FallisPhoto
Veteran
Not kidding. It looked as if it would have needed new bellows. I just didn't want to be bothered with folding up a set right then.
I never cease to be amazed
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Not kidding. It looked as if it would have needed new bellows. I just didn't want to be bothered with folding up a set right then.
FallisPhoto
Veteran
chippy
foo was here
the mirror is not the problem...disasembling the superfekta to replace the mirror is the difficult part
Abbazz
6x9 and be there!
Congratulations on your Welta collection, Andrew. They all look awfully nice 😀.
I love the attention to details found in these cameras. For example, the viewfinder on my Welta Garant has a tiny button on the side to adjust parallax compensation. I was quite surprised to find adjustable parallax compensation on such a diminutive viewfinder...
Cheers!
Abbazz
I love the attention to details found in these cameras. For example, the viewfinder on my Welta Garant has a tiny button on the side to adjust parallax compensation. I was quite surprised to find adjustable parallax compensation on such a diminutive viewfinder...
Cheers!
Abbazz
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raid
Dad Photographer
By the way,what do you do if a folder camera does not open up? My Welti sudddenly refused to open. Any tips on what to do?
chippy
foo was here
thanks Abbazz i appreciate it. there were two different Garants available (not counting the various lens/shutter combinations, both have the paralex optical finder (which btw was available as a generic accesrory around 1940 to add onto any camera but they were not of the quality of the one built onto the Garant). one was for a straight 6x9 Garant and the other optical finder also had a switch on the top to move a mask in the veiwfinder to 6x4.5 which some models are also capable of. for instance the one pictured with the unusual address on the back is a straight 6x9 and the other takes 6x4.5 as well.
obviously Welta are a bit of a fasinating for me. particularly because there is so little information on them, the company and the people behind it. there is no end to information about the folk behind leica, balda, viogtlanda, Ziess, Nagel and so forth but i am intrigued by the people that have gone unnoticed behind Welta and there designs...they must of had some imaginative engeneers behind some of their designs and at the same time a certain buisness sence to know that it is important to make a range of cameras to cater for the all important consumer (history has proven that all bar a very companies that didnt cater to the consumer market go bust) but also to the high end amature/pro photog as well. when Germany went through their serious depression in the 20's many companies went bust and as we know zeiss had the buisness sence to combine with those other camera makers giving them the capitol to get through those hard times.
welta along with some others obviously survived and no doubt their export trade and practices helped along with what would appear a company pride in producing a quality product that evolved with what the market wanted.
anyway i have tended to collect welta in an attempt peice together more information on their cameras and history, not all welta cameras or variations of models are in McKeowns or other refferance books and by collecting them i can peice together small amounts of information by dating serial numbers/features and so on. i have also collected probably nearly 95% of all their cameras made from the early 20's, old patents, literature, catalogues etc. but it is a slow process for me to translate from german to english. hehe i just tend to do a page every few weeks. one of these days i will sell off some excess models i have as i have no real need to have duplicate or almost the same models (i have my favourites that i use often) but i am not confortable with selling anything unless it is in good working condition (whats the point!)..for example i have probably a couple of spare 6x9 weltur in fine condition but i want to replace the leather handles and a some spare 6x6 weltur but they all need some sort of fix first as well.
a bit long winded, sorry but if anyone should come across this post in the future and has good info or literature on Welta and/or the people i would love to hear about it...you can send it by personal message if you like.
chippy
foo was here
i'm afraid without seeing it..it is a little difficult to know. one could assume it is just a spring that has become detatched or broken but the reality may be something else. does it open by pulling it open after depressing the button or is it simply stuck closed.
aslo there are also many different models of Welti, begining with the angled body black models that at first glance look almost identical to the very first retina's...the more common that most people have are the chrome top ones either pre or post-war. while these are simular in build there are some differences and thses details can make a differance particularly if its not a helical focusing model. i have dozens of these things and at some point they will be fixed...along the way perhaps i should take some pictures of their dis and reassembly
FallisPhoto
Veteran
Why is that a problem? You can't go in through the top, like you would with other TLRs? Looking at your photos, I'm seeing screws, not rivets. Even rivets wouldn't be that much of a problem though, if you have a rotary tool. I think I have three packets of tiny rivets (brass, aluminum, and nickle) and a couple of home-made riveting anvils that I made from auto-body tools (needed something that would get into tight spaces), so replacing them shouldn't be a problem.
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FallisPhoto
Veteran
If you know where the catch engages the door, you slip a bit of metal in there and push the catch back. Then you fix it before ever closing it again.
chippy
foo was here
the screws you can see are just for the cover plates.
with the smaller Perfekta its just a matter of undoing some screws and basically the top comes off with the glass screen intact, and then you can undo the screws for the tabs holding the mirror and remove it through the open top. but the Superfekta is more complicated, the whole mechanism up the top is complicated. the mirror folds up so the camera can be closed. the whole top with viewing glass also moves forward to fold and also to activate masks that flip into lanscape oriantation. next time i have it partly dismantled where it possible to see it all better perhaps i will send you some pics..fresh eyes and a new approach maybe whats needed
with the smaller Perfekta its just a matter of undoing some screws and basically the top comes off with the glass screen intact, and then you can undo the screws for the tabs holding the mirror and remove it through the open top. but the Superfekta is more complicated, the whole mechanism up the top is complicated. the mirror folds up so the camera can be closed. the whole top with viewing glass also moves forward to fold and also to activate masks that flip into lanscape oriantation. next time i have it partly dismantled where it possible to see it all better perhaps i will send you some pics..fresh eyes and a new approach maybe whats needed
chippy
foo was here
yeah it could be that or depending on what model year its is the helical focusing knob may not of been returned to infinity and is in the way. post war models return automaticaly like the pre-war Weltini. it could also be that it was folded while the shutter was still cocked. depending on the condition and oriantation of the shutter both these things can sometimes cause a hitch
oftheherd
Veteran
Really enjoy seeing your collection Chippy! I envy you. Thanks for showing them. It is good you are able to translate some. It is indeed long overdue. Hope you get to continue.
