Mysterious camera

[mich8261]

Hello,

I just received this great little folder from my wife for my birthday. I can't find any information about it. There is no camera name anywhere on it. I tried searching based on the shutter name (F.Deckel-Munchen and Compur-Rapid) and the lens (Meyer Gorelitz Trioplan 2.9 f=5cm) but I couldn't find anything. I think it might take 127 film as it is too small for 120 or 620. The shutter works, the bellows seem okay.

Thanks.

 

[mich8261]

two more pictures

two more pictures

two more pics of the camera.

 

[xayraa33]

the F. Deckel of Munchen is the maker of the Compur shutter supplied to numerous camera makers.
the styling of the rest of the camera reminds me of the Beier Kamera Werk cameras.

 

[chippy]

it does look kinda like a Beier, the model that starts with a P (it aludes me just at the moment) precia, prissy something like that...but i am sure it is not a Beier. rather i am certain(99.9%) it looks like a 3x4 (127 film) Balda Baldi, Balda's answer to the 3x4 cameras in the early thirties.

you can still get film for this, not just anywhere but there are still suppliers, think i saw some on evil bay a while ago, pretty sure he sells it ongoing. very nice looking little 3x4 in great condition!!congrats, ,,,what a gr8t wife!!!!

 

[Luddite Frank]

Very nice little "mystery"...

As noted above, the Deckel "Compur" shutter was used by many camera manufacturers, the "standard" Compur shutter had a top-speed of around 1/200th, while the more expensive Compur-Rapid shutter topped at 1/400th or 1/500th.

The Meyer-Goerlitz "Trioplan" is pretty decent lens; that with the top-end Compur-Rapid shutter suggests that this was a higher-end camera.

As for the film format, I would bet it's either 127 or 828 ( 35mm, spooled, with a paper backing used in Kodak's "Bantam" cameras, among others). The 5 cm lens suggests a small format.

127 cameras usually had "female sockets" in the sides of the body to receive the spool, as opposed to protuding pins, as for 120/620.

Can you post a pic of the back-side of the camera ?

There's no name or info embossed in the leatherette anywhere, or inside the back ?

Any dealer's stickers inside ?

At any rate, it looks very nice indeed.

"Film for Classics.com" and Efke should still make 127 film... you might even find some Kodak color film here and there...

Enjoy !

Luddite Frank

 

[chippy]

i put money on it that it is a Balda Baldi, an early model because of its film winder is on the bottom. these came with a huge choice of lenses (triplets or tessar or tessar types) and shutters from vario to compur-rapid...also some with helical focusing! not unlike the Welta Gucki (a simular 3x4 camera)..quite swish for its time with optical finder w/parralax.

balda like welta and some others sold their cameras to others/distributers, who called them by a different name so its possible to have a dealer or name badge but it started life as Baldi

 

[mich8261]

I'll post pics of the back and interior tonight. I see no trave of a name anywhere. Perhaps the leatherette was replaced at some point. I agree with the assessment that in its day this must have been a nice and expensive camera. It has the 1/500 shutter with a relatively fast lens (f/2.9) and it also has a parallax adjustment wheel for the viewfinder. From memory I think the film socket is "female". There's also a small sheet of metal that curves around to protect the film spools.

The shutter works, although I had to strain to get it to 1/500. Aperture blades all seem fine and work all the way down to f/16. The only thing I can't figure is how to focus. The front element turns (until is unscrews completely) but I am not sure what the guide is for distance. I tried testing it with the back open and placing my face where the film would be 🙂, but no luck.

 

[iamzip]

I have no ideas about this camera, but I can tell you that freestlyephoto.biz sells efke black & white 127, and frugalphotographer.com sells color 127 film and also offers processing.

 

[mich8261]

thanks iamzip. B&H also carries Efke 127 B&W film. I will either process my own or go to a local (NYC) dip & dunk processor.

 

[mich8261]

Thank you William. Any idea where I might find more info about this camera? All I found was a a mention of it on camerapedia.org.

 

[chippy]

i'll say again its a Baldi !!.....and like i said available with many different lenses after looking it up it shows. Radionar, tessar 2.8 or 3.5, trioplan 2.9,3.5 or 4.5, Vidanar 3.5, 4.5, Xenar 2.9, 3.5 and 4.5....it also was available with helical focusing; yours is front cell...

the distance scale is on the front of the lens. if it is locked together with the other lenses (which is why the whole lens is unscrewing) then it will need to freed up to work/focus (old grease dried). I wont bother going into details, i guess you can wait and someone else will tell you and then you will know.
it is obviously the origional leather. they did not always write Baldi on them, most often not. if it was a name variant such as Pinette (just a Baldi by a different name) then this would be embossed in the leather, seeing how it is not, makes your a Baldi from Balda

 

[mich8261]

Mystery solved! It's a Balda Baldi.

Mystery solved! It's a Balda Baldi.

thanks Andrew and William. It's pretty exciting to have received as a gift a camera that has been so hard to track down 😀 The front lens is not locked with the rest of the mount. If I unscrew it, I end end up with a single piece of glass in my hand (with the metal ring and thread (or is it tread?)) I see the scale, I just have to figure out where the scale pointer is. Maybe I'll take a few pictures of a measuring tape at f/2.9 to see where the focus is. Pretty cool.

PS: can you imagine today someone making a camera and not using the opportunity to brand it?!

