Recommend me a scale focus 6x6 folder

[Spyderman]

Hi,

I liked my last 120 film from Flexaret (TLR) very much, but I don't feel like lugging the camera around, so I thought I'd get me a folder instead.

I'd like a 6x6 or possibly 6x45, could be scale focus, as I find myself mostly focussing it to hyperfocal anyway. I'd like it to have a good viewfinder, I don't dare hope it could be bright-line type 🙂 I'd like a shutter with wide range of shutter speeds, something that goes from 1s to 1/400 or 500. Lens could be triplet or tessar type - I don't care. I'll be using it for static subjects anyway stopped down a couple of stops and focussed to hyperfocal or by guess.

I've been looking at Agfa Isolette II, but most of them seem to have poor shutters, then there are some Zeiss Ikontas, but I don't know what number to look for... 52x ? 53x ?

Thanks.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Voigtlander Perkeo II. Small, light, great lens, beautiful. Look for the higher-spec Synchro-Compur version.

 

[tenderobject]

my agfa III has bright VF. but bellows are not the same quality of other folders.

i think zeiss would be a good choice.. nettar or others. theres a lot! 😛

 

[PMCC]

Ditto the Perkeo II, but don't dismiss the more basic Perkeo I. Equipped with serviceable Vaskar triplet lens and Pronto shutter (only goes to 1/200). For the use you describe it will do the job, it's one of the smallest and lightest 6x6 folders, and is cheap as chips. For a 6x4.5 scale folder, similar small money gets you a nice Daiichi Zenobia, with 75/3.5 Neo-Hesper (4 element Tessar type) lens and Daiichi Rapid (Compur copy) shutter, speeds B to 1/500. Also dirt cheap and neato looking, inspired by the Super Ikonta A (but w/o coupled RF). Not hard to find, often working just fine.

 

[freeranger]

If you want to try the isolette II, you are more than welcome to borrow mine for a while.

 

[kuzano]

Third the Perkeo's....

Third the Perkeo's....

Smallest folder in 6X6, and with the Color Skopar and Synchro Compur shutter meets all your requirements. True that the Vaskar Triplet is fine, the shutter will be a max 1/200th Prontor.

I've taken some very nice shots with both the one and two versions.

Occasionally you will find a Perkeo 1 which was built to order with the Color Skopar and Compur combination. The tell tale will be the brushed aluminum front standards instead of the black painted standards.

The Perkeo 1 with the Color Skopar is my favorite combo, because of the simple mechanism under the top hood. No film count (complex) but does have double exposure prevention.

 

[Windscale]

I will also vote for the Perkeo II with compur and Color-Skopar. If you don't need a rangefinder this is probably the most practical folder around. Generally, the Voigtlander's bellows are OK, the lens is great (but once you got the camera you must check the focus to confirm that it is properly calibrated), it is small, not heavy. But most important, it has automatic film advance, so there is no need to look for the numbers inside the red window everytime when you wind the film forward. Great camera.

 

[FallisPhoto]

Hi,

I liked my last 120 film from Flexaret (TLR) very much, but I don't feel like lugging the camera around, so I thought I'd get me a folder instead.

I'd like a 6x6 or possibly 6x45, could be scale focus, as I find myself mostly focussing it to hyperfocal anyway. I'd like it to have a good viewfinder, I don't dare hope it could be bright-line type 🙂 I'd like a shutter with wide range of shutter speeds, something that goes from 1s to 1/400 or 500. Lens could be triplet or tessar type - I don't care. I'll be using it for static subjects anyway stopped down a couple of stops and focussed to hyperfocal or by guess.

I've been looking at Agfa Isolette II, but most of them seem to have poor shutters, then there are some Zeiss Ikontas, but I don't know what number to look for... 52x ? 53x ?

Thanks.

The Isolettes came with a variety of shutter options, as did a great many other cameras back then. The shutters usually were some variety of Compur or Prontor though, and were at least as reliable as anything else out there. Which to choose mainly just came down to shutter speeds. More worrisome, in my opinion, are the Isolette's very well-known bellows and lubrication problems. While these can be solved, there is some risk involved in freeing the lens and the less expensive NOS 6x6 replacement bellows have pretty much become extinct these days (some are as expensive as new bellows now).

The Zeiss, Perkeo and Weltax cameras mentioned are good choices, but there are Baldas, Frankas, Zenobias, Ensigns, and a few others that are worthy of consideration too.

When it comes to format, I'd go with the 6x6 and larger formats if i were you. The reason is that the 645 format just isn't enough bigger than 35mm that it makes a dramatic difference. I find it sort of disappointing.

 

[JohnTF]

I am thinking of projects and repairs, and would venture that some good service at reasonable cost should be available in Bratislava?

This might swing the thought to perhaps one of the models mentioned above that may need some TLC?

And, my favorite format for MF is 6x9, though you said you liked 6x6, am wondering if you especially liked square format?

Regards, John

 

[hanskerensky]

If a rangefinder is not needed but you want a shutter with a large range you could have a look at the Zeiss Ikon Ikonta 521/16.

If you forget about the fast shuttertimes i agree with what is written earlier about the Voigtländer Perkeo I. Or maybe have a look at the Welta Weltax, a small Eastgerman folder with a good shutter and a nice Tessar (aus Jena).

 

[FallisPhoto]

I'd like a shutter with wide range of shutter speeds, something that goes from 1s to 1/400 or 500.

Good luck! On every one of the old folders I've ever seen, the 1/500 second shutter speed is more like 1/350 second. You might manage 1/400 second, if you're lucky. 50-year old springs don't act like new springs though.

Lens could be triplet or tessar type - I don't care. I'll be using it for static subjects anyway stopped down a couple of stops and focussed to hyperfocal or by guess.

You don't care about the lens? Pretty much any 6x6 camera with a Compur Rapid, Synchro Compur, Copal MXV or maybe a Rapax shutter will do then. With three element lenses, I'd suggest you look at Apotar, Novar, Cassar, Radionar or other lenses that are fairly well-known though. Some 3-element lenses are not very good and those are known to be of at least decent quality.