PerkeoII prices way down, why?

R

Rob

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I see on Ebay these used to be over 200 with skopar lenses
then less than 200 with skopars now they are less than 100
dollars! Several nice ones have sold at some really good prices.
Whats going on? Everyone who wanted one, has one?
The vaskar lensed versions are in the 50 dollar range now...
I really want to try one of these out I hear the lens is very good
and the mechanicals are better than the isolettes I now have.
Rob
 
I find that the Perkeo II's don't seem to show up much. Usually it's the more common Perkeo I with Vaskar and Pronto (not Prontor) shutter. And most of them are from Europe, so there's a $20 shipping cost at least. But you're right, the prices are very reasonable now if you're buying a folder (which I am). For some reason, it's the older Bessa II that's commanding the highest price tags lately.
 
The prices on the e-auction site take a dip heading into the holidays. Also, not every Perkeo II is in perfect working order. Some have wiggly front lens platforms and standards. Others have a broken film counter.

Go over to ebuy and enter item # 3848986273 into the search field. Pay close attention to the lack of a rear lever which is used when winding the film to the first frame, plus the top cover of the camera is missing an engraving and better yet check out the interesting replacement screw for the film winder. Also, note the 4 speed Pronto shutter and Vaskar lens.

Bottom line: Make sure that the shipping is reasonable and email the seller for the right of return should the item not pass muster.
 
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If you're still in the market for one, there's a very rare Perkeo III on eBuy now. This one has a rangefinder!

Perkeo III
 
Actua..y, i'm also looking into a folder. Although i plan to get a 6x9, this perkeo looks very nice...and the uncoupled RF will repell lots of high bids, hopefully...
hmm.
 
Chris, it seems that not even the seller knows this particular camera was called a Perkeo E. The E stands for entfernungsmesser, which in this case is uncoupled.

The Perkeo E is the last variant in the Perkeo and Baby Bessa line-up. It is probably the most compact 6x6 medium format range finder camera ever made.

The range finder of the Perkeo E resides in the same space as the frame counter and automatic film advance mechanism of the Perkeo II. Therefore, the film advance of the E relies on the tedious to use ruby window.

These are nice cameras by the way, the Color Skopar is nice rendition of the Tessar and Voigtländer lenses from this period have a beautiful blue coating.
 
Hey thanks for the link, Andrew. Kreckel's wbsite has a lot of good information about folders. But I really liked the Perkeo link. Too bad I don't speak German. :( But, luckily, the internet does! :) Here's the translation it gave me for the Perkeo 6x6 caption:

"He who liked to forgo however the incorporated rangefinder, can acquire the PERKEO also in the simpler execution. Herewith it has the choice between different lenses and clasps:

LENS: Voigtlander Color-Skopar of the Vierlinser with unübertroffener sharp drawing and universally known Farbleistung. Voigtlander Vaskar with the sharp drawing surprising for a Dreilinser.

CLASP: Pronto for 1/25 - 1/200 scnd and flash contact or Prontor-SV 1 - 1/300 scnd with automatic shutter release and flashbulb synchronization.

REMAINING TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT of all PERKEO-models: automatic barrier against double exposure, automatically driven arrow indicator as an operation reference, snapshot-attitudes for closely and far, depths sharpness-scale."
 
Hi Guys

only just found this other MF category. I usually run w a Mamiya 6 RF , but for fun I pack a Perkeo II and sometimes a Zeiss Ikonta 532. Both run 120 film. I love the med format but putting the pix onto a CD is pricey. The enlargements/ blow ups are amazing.

Jan
 
Back in April when I started this thread the prices of Perkeo II cameras was down to
about $100, Now almost 1 year later they are back up to $200 with Color Skopar lens.
I see a lot of them on Ebay with the front lens out of alignment with the film plane.
I also thought of getting the Perkeo I but the 3 element lens and 4 speed shutter
made me not get one. The rigidness of my Agfa Isolettes and 8 speed shutters seems
to be the better deal. Still have not found any Isolettes with the Solinar lens locally.
Rob
 
If anyone is interested I have 2 MF folders for sale: a Perkeo II (6x6) and an Ensign Selfix (6x9).

The Perkeo has a Colour Skopar lens and Prontor shutter. I paid $300Cdn for it at the height of MF folder mania. 2 very small marks on the rear element. $180US

The Ensign has a Ross Expres 105mm f2.8 lens and the upscale shutter. $130US

PM if interested.
 
Yep! Sharp too.

EDIT!!! Oops! Hadn't looked at the lens in a while - it's really an f3.8. Sorry!
 
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