raid
Dad Photographer
Thanks for the tips, guys. I will try to get the cover open.
raid
Dad Photographer
I got the cover opened. Thanks. I have a Welti 1 35mm camera with a Tessar lens.
oftheherd
Veteran
Raid, if your copy is a usable camera I encourage you to take it out and shoot it. Those old cameras are good. It was the first 35mm I ever used, having taken it over after my father passed away. It is compact, has a good lens, and takes good photos. You won't forget to remove the lens cap since its lens cap is foled out. 😀
The only thing that is perhaps unusual is that you have to estimate distance and set that prior to taking your photo. It is easy to get used to that. But it is so easy to carry, and takes such good photos, you should enjoy it.
When you find you like it, there are a lot of other Weltas for you to enjoy, to include range finders. Beware the GAS. 😀 😀
The only thing that is perhaps unusual is that you have to estimate distance and set that prior to taking your photo. It is easy to get used to that. But it is so easy to carry, and takes such good photos, you should enjoy it.
When you find you like it, there are a lot of other Weltas for you to enjoy, to include range finders. Beware the GAS. 😀 😀
chippy
foo was here
sheeze i hear ya there, i sometimes wish i had never came across a Welta! my back pocket would be a whole lot happier if i didnt...hmm , still i coundn't bring myself to part with them.
chippy
foo was here
i have to agree, i always find it just amazing how competent, useful and fun they are to use,...really!. it takes a bit to drag me away from a rangefinder model, but once i have, i always enjoy a day out with the welti.. if you dont like scale focusing all the time you can just set it to hyperfocal distance scale and shoot. sometimes its just good fun to get back to bare basic photography! although not ness here on RFF, but just how many people would buy a leica and only use or have a 50mm lens. the Welti was designed for candid photography -to a budget-but with excellent lens and qualatiy. it must of been a cherished tool by the people back in those days.
no doubt oftheherd you have seen a mixture of some candid, thoughtful and happy memories from your fathers Welti
raid
Dad Photographer
I started photography with my father's Zeiss Contina. It also had no rangefinder, and I am used to guessing distances. In fact, sometimes I check my RF cameras out by first guessing the distances and then using the RF to measure the distance. My wife gets annoyed each time when I ask her "do you think the distance from me to the clock is 15 ft?"
My Welti 1 is very clean looking.
My Welti 1 is very clean looking.
oftheherd
Veteran
I did that. I don't know where my father got it, from a store or someone in his camera club. I think he used it fairly often. I know it was a pre-war model, and we just presumed it had been "liberated" from someone there by the owner previous to my father. I remember it had the name Hurvitz scratched on the inside of the door.
I used it my first year in Junior College, then after I joined the US Army, I used it often there. As I have mentioned before, it was not only my normal camera, but also it was often used as a crime scene camera in Vietnam. I wasn't using a light meter then. I just went by the film data sheet or experience.
It finally started leaving a scratch on film, and I wasn't smart enough to try and fix it with croakus cloth or something. When we had the house fire, sadly it was also one that didn't survive. When I discovered ebay, I looked around and got the one I have now. That is where I got my 3 Weltinis as well.
Raid, I am sure you will be surprised at the good photos you get, and also how easy it is to carry and use.
chippy
foo was here
you have led an interesting life oftherherd! sorta like CSI on TV, i dont suppose you were lucky enough to have the voluptuous and pretty female sidekicks 😀
imagine what they would think nowadays if you rocked up to a crime scene with a Welta Welti 😱
three Wetini's!!! is that because you are fan or because its a bit hit and miss to get a good one--at least i found it difficult in particular to find the first model weltini in good working order--there was always something wrong with them. the Weltini II i find is a easier to get in good working condition.
so which model do you have; the first is a great retro looking model (the small one i pictured earlier next to its Mum and Dad Weltur's) and if you get one in good working order (linkages are often the main problem) they are great. IMO probably the best fixed lens 35mm pre-war any normal person could get. at least until the Weltini II came out. they cost around $120 US, the next step up was a Leica IIIa (g) w/Elmar for arond $142 with the advantage of interchangable lenses. here's a pic of my Weltini II w/Elmar. i should of given it a clean, its actually very shiny chrome and new looking but all my smudgy figermarks are showing up in the photo.
imagine what they would think nowadays if you rocked up to a crime scene with a Welta Welti 😱
three Wetini's!!! is that because you are fan or because its a bit hit and miss to get a good one--at least i found it difficult in particular to find the first model weltini in good working order--there was always something wrong with them. the Weltini II i find is a easier to get in good working condition.
so which model do you have; the first is a great retro looking model (the small one i pictured earlier next to its Mum and Dad Weltur's) and if you get one in good working order (linkages are often the main problem) they are great. IMO probably the best fixed lens 35mm pre-war any normal person could get. at least until the Weltini II came out. they cost around $120 US, the next step up was a Leica IIIa (g) w/Elmar for arond $142 with the advantage of interchangable lenses. here's a pic of my Weltini II w/Elmar. i should of given it a clean, its actually very shiny chrome and new looking but all my smudgy figermarks are showing up in the photo.
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