4.5, an f/3.5, and even an f/2.8. While f/2.8 Tessars can work quite well for smaller formats (e.g. the 50mm f/2.8 Tessar in Exakta and M42 mounts and the 50mm f/2.8 Leitz Elmar for rangefinder Leicas, the practical maximum aperture limit for medium-format Tessars is really f/3.5, which is why Rollei ditched the 80mm f/2.8 Tessar on the Rolleiflex 2.8A and used 5- and 6-element Zeiss Planar and Schneider Xenotar lenses on subsequent f/2.8 Rolleiflex TLRs.
The doublet rear group in the Tessar corrects zonal spherical aberration, astigmatism at higher fields of view, and field curvature. As a result, the Tessar is a better performer than the Cooke triplet, especially off axis, and it delivers lovely “vintage look” rendition, smooth transitions, and a natural rendering of three-dimensional space.
Tessar formula lenses include the Voigtlander Skopar, Kodak Anastigmat Special, Kodak Anastar, Meyer Primotar, Schneider Xenar, Agfa Solinar, Rodenstock Ysar, Kodak Ektar (some, but not all), and the Russian KMZ Industar. All can be found on a stupendous variety of scale-focusing folding cameras., or if you have the inclination and the requisite bucks, high-end rangefinder folders like Zeiss Super Ikontas, Voigtlanderr Bessa IIs, Maniya Sixes, Konica Pearls, etc. Note: Unit-focusing Tessars perform somewhat better in terms of off-axis sharpness at close focusing distances than those that focus by moving the front element, but this has little effect on their “vintage look” rendition.
A Selection of Cheap Box and Folding Cameras that take 120
Box Cameras
Kodak Brownie No. 2, all models from 1901-1934 are fixed focus, and have meniscus lenses except for the Beau Brownie and Brownie Special No. 2 which have symmetrical 2-element Bi-Mat lenses. All have T and I (instantaneous) shutter settings and a selection of 3 aperture settings.
Note the Brownie No. 2 model F of 1924 or later is constructed of sheet metal rather than cardboard and wood, and it has two tripod sockets, but the shutter spring is weaker and less reliable. Take your pick.
Kodak Brownie No. 2, Model F in beautiful blue. Introduced in 1924 is performs amazingly well for a camera with a simple meniscus lens.
The Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson River at Catskill, NY. Shot with a Kodak Brownie No.2 Model F on Fuji Acros II film.
Agfa-Box, pre-war and postwar. Solid, well-made, low-tech box cameras with fixed focus meniscus lenses, T and I settings, a choice of apertures. A push-on “close-up” portrait lens is available. They perform better than expected based on their specs.
Agfa-Box 45 of 1938 (left) and Agfa-Box 50 of c. 1950 are almost identical, both perform very well despite their modest specs.
Zeiss-Ikon Box Tengor, often called the king of box cameras. All feature metal bodies and meniscus achromat Goerz Frontar lenses, Time and Instantaneous (1/50 sec) shutters, a choice of 2 or 3 apertures, and 2 or 3 focus settings, with closer distances set by swinging a close-up lens in behind the taking lens. Prewar models in black enamel were available in 6 x 9cm and 6 x 4.5cm formats; later postwar models with chrome finish have coated lenses and double exposure prevention and come in 6 x 9 cm format only. All perform very well. Similar cameras with fewer features were sold under the names Balda, Baldur, and Erabox.
Zeiss-Ikon 6 x 9cm Box Tengors, left to right, early and late pre-war models, and last chrome model of the '50s. All are outstanding performers.
Crumbling Classic. Once proud high-end American car of the '30s now moldering in a rural front yard in upstate NY was shot with a '50s Zeiss-Ikon Box Tengor like the one pictured above. Handheld exposure on Fuji Acros II, about 1/50 sec at f/16.
Ensign 21/4 B Box camera by Hougton-Butcher of London. All take 120 fil, and feature meniscus, meniscus achromat, or Rapid Rectilinear lenses depending on model, all offer a range of apertures, T and I shutters, and aperture selection. Some provide close-up capability. swing out wire frame finders to complement their small reflex finders, and hinged red widow covers. All are very well made, provide better than average imaging capability and often commend higher prices in the $40-80 range.
Roll film folders
Kodak No.1 Folding Cameras are very plentiful, and all are well made with lenses running the gamut from meniscus, meniscus achromat, Rapid Rectilinear, and the Kodak Anastigmat (a Cooke triplet). Most Kodak No 2 folders also take 120 film, but a few desgnated No. 2 don’t, so make sure yours does. Models marked “special” have better lenses, deluxe finish, and multi-speed shutters.
No. 1 Kodak Autographic Folding Camera of 1926. This is the bare bones version with simple lens and shutter. Note Autographic stylus in clip.
Welta Pearl: A well-made German 6 x 9cm folder with a Cooke triplet or Tessar-formula, unit focusing lens. Nice cameras.
Nagel folders: Those made prior to 1932 when August Nagel, Stuttgart was acquired by Kodak , take 120 film. Later models labeled Kodak take 620. All are well made with excellent lenses.
Zeiss-Ikon Folders, Labelled Ikonta or Nettar, they’re solid, beautifully made, and feature high quality Novar or Nettar Cooke triplet lenses or 4-excellent element Tessars. Great picture takers all!
Zeiss Ikonta A 6 x 9cm of mid to late '30s with scale focusing Novar lens, Compur 1-1/250 sec shutter. A solid performer. Note fancy case.
Voigtlander folders: Very well made, in 6 x9 cm and 6 x 6cm formats, they feature a variety of lens and shutter combinations. Look for those with Compur-Rapid, Synchro-Compur or Prontor-S shutters and Tessar or Voigtar (Cooke triplet) lenses. Earlier Inos models with unit-focusing Skopar and (5-element) Heliar lenses are superb, but pricey.
Early Voigtlander Bessa folding camera of the '30s with scale-focusing 105mm f/6.3 Voigtar lens, simple shutter with 2 timed speeds.
Deal breakers? Maybe.
Gunked-up reflex finders
The bane of box cameras is their small reflex finders, which aren’t ideal for precisely composing the shot in the first place, and are often afflicted with de-silvered mirrors, corrosion, and gunk on their lenses, which may render them difficult or impossible to use. They can usually be repaired but the cost of doing so is likely to exceed the value of the camera. Bottom line: reject box cameras with seriously impaired finders and make sure the seller accepts returns if you buy one online. Note: many folding cameras also have small reflex finders, but they’re usually complemented by a wire frame or optical finder so you can still view and compose the shot.
Holey bellows
The bane of folding cameras is the bellows, the very feature that lets you fold them into a smaller form factor and transport them much more easily. Checking a bellows for light leaks and pinholes is easy. Just shine a flashlight into the open camera back in a darkened room and move it around inside the camera to see if any light comes through, paying special attention to the pleats and corners. You can fix bellows by taping then from the inside and outside, but this may affect foldability, and is often not a permanent repaid. You can also use J.B. Wells black gasket maker (available at auto supply stores) for a more permanent repair. Best solution: avoid folders with holey bellows.
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