 

[chippy]

the scale pointer is the tapered piece with the black line in the middle; shown on the left in the photo's and imediately next to the scale on the lens. this should remain fixed as the lens turns and the small screw or protrusion on the side of the scale focus ring acts as a stop against the scale pointer. it looks to me to be in the wrong place it usually is exactly in the middle of the F.Deckel-Munchen words on the shutter and may be the reason why it is unscrewing (not in its correct position). by the way the shutter IMHO is possibly slightly out of alignment as well; the F.Deckel-Munchen words again should be directly at the top (in relation to the first 3 pics). possibly someone has tried to clean it in the past and not put it back together just right

 

[FallisPhoto]

Hello,

I just received this great little folder from my wife for my birthday. I can't find any information about it. There is no camera name anywhere on it. I tried searching based on the shutter name (F.Deckel-Munchen and Compur-Rapid) and the lens (Meyer Gorelitz Trioplan 2.9 f=5cm) but I couldn't find anything. I think it might take 127 film as it is too small for 120 or 620. The shutter works, the bellows seem okay.

Thanks.

What are those letters stamped into the carrying strap on top?

 

[FallisPhoto]

i'll say again its a Baldi !!.....and like i said available with many different lenses after looking it up it shows. Radionar, tessar 2.8 or 3.5, trioplan 2.9,3.5 or 4.5, Vidanar 3.5, 4.5, Xenar 2.9, 3.5 and 4.5....it also was available with helical focusing; yours is front cell...

the distance scale is on the front of the lens. if it is locked together with the other lenses (which is why the whole lens is unscrewing) then it will need to freed up to work/focus (old grease dried). I wont bother going into details, i guess you can wait and someone else will tell you and then you will know.
it is obviously the origional leather. they did not always write Baldi on them, most often not. if it was a name variant such as Pinette (just a Baldi by a different name) then this would be embossed in the leather, seeing how it is not, makes your a Baldi from Balda

It looks like a Balda of some kind, but that word stamped into the carrying strap has a lot more letters than either Balda or Baldi. I'd bet that is the brand name. Might still be a Baldi sold under another name though; Balda did that.

 

[chippy]

It looks like a Balda of some kind, but that word stamped into the carrying strap has a lot more letters than either Balda or Baldi. I'd bet that is the brand name. Might still be a Baldi sold under another name though; Balda did that.

oh that is a keen eye you have Fallis!!!!--sheeze i wish you had a real name, always good talking with you just the same,

if its not just stitching marks then possibly Renox-KleinKamera, herlango or weston miniature..Pinette would usualy be imprinted in the upper body as alternative 'sold as names and dealers'..still a Badli tho

 

[Muggins]

As Andrew says, the piece with the black line is the focus stop and also indicates your focus. It's possible that yours has been slightly bent outwards. You'll need to set the infinity focus before you try bending it back (if you decide to go that way!) - rather than using a film, you can make an acceptable loupe with a piece of glass or stiff plastic with a piece of magic tape stuck to it. Takes some fiddling, but very satisfyig when you get it right.

As far as I am aware, the top speed of these prewar Compurs is always stiff - it uses an extra spring, so you are pushing against a stiffer spring than when you set the other speeds.

I think the Trioplan was designed for portrait work - the one decent pic I got from my one roll I put through my Welta with a Trioplan was taken at about 20 yards, and longer distance ones weren't up to much. However, that may have been operator error - I have a lot of problems with the nut that holds the shutter!

Hope that helps - it looks a little beauty!

Adrian

 

[chippy]

As Andrew says, the piece with the black line is the focus stop and also indicates your focus. It's possible that yours has been slightly bent outwards. You'll need to set the infinity focus before you try bending it back (if you decide to go that way!)

Hi Adrian, really i dont think it is bent, at least not not that i can see. it looks as it should and the same as some i am comparing to. i am guessing that it is more of a case the stop/scale marker is a quarter turn to the left (should be straight up) and it is either turning with lens or because it is too far left by the time the lens rotates a full turn (anticlockwise) the screw/stop on the lens simply misses the scale marker/stop because it is already a quarter turn unthreaded already (thus already unthreaded particially and further out from the mount). my thoughts are that if put in its correct position it will work but stll needs to checked along the lines that you mention with ground glass (or alternatives as you mention)

As far as I am aware, the top speed of these prewar Compurs is always stiff - it uses an extra spring, so you are pushing against a stiffer spring than when you set the other speeds.

indeed as Adrian says,,a good working or recenlty CLA compur rapid shutter will noticably be more difficult to the higher speed due to the spring.

I have a lot of problems with the nut that holds the shutter!

which nut is that Adrian? the ring inside the bellows?

 

[FallisPhoto]

oh that is a keen eye you have Fallis!!!!--sheeze i wish you had a real name, always good talking with you just the same,

if its not just stitching marks then possibly Renox-KleinKamera, herlango or weston miniature..Pinette would usualy be imprinted in the upper body as alternative 'sold as names and dealers'..still a Badli tho

That's probably it. It looks kind of like the word "KleinKamera." By the way, the name's Charles Fallis.

 

[Muggins]

which nut is that Adrian? the ring inside the bellows?

No, the one with his finger on the shutter release! That one gives me so much hassle you wouldn't believe. Without him, the camera might take some decent pics...

Adrian

(on a more serious note, if I find the piccy from my Trioplan, I'll post it)