where to buy a folder?

climbing_vine

climbing_vine

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So I'm thinking about MF on the (relatively) cheap, and am leaning towards a folder over TLR. I'm wondering where people have obtained theirs--not flea markets or garage sales, but sellers where a person could buy one today (or tomorrow, or next week).

I know about certo6, but am a little leery because of debates here on RFF about the quality of his restorations.

-Brian
 
My experience with that seller (certo6) was not terribly positive (it needed more work after his cla), but I have a great camera because of it. If you were to go the ebay route, it might be more prudent to get a camera and bring it to a professional place to fix up - or you could totally luck out and only need a rangefinder adjustment.

Maybe even someone here has one for sale.
 
antonandreas said:
My experience with that seller (certo6) was not terribly positive (it needed more work after his cla)
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Same here, I paid what I would consider over the odds for my folder. The focus was way off when it arrived, and the shutter was acting up at lower speeds. It was however, aesthetically speaking in excellent condition, just felt like it wasn't tested before being shipped.
 
I got 2 of mine, a Bessa I and a Weta Weltax from a member. They have been excellent no issues. I also got one from an ebay auction that came with a sticky shutter that the seller corrected and upgraded to compensate me for the trouble.
 
I have bought 2 Super Ikontas, a 532/16 and a 530 A from ebay seller Cupog. Both were described as having had a CLA and bellows checked with a flashlight. Both have worked perfectly for me. Watch his auctions.
 
ray*j*gun said:
I got 2 of mine, a Bessa I and a Weta Weltax from a member. They have been excellent no issues.
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That was me. If you are interested in a perfect working folder, you can contact me. There is also a seller on ebay I can recommend, his name is cupoq. Just avoid certo6 if you don't want to burn your money!

wallace
 
I have been lucky in that the folders I have gotten off ebay have been as described, or even if not well described, the worst needed was a good flush of the shutter. Even the Moskva is usable. But indeed ebay is always a crap shoot. Sellers on the forums will probably sell for more, but are generally more trustworthy and will arrive in at least the described condition if not better.

So, the choice is always the buyer's.

However, folders that work are indeed fun to use. Generally good lenses and small to carry.
 
Fedka.com always has some folders in stock. I have only bought from Yuri on two occasions -- a Helios-103 lens and some small items -- but IMO he's as fast and reliable as they come. You'll pay more than in an auction, but you know what you're getting.

Note that the website's shipping calculation has been messed up ever since the last USPS price increase. You need to select UPS and then Yuri will refund the difference -- promptly, in my experience.
 
FallisPhoto is a frequent visitor to this forum, and just completed a beautiful complete restoration and CLA of a Bessa RF folder (ca. 1934) with a Heliar lens in a Compur shutter for me for a very modest price considering the time and effort he expended. The camera looks and functions as if new, straight out of the box. Highly recommended for folder work; he has a Welta Weltur of mine that is a looming project, to be followed by a Zeiss Super Ikonta C. Obviously, I would not (and don't) hesitate to use (and recommend) him for this sort of work. Don't believe he does any sales, however.
Larry
 
I have bought 5-6 folders from Jurgen (certo6)
and have been very happy with them all. My
wife Melanie shoots her work (which has been
exhibited at shows attended by other RFF members)
with an Agfa Record III folder that Jurgen sold to
her and it is the most important camera in her
bag. One night she left it on the hood of her car
and drove off -- the camera fell and was broken
beyond repair. Melanie shipped the camera back
to Jurgen -- he restored it using a spare Record
body and returned it air express three days later.

FWIW I think the guy's a class act and he puts
good and reliable cameras out there. He stands
behind his work, and cares about his customers.
I would not hesitate to buy from him again. Even
if you believe the stories here, it's better to pay
a premium and buy from him than take your
chances at auction. If you get a lemon at auction
you're done, but if you're not happy with Jurgen's
work, he'll fix it or refund your money.
 
I have some 30 folders now, mostly bought on Internet auction sites. About 80 percent of them had problems. All of these folders are more than fifthy years old and also most of them were "serviced" one way or another in their history so that's no small wonder.
Even some which looked as new had problems because of gummed-up grease.

Most common were indeed the "sticky" shutters and also lenses which were not properly re-collimated after an earlier service.

I think the best way for you would be, as earlier stated in postings, to buy from somebody on this forum as you can see photos of the camera and taken with the camera.

Some genuine sellers were allready mentioned. In England there is also a chap called Beedhams which sells CLAd folders from time to time on ebay.

For folders which have complicated filmtransport mechanisms (i.e. KMZ Iskra) i would advise to test them right away with a filmroll before you commit to a buy i.e. only from trusted sellers with a money-back return option.
 
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Also, he will help you (and spend a great deal of time doing so) if you want to try to do the work yourself. Top notch fellow!!

ljsegil said:
FallisPhoto is a frequent visitor to this forum, and just completed a beautiful complete restoration and CLA of a Bessa RF folder (ca. 1934) with a Heliar lens in a Compur shutter for me for a very modest price considering the time and effort he expended. The camera looks and functions as if new, straight out of the box. Highly recommended for folder work; he has a Welta Weltur of mine that is a looming project, to be followed by a Zeiss Super Ikonta C. Obviously, I would not (and don't) hesitate to use (and recommend) him for this sort of work. Don't believe he does any sales, however.
Larry
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The Voigtlander Perkeo II is a good choice - if you get one choose one with a coated Color Skopar. Will fit in your coat pocket.
I got one from certo6 recently together with a voigtlander rangefinder that sits nicely in the accessory shoe.
The Perkeo is one of 3 folding cameras I've bought from certo6 - they were all in fine condition.
The last camera I asked him to find for me with a specific lens/shutter combination. He found it and fixed it up for me for a fair price - communication was great. I'm sorry to see that he's been getting some bad press here.
 
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