Nice! My new Perkeo II can take 13 photos per roll, only...

[joeswe]

... my lab didn't know. :bang:

XII-033-13 von eames68 auf Flickr

Well, actually nor did I, I just realized that when the first film came back from the lab... The Perkeo II uses a kind of automated film advance with shutter lock, so unlike with most of the folders from that era you don't have to check the numbers on the backing paper through the red window (except for the first frame) and there is no chance of accidental double exposures or lost shots (as long as the mechanism works).
Now it seems the mechanism is set up in a way that the spacing between the frames is a bit tighter than normal, which allows you to squeeze out 13 shots per roll. I am just wondering if this is just my copy of the camera or a general "feature" of the Perkeo II? I would also like to hear from Perkeo II owners about their experiences with the transport mechanism.

Unfortunately the transport mechanism has a reputation of dying rather quickly and being unrepairable. And indeed, on the third or fourth roll I shot with that camera, the transport suddenly got stuck with one or two frames still to go. I had to take out the roll in a changing bag. Later I put a test roll through the camera and the transport worked again without problems... But I think, I don't want to take the risk of damaging the mechanism permanently, so from now on I will probably keep the the mechanism disengaged and transport the film in the classic fashion (red window peeping).

 

[KoNickon]

Yes, mine has a way of not freeing up the double exposure prevention from time to time -- can work great, and then suddenly it won't. So it sits on the shelf. (For some reason I've never even considered just using the red window -- thanks for the tip!) I think Jurgen Kreckel (certo6.com) can fix these.

By the way, too bad about that last frame above! Where is this?

 

[joeswe]

I had a second look at the way that the mechanism works and it seems that the shutter button is blocked while the lever for the "autowind" is disengaged. So it seems you have to actually take out the gears to be able to use the red window method...

To answer your question, the shot was taken in the Swiss Alps on the eastern ramp of the Furka road that leads up Furka pass (2429 metres or almost 8,000 ft). On the same road, a couple of turns down hill, some famous car chase scenes for the Bond classic "Goldfinger" were shot.

Just a couple of meters after crossing the pass there is a place where you get a splendid view to the west (Valais) with the massive range of the Bernese Alps in the distance. The prominent peak a bit to the left is the Finsteraarhorn (14,022 ft).


Furkapass Vista sRGB von eames68 auf Flickr

 

[rumbliegeos]

On my copy you have to depress the shutter button all the way to the bottom of its travel to free up the wind-on to the next frame. If you depress it just to the shutter release point it will often prevent you from winding-on. If you forget to press the button all the way down you can simply cover the lens, cock the shutter, and be sure to release the shutter "thoroughly'" the second time around. It is bizarre, but the camera does what is should do if you remember this characteristic. The red window is there to allow you to precisely position the film at frame 1: at that point re-engage the frame counter at 1. Beautiful mountain shots, by the way.

 

[Orbiter]

Reassuring to read that I'm not the only one with a "fiddly" Perkeo II. It's great when everything works well, although I haven't shot anything as nice as the photo from the Alps. Wow!

 

[Thomas78]

Thank you for these beautiful pictures!

I prefer the Perkeo IIIE with the red window advance and the uncoupled rangefinder. One less part to break down and the rangefinder is very handy for short distance images.

 

[joeswe]

Thanks for the kind feedback guys. Thomas, you're absolutely right about the "one less part to break" attitude. I chose the Perkeo II because the III is too expensive for my taste and I don't need a rangefinder for the kind of job (mostly 6x6 slides of landscapes at infinity) anyway. Another reason is that I prefer the Synchro-Compur shutter much over the Prontor shutters and AFAIK the III (and also the I?) is only available with the Prontor. Alas, the film advance and counter is working again after the first jam on my II but the counter reset is not working properly anymore. Courtesy of Hans Kerensky (a big thank you to Hans for all his illustrated instructions on folder repair!!) I will dismantle the top at some point and see what can be done. Voigtländer Perkeo II Topcover Viewer Removed (01) | Flickr - Fotosharing!
Tomorrow I will go hiking to the Piemontese Alps for a week. I will bring my Isolette III and take some 6x6 slide if weather permits (8 rolls of Provia 100F in the backpack). I will report here after my return...

 

[Thomas78]

Thanks for the kind feedback guys. Thomas, you're absolutely right about the "one less part to break" attitude. I chose the Perkeo II because the III is too expensive for my taste and I don't need a rangefinder for the kind of job (mostly 6x6 slides of landscapes at infinity) anyway.

Thats true, for infinity you don't need a rangefinder anyway...

Another reason is that I prefer the Synchro-Compur shutter much over the Prontor shutters and AFAIK the III (and also the I?) is only available with the Prontor.

Actually my Perkeo IIIE has a Syncro-Compur equipped Color-Skopar lens. - But I am not sure if it is original, because the lens focus is scaled in feet while the rangefinder is scaled in meters.

This didn't kept my brother form lending the Perkeo III for his last vacation...