Questions about Voigtlander Bessa folder

[Warren T.]

A friend of mine gave me an old Voigtlander Bessa folder many years ago. It once belonged to his wife's father. It came in its original box and even though I have been meaning to try it, I haven't taken a close look at it until now. A different friend recently gave me many rolls of 120 film that she inherited from an uncle.

After doing some research, I concluded that my Bessa folder is a circa 1935-1940 dual format, 6x9 and 6x6 version. The lens is a 105mm f7.7 Anastigmat. The shutter is quite limited: B T 1/75 and 1/25. Aperture range is: f7.7 f11 f16 f22. Focus is by the scale focus method, no rangefinder.

The camera itself is in excellent condition with clear lens glass, no mold, good bellows, and only very very slight hit on corrosion on several of the metal bits.

I am excited to try it, but I decided to seek hints here on operating a camera like this today. There is an old take up spool in the camera. It's an Ansco with a large diameter wooden spool.

Questions:

- Can I use a modern plastic spool instead of the wooden spool?
- Does the old wooden spool have any value?
- Do I need to cover the red film number windows with black tape when the camera is loaded with film?
- Anyone else have one of these?
- Which film windows are used when shooting 6x9, or 6x6?
- Are modern labs able to process 6x9 format? (I've never shot 6x9 before)

The shutter/lens combo is rather limited, and I should probably be using this on a tripod as the fastest speed is just 1/75.

I would appreciate any other operational advice, anecdotes, or sample photos, if you have it.

I also attached a low-res, camera phone photo of the camera.

Thanks!

--Warren

 

[ZeissFan]

- Can I use a modern plastic spool instead of the wooden spool?
Yes

- Does the old wooden spool have any value?
No -- not much. Probably measured in cents. There are a lot of them out there. Although, I'll qualify by saying that you probably can get anyone to buy something (i.e., eBay).

- Do I need to cover the red film number windows with black tape when the camera is loaded with film?
Many people do. I've never worried about it. But it probably wouldn't hurt.

- Anyone else have one of these?
I don't have this specific camera.

- Which film windows are used when shooting 6x9, or 6x6?
If there is one in the center of the body, that's for 6x6. If there is one toward the end, that is for 6x9.

- Are modern labs able to process 6x9 format? (I've never shot 6x9 before)
Some are, but most aren't. Some will process the film and give you prints cut down to 6x6. Others will only process the film. That's the current state of 120 film processing, unfortunately.

Have some fun with it. It's always fun to use a camera that has some history behind it. Good luck!

 

[Warren T.]

ZeissFan to the rescue!

Thanks, I really appreciate the reply!

--Warren