Folders that focus with the film plane?

[archeophoto]

I just love my Mamiya-6! Are there any other folders out there that focus by moving the film plane?
I heard the Certo Six does that, but I'm not sure.

 

[oftheherd]

I remember reading about one on ebay some time ago, but I don't recall for sure which folder it was. The thing that stuck out most in my mind was that it was around a 20s camera.

Interesting question anyway.

 

[Brian Legge]

The Certo Six has a unique focusing system but it doesn't move the film plane. It moves the lens in a parallelogram to provide parallax compensation via the lens.

The Mamiya Six is the only folder I know of which moves the film plane. I wonder if they patented that approach?

 

[sevo]

The Certo 6 is unit focusing, but it moves the lens rather than the film plane.

 

[tlitody]

I'm thinking you mean medium format or smaller. If you think big then a lot of view cameras focus by moving the rear standard and most of them fold but maybe not to the size you are thinking of.

 

[citizen99]

The Ensign Commando focusses by moving the film plane, CRF, gives 12-on 120. There's plenty of searchable info on the web, here's just one for starters:- http://licm.org.uk/livingImage/Commando.html

 

[Pherdinand]

AS a side note, i have never understood why this idea did not take off with digital cameras.

 

[Abbazz]

AS a side note, i have never understood why this idea did not take off with digital cameras.

Yes, something like the Contax AX, which was a modern autofocus SLR using image plane focusing: http://photo.net/equipment/contax/ax

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[nosmok]

Ensign Autorange 820.

--nosmok

 

[citizen99]

The Ensign Autorange 820; yes, although there is an unusual difference to the Mamiya or Commando in that the film plane moves as an integral part of the main body moving relative to the baseboard. So philosophically we enter the realms of Relativity here, you're holding the camera and focussing moves the baseboard/lens assembly, but as far as the lens is concerned (its movement distance being << the distance to the subject), it 'perceives' the film plane as moving 😀 .