Looking for a 6x6 folder

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hagen

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Hi,

I am looking for a 6/6 or 6/7 folder:

- if possible coupled rangefinder
- not expensive
- poor image quality, like holga or diana


what do you suggest?

Thanks, Gerhard
 
Coupled RF folders were top of the line-up while the folder era lasted, so their lenses all were pretty good by contemporary standards (at least advanced triplets, usually Tessar types). And 6x7 was not even invented back then (accordingly, the 120 backing paper has no 6x7 marks) - there are neither folders (other than the Makina 67, which is collapsible rather than folding) nor low end cameras in 6x7.

You may have to readjust your specifications...
 
hagen said:
Hi,

I am looking for a 6/6 or 6/7 folder:

- if possible coupled rangefinder
- not expensive
- poor image quality, like holga or diana


what do you suggest?

Thanks, Gerhard
Click to expand...

Get a Holga or Diana. Or get a better camera and defocus all your shots.

In my experience, 6x7 in a folder is rare, but possible. But not many with coupled RF. My 6x7 is a Super Press 23. Not light and has good lenses, so not what you are looking for.

There are a ton of 6x6 folding cameras, and many had surprisingly good lenses. Mamiya had a really nice RF 6x6, but a little heavy and a little pricey.

I often carry a Zeiss 6x9 folder. It does not have a RF, but has a nice lens and is very light. I would not worry about the lens. As I said, if you really want out-of-focus, which is what I gather, just defocus the lens, and still have a decent lens for shots you want nice detail in.

If you decide to go 6x6 folder, Mamiya, Welta, Olympus, Zeiss, and many others are worth having.
 
As sevo put it, if it has a coupled rangefinder, it's usually pretty high end. To have "poor image quality" with these fine machines you either pick an aged one with lot of haze and scratches, or look east. Some russian or Chinese folders, like the Seagull 203, are feature packed but often suffer from sample variations. The good ones are on par with their western brethren, the not-so-good ones, might be your cup of tea.
 
Best achievement for OP request would be with any old 6x6 foldable RF which is listed for sale on ebay cheap and as is, no returns. Poor quality guaranteed 100% due to the lens with old lubricant evaporations on it and holes in the bellows.
 
To be honest I don't really get this. Why do you need precise RF focusing if you want poor image quality? And why would you shoot medium format then? Most folders are quite good if not broken but you will get poor image quality when shot wide open with virtually all of them...
 
They've been looking for this camera for the past seven years. I think they might be trolling us, because if they haven't found it by now, it doesn't exist, or they don't really care, or they're astonishingly incompetent at using google or asking around at camera shops.
 
hagen said:
Hi,

I am looking for a 6/6 or 6/7 folder:

- if possible coupled rangefinder
- not expensive
- poor image quality, like holga or diana


what do you suggest?

Thanks, Gerhard
Click to expand...

Not many folders with coupled rangefinders were made, so that drives up the price right there. Collectors love them, and thus they don't hit the market very often. And most photographers that do own a coupled rangefinder folder likely won't let it go until they are six feet under.

Uncoupled rangefinders are more readily available, but if you are just looking to take crappy photos, why do you even need a rangefinder?

Get a Foldex, or one of it's variants. Prettiest looking crappy folder I've ever had the displeasure to use. It's 6x9, but that just gives you more real estate for cropping.

Sample photo
5892616722_18c2a50533_z.jpg

Abandoned Drive-In 1 by P F McFarland, on Flickr

PF
 
Coupled
Balda Super Baldax... great coupled rangefinder, but sharp and contrasty... unfortunately Excellent Pictures. Has film count and stop.

Uncoupled
Voigtlander Perkeo II... has film count and stop 6X6 Color Skopar exceeds your desire.

Both cameras have good history on light tight bellows. The Balda best lens is Hanna Werke mfr...

Or get a Voigtlander Perkeo I 6X6 with the slightly less capable Vaskar 75mm. Still too good a shooter for your preferences. No film count/auto stop. More reliable than the mechanism on the Perkeo II.

Perkeo E... coupled rangefinder. Hard to find and costly... much too nice a camera for you.
 
Sorry, I am not a troll! I´ve looked for a folder seven years ago, thats right. I found some, and they had very good lenses and it ended up in a newer model of mamiya 6 with two lenses. It is a fine camera, but very sharp.
But now i am looking for something not perfect, for a camera with a look of an old lens, with a squirling bokeh, or a look like diana or holga.
I think coupled rangefinder would be fine, I do not want simply unfocussed pictures.

