Looking for 6x6 Folder

[martinsmith99]

I'm after a 6x6 folder with coupled RF. I'm set on the Iskra or Super Isolette.
It will be a regular camera so need something reliable so one that's been CLA'd or have some kind of warranty or a reliable souce.

I did buy an Iskra from eBay but it came witht he usual Ebay issues (luckily I got a full refund)/

Anyone know a good place to get one? I've contacted Jurgen but no response. Fedka only have one Iskra and I don't want to buy the 1st I see.

 

[jnoir]

What about an Ensign Auto-Range 220? Dual format (6x6 and 6x4.5), coupled RF, 8-speed shutter, distances in feet, automatic frame counter for both formats... I have one for sale, it's been CLAd and it's now with its test roll.

It is however a good step below the Super Isolette (price also reflects that)

I am restoring one of my four Super Isolettes, but there's some time until I have it finished (bellows have been replaced, lens and shutter cleaned and adjusted, automatic frame counter is the only part that remains pending)

 

[RanceEric]

What about a Super Ikonta B? I have a 532/16 (chrome front) beautiful camera. Works beautifully as well. The auto frame counter is a nice feature. There are two on Keh right now, which is where mine came front, one chrome front and one black front.

edit: and the f/2.8 lens is very sharp.

 

[shadowfox]

Ansco Super Speedex, make sure it has the Solinar lens.

* It shoots as well as it looks.

 

[graywolf]

I have an Iskra myself. It was serviced by the seller in Ukrainia, but the focus was stiff as heck. I fixed that myself. The frame counter is 100% and a joy to use.

Other choices are, oh? There is a thread around here somewhere listing most of the 6x6 coupled rangefinder cameras.

What was not pointed out there is that almost all the coupled rangefinder roll film cameras are big and heavy. The CRF's in good working order are also rather expensive, some of them outrageously so. If you want something small and light skip the rangefinder, you will be surprise at how quickly you will learn to estimate distances.

 

[jnoir]

Ansco Super Speedex, make sure it has the Solinar lens.

* It shoots as well as it looks.

Actually, all Super Isolettes / Super Speedex came with the 75/3.5 Solinar lens. Early units (according to my records and IIRC, up to serial number 7.000 approximately) with Synchro-Compur MX, from then on with MXV.

The Super Ikonta B, now that's a brick. I also have one, chrome front, multicoated Tessar... still, I prefer Schneider lenses.

 

[roboflick]

What about a Super Ikonta B? I have a 532/16 (chrome front) beautiful camera. Works beautifully as well. The auto frame counter is a nice feature. There are two on Keh right now, which is where mine came front, one chrome front and one black front.

edit: and the f/2.8 lens is very sharp.

ditto

I followed this advice and bought an ug one from keh for 133. Glass was perfect but slow speeds were sticky. I sent it to Essex camera who serviced it and returned it like new for about 150. Runs very well. Although the auto frame counter sometimes skips a frame, the lens is very sharp, nearly as sharp as the xenotar in my rolleiflex 2.8d wide open and pocketable

and they are built to an incredibly high standard

Nik

 

[RanceEric]

ditto

I followed this advice and bought an ug one from keh for 133. Glass was perfect but slow speeds were sticky. I sent it to Essex camera who serviced it and returned it like new for about 150. Runs very well. Although the auto frame counter sometimes skips a frame, the lens is very sharp, nearly as sharp as the xenotar in my rolleiflex 2.8d wide open and pocketable

and they are built to an incredibly high standard

Nik

Mine was a christmas gift, I was told it was in "UG" condition from Keh as well, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with mine.. no dents, dings, chips, scratches on the body or lens (which was clear of fungus/haze).. Hasn't needed service, since the viewfinder/rangefinder is clean and clear as well.. (It's been 10 months and I'm still amazed by it) lol

I haven't had a problem with the counter yet.. All around, I think it's a fantastic 6x6. I have never really been a huge fan of the square, but I find myself still using the B a lot..

 

[Steve M.]

If you can afford it, get a Super Isolette or Super Speedex, the camera that the Iskras copied. I once had an Iskra, and while I understood that the lens was superb, the rest of the camera wasn't. The film advance felt like the proverbial walnut grinder, so it flew back to Fedka.

My favorite 6x6 folder to shoot is a Super Ikonta III or IV.

http://elekm.net/pages/cameras/sikonta531-16.htm

The build caliber is great, and the camera is very easy and fast to shoot. Has strap lugs too, which I want on a folder. The Tessar lens is better than the Novar, but not in the same league as other top folders such as the Voigtlander Heliars, which unfortunately are not available on a 6x6 model.

One of the things you'll have to decide on is whether to go w/ a red window folder or not. If red window is OK w/ you, then the Weltas have good lenses and are fine cameras. The Weltas that I owned seemed to have sharper Tessars than the ones on the Ikontas. The Voigtlander RF can be had at a good price too (not 6x9, but 6x4.5 w/ a mask, and you can easily crop your 6x9 shots to 6x6). The Heliar is the best lens that I've used in a MF folder, but I found red window shooting too slow to suit me. Voigtlander made 6x6 folders with 75mm Heliars, but none w/ coupled rangefinders.

 

[martinsmith99]

Thanks for all the speedy advice. I do have an Isolette ii, but I'm not a fan of uncoupled RFs as I will probably shoot with fairly wide apertures. Red window is fine and I would prefer the red window on a Iskra as I know this is the weakness.

The Ensign & Ikonta (coupled RF?) will be added to the shortlist.

 

[RanceEric]

Ikonta (coupled RF?)

Yes, the Super Ikonta B does have a coupled RF/VF (unless you get the 530/16)

 

[martinsmith99]

I looked at the KEH site, but not much about the condition of the cameras. Plus I'm in the UK.

