Hmmm...I shall have to look the camera up when I get home.Ben if you're interested in a MF Rangefinder ( non coupled), I have a Balda Mess Baldix that has s seriously sharp schneifer lens and shoots 12 frames 6x6 on 120 film that I may part with
To be honest, an internet search is always my starting point when looking for info on a vintage camera. Forums can be very useful and helpful places to go for assistance, but as there were literally hundreds of different types and models of 'consumer grade' type cameras made over the years, asking for info about a specific make or model can often just result in one or two replies from anyone who has actually had first-hand and recent experience of the exact model in question. That's usually followed by several suggestions of alternative cameras from people, and by post 20 (if it makes it that far) the topic has usually drifted off to discussions about which film, developer, beer, pork pie, etc. we prefer! I'm not being harsh, it's just the way things seem to be, and that's what I like about forums!That was clever
How much would you want for it?
Yep, I thought the first review on the list was good and should be of interest to you, it's from 2011 though, so the 'going rate' prices may well have changed, probably a good idea to do a 'completed items' check on eBay to see what similar ones have been changing hands for.
Things to look for on an old folding camera include light-leaking bellows, seized or slow shutter and aperture mechanisms, cloudy or fungus-infested lenses. I usually carry a small LED torch with me if I go to look at old cameras, stick them on B and see if the lens is clear or not. Buying blind you're down to the accuracy of the description and the clarity of any available photos. I've had to send a couple of cameras back during the last year or so as they were substantially not as described, but I've also had some good ones and a couple of bargains too, so it's probably a case of paying your money and taking your chance?
Had a feeling the name sounded familiar. Thought it was a good review too, and of the relevant MkIII variant. So now we just have to discuss which beer and pies we like best and we're sorted!
Had a feeling the name sounded familiar. Thought it was a good review too, and of the relevant MkIII variant. So now we just have to discuss which beer and pies we like best and we're sorted!
First off, thanks for posting the review, I enjoyed reading it.
Secondly, I think that's a price we can expect to pay when we want to experience cameras as they were 'back in the day' (be that when we were young, or as a new 'historic' experience). Most of the old folding stuff, TLRs, early SLRs, etc. are at least 40 to 50 years old now; buy anything mechanical of that age and you can expect to pay to have it serviced or repaired (or even condemned as a write-off). If it still works perfectly, then it's a bonus, but as Kevin so rightly says, don't expect it to stay that way! With the 'average' clean, lubricate and adjust (CLA) costing around £50 to £100 (plus VAT) for even fairly simple mechanical cameras, it's perhaps easy to dismiss the cost as too expensive? However, how much does it cost to attend a Premiership football match these days? And that only usually lasts around 90 minutes!
I'm not suggesting anyone forks out £70 for a CLA on a common or garden box Brownie (unless you have good reason), but if it's a camera you've enjoyed using, and it's starting to play up, then perhaps spending less than the price of a professional quality filter on it, and in the knowledge it could go on for another 20 or 30 years, that might be a small price to pay for the hobby we enjoy?
