Vintage Folding Camera
On Saturday we visited an antique fair in Oulu. There were almost 100 exhibitors and sellers and most of them sold vintage dishes (glass, porcelain) and ornaments, and old stamps and postcards. I was hoping to find an old camera and just as I was giving up on hope, I run into this beautiful pocket-size medium format folding camera called Welta Weltax. It was made in Germany after WWII and it’s in full working order.
The camera has a Meyer-Optik Trioplan 1:3.5 / 75 V lens and a Prontor-S shutter. The aperture goes from f/3.5 to f/22 and shutter speeds are from 1/250 seconds to 1 second and bulb. It also has a working self-timer (the red switch on the left side of the lens). The camera uses 120 roll film and originally it has been possible to take both 6×6 and 4.5×6 shots but during the 60+ years the 4.5×6 mask has been lost. I’ve read that it might be impossible to find a suitable mask so I’m going to take 6×6 photos with it. It will also be possible to shoot on 35mm film with it but that requires some DIY action.
The camera does not meter light so it’s good to have some kind of exposure meter available (proper exposure meter or digital camera). It does not have a rangefinder either so the distance to the object has to be guessed. The focusing ring has options from 1.6 meters to 12 meters and infinity.
On Sunday I shot a test roll with my new beauty and found out that the camera really works. Here are two photos taken with Welta Weltax on Kodak Tri-X 400 roll film.
Hello,
My name is Lori. I bought a camera in 2000 from a yard sale. I paid $15.00 small money for an old camera. I am not a photographer. I know zero about cameras however, I was just impressed with this old camera. I was looking at a camera site and found you blog. I was just looking to see if anyone could help me.
When I bought the camera it came in a leather case made to form fit it. My great grandparents came from Germany but I do not speak it. In the case under the felt there is news print in German.
Can you help me to find out the age of the camera and if it is worth some money?
I thank you for your time in reading my letter and hope that you will respond to help me.
Other details on camera
Carl Zeiss Jana Nr.2216890
Tessar 1:2,8 f=7,5cm
Welta on bottom
Weltax on side
Sincerely
Lori
@ Lori – Welta manufactured Weltax cameras in 1946-1950 (see here) so your camera must be about the same age as mine. Weltax cameras were available in few different versions (different lens and shutter). Your camera has a slightly better lens than mine but I don’t know what these camera are really worth. I paid 40€ ($55) for mine and I’m satisfied with the camera and the price I paid. I’ve seen Weltax folding cameras been sold on eBay for around $50-$70 so if your camera is in full working order, it might be worth $70. Maybe.
Thanks so much for the info. I will have to see if I can find someone to help me with film to find out if it works. Maybe I will become… a camera buff?
L
@ Lori – Loading the film is quite simple. Just crab a roll of medium size film (120, rollfilm) and an empty spool. Place the empty spool on the right pocket and the film on the left pocket. Thread the end of the film into the empty spool and rotate the spool with the knob. Close the back door and advance the film until you can see number 1 in the upper window (in the middle) on the back. That’s the frame counter. Ken Rockwell has written more detailed instructions and there’s also a bunch of videos in YouTube. Just remember to wind the film every time you take a photo or otherwise you’ll get multiple exposures on single frame.
Note to others: different cameras may have their own tricks. Check out the manual or forums.
I’ve had a hard time to finding 120 film. I hope to get to a camera shop next week. Thanks for the links to web sites. I hope to try it soon.
L
[...] yhden rullallisen Fuji Superia 400-halpisfilmiä Welta Weltax-haitarikameralla ja kehitin sen Tetenal Colortec C-41 -liuoksilla. Noh, tässä rullan kahdestatoista kuvasta ne [...]