Plaubel Peco Supra II

[santino]

I got this camera sans film back but with different focusing screens in different formats.
Do you guys know what film back in 9x12 would fit this beautiful camera?
Sources on the net don't seem to be sufficient to answer my question.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Luddite Frank]

Santino,


Can you post some pictures of the rear-standard of your camera, and the focusing screens ?

Assuming you have a non-American version of this outfit ?

If it does not have a "spring back" like a wooden view camera or a Speed Graphic press camera, it probably has an "international back", similar to European folding plate cameras circa 1900-1950's.

These have "tracks" on three sides of the back-frame, and the focusing-screen slides-in and locks in place for focusing on the Ground-Glass, then when the camera is set, the focusing screen is carefully removed, and a film or plate-holder, or roll-film adapter slipped-into place, dark-slide pulled, and exposure taken, etc.

IF this is the case with your Peco, Plaubel-RADA did make a roll-film adapter for 9x12cm "International" back that uses 120 roll-film, and can make 6x9, 6x6, and 6x4,5 cm images, provided the adapter has its appropriate masks.

Otherwise, you would need to find 9x12 film holders, or plate-holders with film adapters, AND 9x12 sheet film (FOMA ?) or cut-down 4x5 inch sheet film.

I use the RADA 9x12 > 120 adapter on a 1920's Zeiss folding plate camera with decent results.

I hope this is of some help...

Good luck !

Luddite Frank

 

[santino]

I didn't have a clue international backs even existed. Thanks.
It looks like this: https://cameraventures.com/plaubel-peco-supra-ii-9x12-view-camera-en
Is this an international back?

 

[Luddite Frank]

I cannot tell for sure. From the photos in the link, it appears that the focusing screen is on springs, and will displace away from the rear standard, to allow a film-holder to be inserted?

The film holders in the same link appear to be "European / International" format; and possibly single-sided. All the 9x12 plate-holders I have for my Zeiss are single-sided.

American sheet-film holders, such as Riteway, Lisco, Folmer & Schwing, Graphic, etc. are two-sided, and can be flipped-over to take a second exposure.

When will you have the outfit in-hand ?

 

[santino]

I hope those pictures can help to identify my back 🙂

 

[Nokton48]

I have a lot of Plaubel cameras, although mine are a bit younger than yours.

This back takes single shot metal plates (prolly 9x12cm) which can be found mostly on www.ebay.de I have a catalog which you can upload. There are dozens of styles; make sure you get the right one. Also 6.5x9cm which is a reducing back.

You will have to eyeball it; look at the auction photos and what you have. But you might be able to find a catalog of the right vintage there also.

Plaubels are very fine cameras; I have three 4x5 Peco Profias, and four Plaubel Makiflexes which are 9x9cm SLRs. And two Plaubel Makina rangefinders.

Very European in design. You can load up on 9x12cm and 6.5x9cm film with the Euro dealers.
I use the JOBO processor since is is designed to run metric sized film.

 

[Nokton48]

Santino,

Here is what you need to study.
One of these will fit but I am not sure which one.

http://www.galerie-photo.com/manuels/dos-rada.pdf


https://www.ebay.de/itm/PLAUBEL-Pec...890491?hash=item5b2d0d9bbb:g:mB4AAOSw8gVYBMe9

 

[Nokton48]

www.rada 9x12 holders by Nokton48, on Flickr

Look these up in the Rada catalog. These are from the link you supplied Supra II. PM me; I might have a few to sell

 

[Luddite Frank]

Nokton really came-through with some good information.

That Rada catalog is a god-send !


I will only add that the camera-back pictured in post # 5 indeed appears to be a "spring-back", where the focusing screen "floats" on springs, and displaces backwards to allow a film / plate-holder to be inserted, and the screen / springs clamp the film-holder against the felt light-traps.

It is similar in general design to the spring-back on my Calumet 4x5 mono-rail outfit, including the bail-lever that lifts the focusing screen away from the film-plane.

It does not look like the earlier plate-camera backs where the film-holder slides into tracks on the edge of the camera body.

This may give you a little more flexibility as to which film holders can be used ?

It does not appear that this particular back will accommodate the Rafa roll-film adapter ?

LF

 

[Nokton48]

No. It has "claws" that hold down the plate holders. See the rub marks in the paint on the holders above? That's where they get clamped down by the "claws".

The foam light seals are prolly shot in your back. If you can take it apart somehow, you can re-foam the back. I have done this my younger Plaubel plate backs. Sometimes the foam just disintegrates away.

Lovely old cameras.

I need Normalfalz Rada plate holders for my Makiflexes but your Supra takes another kind.

 

[santino]

You guys are awesome. Thanks!!!
Need to come back home to take a closer on the catalog. My phones screen is just too small.
Since I have four packs of Delta 100 in 9x12 I'm not particulary interested in roll film Adapters (yet).

 

[Luddite Frank]

Santino,

When I acquired my Zeiss "Donata" 9x12 plate camera, I was on a summer high-school band-tour of western Europe, circa 1983, and ran across it in an antique shop somewhere in Bavaria. The camera was in its original box, and came with three original plate-holders.

It came back home to the US with me, but in those days before the internet, nobody in my area knew anything about it, other than "it's a nice old camera"...

It wasn't until the mid-2000's (probably when I joined this forum), that I found-out about things like "International-backs", and related roll-film adapters.

I found a Rada 9x12 > 120 roll-film adapter around 2010, and shot my first images with that camera, after having owned it for nearly 30 years.😱

I had to use the wire-frame finder and peep-site, having created "frame-lines" for the 6x9 image using rubber-bands wrapped around the front wire-finder. Surprisingly, I got some good images, with the subject reasonably centered on the film.

Good luck with yours ! 😎

LF

 

[Nokton48]

Nice story Frank.