But I can readjust my requirements:

6/6 is ok, 6/7 not necessary
coupled rangefinder is not a must have

Thanks,

Gerhard
 
hagen said:
But now i am looking for something not perfect, for a camera with a look of an old lens, with a squirling bokeh, or a look like diana or holga.
Click to expand...

Drop that rangefinder requirement entirely - there is no camera with that basic a lens that had a focus mechanism accurate enough to warrant even a uncoupled rangefinder.

Few folders will had anything less than a triplet, as the folding mechanism already put it in a price region where makers had to be upward of box quality image wise if they wanted to sell. But you might want to research whether any entry level folders had meniscus lenses (similar to basic box type cameras) - there won't have been many, but there might be some, for odd reasons (like export to countries taxing by lens speed, or cameras from start-up makers with no access to a better lens). If you find none, get yourself a Agfa Clack box...
 
No offence intended, but if you are seeking poor image quality, you are definitely enquiring in precisely the wrong place. Get yourself a Zenit and a 58mm Helios. It's not medium format, but why should this matter? You'll be in less danger of breaching your quality threshold (though the Helios can potentially be a distressingly good lens for your needs). But it does swirl, which you've said you want, so I leave it in your capable hands to do your best to limit image quality--I have every confidence in you.
Cheers,
Brett
 
If import costs from the UK are not a consideration, there are usually plenty of inexpensive Kershaw 110 on ebay-uk.

This is a 6x6 folder with a meniscus lens and simple shutter. It has a body of simple but adequate construction that is basically the same as that of its higher-end siblings the Kershaw 630 and 450 (which have triplets in AGC shutters - Vario, Velio and suchlike).

You might however have to degrade the meniscus lens to achieve the effects you desire ;) .
 
If you're willing to drop the medium format requirement too and any square fomat would be ok, there were a couple of low spec 24x24mm cameras shooting on ordinary 35mm film. That would mean 3 times more bad pictres per roll ;)

hagen said:
Sorry, I am not a troll! I´ve looked for a folder seven years ago, thats right. I found some, and they had very good lenses and it ended up in a newer model of mamiya 6 with two lenses. It is a fine camera, but very sharp.
But now i am looking for something not perfect, for a camera with a look of an old lens, with a squirling bokeh, or a look like diana or holga.
I think coupled rangefinder would be fine, I do not want simply unfocussed pictures.

But I can readjust my requirements:

6/6 is ok, 6/7 not necessary
coupled rangefinder is not a must have

Thanks,

Gerhard
Click to expand...
 
Look at the end of this thread-
http://www.apug.org/forum/index.php?threads/rollieflex-question.137090/
SOmeone found a Rolleiflex K4 with a Planar lens installed. In discussion with the the seller, he learned that the person had had Diana lenses installed into a few Rolleis, and the repairperson had her do a Planar into a Tessar-mount camera, probably just to restore some balance to the universe or at least his brain. You might contact the OP and track down the person who did this. There are samples of her work with these cameras.

So, do a TLR body instead of a folder? It's probably the quickest and cheapest way to get a decent focusing mechanism and screen.
 
Another 6x6 camera line to consider is the Agfa. Agnar or Apotar lenses in triplet design, usually with frozen focus because of the Bayer grease having turned to mortar. While you are cleaning and re-lubing the helical, you can flip the middle element for center sharp-edge swirly photos when shot wide open.

You can always mount a rangefinder like a Widor, or Rowi in its accessory shoe.

PF
 
Save your money, just put a soft focus filter on one of your sharp lenses. A series filter and adapter ring work on old folding cameras, but cheaper yet is a piece of ladies nylon stocking held on with a rubber band.



hagen said:
Sorry, I am not a troll! I´ve looked for a folder seven years ago, thats right. I found some, and they had very good lenses and it ended up in a newer model of mamiya 6 with two lenses. It is a fine camera, but very sharp.
But now i am looking for something not perfect, for a camera with a look of an old lens, with a squirling bokeh, or a look like diana or holga.
I think coupled rangefinder would be fine, I do not want simply unfocussed pictures.

But I can readjust my requirements:

6/6 is ok, 6/7 not necessary
coupled rangefinder is not a must have

Thanks,

Gerhard
Click to expand...
 
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