 

[hanskerensky]

If you are in the UK you should have a look at seller Beedhams on Evilbay. Every 2 or 3 weeks he sells a batch of serviced vintage medium format cameras, many of them folders. Have a look at his feedback details.

 

[kuzano]

Y'all left out a couple...

Y'all left out a couple...

1) Perkeo E rangefinder with a Color Skopar.... Light, durable, good lens... Pricey

2) Balda Baldax and Super Baldax. Comes in both uncoupled and coupled. (whether it's a Super or not does not seem to be the criteria for it being coupled or uncoupled.) Most often found with the Enna Werke lens, which I have found more than satisfied with. Have seen them with a Zeiss lens also.

My favorite is a Perkeo I with the Color Skopar. They are usually Vaskar lenses on the Perkeo I, but I have seen a few I's with the better shutter and the Color Skopar lens from the factory.

I use an external rangefinder and do not find transferring the distance to the front cell focus to be a real downside.

Snother missed 6 square coupled rangefinder I can think of which is a superb choice is a late Mamiya Six Folder with the film plane focus and Zuiko lens called the Automat 6. I have one of those as well, but it's quite hefty compared to the Perkeo. I think the last model had a Mamiya Sekor lens. (1956 or 57)

Also, why no mention of the actual Certo 6 camera?

Looks like there are a few missed choices in this thread.

 

[antonandreas]

I think there are lots of good suggestions made here.

Maybe the experience I have had may help.

Avoid a coupled rangefinder folder. These cameras are more than 50 or more years old and while there can be some really amazing examples out there, they are more susceptible to failure and breakage. Adding a coupled rangefinder complicates the entire camera (more to go wrong), adds bulk, weight, and at least another hundred dollars.

A few years ago I sought out a coupled rangefinder folder as well and decided on the Certo Six, which is a fantastic camera with a great lens, but has a ton of quirks.

I do not shoot with it any more because the rangefinder is out of whack and would need to be replaced/rebuilt. All that happened was that I banged into a wall (lightly) and the rangefinder went totally off kilter and the repair man could not completely realign it. I have been thinking about sending it off to a camera repair specialist, but I have a few other folders that suit my needs pretty well and as such it is not high on my list of priorities.

One of which is the Voigtlander Perkeo I with a Prontor shutter and Color-Skopar lens that I managed to pick up for less than $20 and it works really well, even without a CLA. I can not believe how lucky I was.

The Skopar is a Tessar clone, which will probably be the best type of lens you will pick up in one of these cameras, that is if you do not go for the Voigtlander Bessa II with the Heliar or APO-Lanthar which costs a lot of money.

I focus by guessing (which really is not so bad), but you could pick up an external rf to mount on the shoe.

Features:
Cold Shoe
PC x-sync
Single coated Color-Skopar f/3.5
Tripod socket
Double exposure prevention (though I wish I had the ability to turn it off)
Foot (to prop itself evenly on a surface)
Swinging bracket for easy loading
Small size (smallest 6x6 I have seen)
Excellent build quality

The only things that I wish it had:

Off/on switch for double exposure prevention
Shutter speed that went up to 1/500th
Aperture that went down to f/22

If you are interested, check out the links to some pictures I have made with the camera:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonandreas/5885929675/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonandreas/5520164005/in/photostream

 

[paolo]

Also you may try Сhinese Seagull 203 with triplet lens

 

[citizen99]

I like the Ensign Autorange 220. (ref. also jnoir's posting above).

I have, or have had, specimens with the early, un-coated Ensar triplet, a late-build coated Ensar, and an un-coated Tessar - not so frequently found. All have at appropriate apertures produced excellent colour pictures.
Here is a link to a picture from the late-build coated Ensar model:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43334883@N03/5011848831/in/set-72157624946513188/

The frame counter indicator is simple, elegant, and reliable; it doesn't have the interlocks/mode switches which can be troublesome on an old camera.

I find the build design and quality to be perfectly acceptable. (I also once had a Super Ikonta III with Novar, which of course produced excellent pictures, and was beautifully crafted, but I found the controls to be too small and fiddly for my liking.)

The Autorange 220 has lever-operated rack focussing, moving the lens-shutter combination as a unit.

 

[P C Headland]

The Iskra and Certo Six are my favourite, but another one that I enjoy is the Super Fujica-6. Not so easy to find, but the camera handles nicely, has a decent unit-focusing lens and pretty good VF/RF.

 

[martinsmith99]

The Iskra and Certo Six are my favourite, but another one that I enjoy is the Super Fujica-6. Not so easy to find, but the camera handles nicely, has a decent unit-focusing lens and pretty good VF/RF.

I've never heard of it, but I'll add it to the list of possibilities. Thanks!

 

[martinsmith99]

I like the Ensign Autorange 220. (ref. also jnoir's posting above).

I have, or have had, specimens with the early, un-coated Ensar triplet, a late-build coated Ensar, and an un-coated Tessar - not so frequently found. All have at appropriate apertures produced excellent colour pictures.
Here is a link to a picture from the late-build coated Ensar model:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43334883@N03/5011848831/in/set-72157624946513188/

The frame counter indicator is simple, elegant, and reliable; it doesn't have the interlocks/mode switches which can be troublesome on an old camera.

I find the build design and quality to be perfectly acceptable. (I also once had a Super Ikonta III with Novar, which of course produced excellent pictures, and was beautifully crafted, but I found the controls to be too small and fiddly for my liking.)

The Autorange 220 has lever-operated rack focussing, moving the lens-shutter combination as a unit.

Nice sample! I thought I recognised the setting. I live in Alveston and often take a look in the charity shops for old camera gear.