Old German Plate Cameras I have sold

[luisalegria]

The folding plate camera was a common advanced amateur or semi-professional type up to the 1940's. The vast majority of these were made in the 1920's and 1930's.

As usual with fine cameras of the time, most were made in Germany. The better models featured the best lenses and shutters available. Along with the ground-glass focusing, they usually had features like double-extension bellows (some had even more extension), rise and shift. They are really mini-view cameras by our present standards.

They also had focusing scales, wire-frame "sports" finders, and "brilliant" finders; a few even had add-on rangefinders. So they could do everything folders of the time could do as well, for a camera only a little larger.

They were made by every camera maker in Germany it seems. Like the 6x9 folders of the time, with some exceptions different makers models tend to look remarkably similar, and they have shutters and lenses from the same few makers.

They are still usable today with roll-film backs; unfortunately the roll film backs are more rare than the cameras. They use cut film in the European sizes, usually 9x12. Efke 9x12 is still available in the US and in Europe maybe others also.

They are a good source of fine lenses and shutters. Many have had their lenses and shutters taken for use in 4x5 cameras or press cameras.

I have quite a collection of these things now, way too many, so I have been selling them. I still have 6, most requiring some repair.

These are the ones I have recently sold -

Ica Trona 110 (6x9) from about 1924, Zeiss Tessar in Compur shutter



Zeiss Maximar 6x9 from about 1927, Zeiss Dominar in Compur



Certo Certosport 9x12 from maybe 1928, Schneider Xenar in Compur



Zeiss Maximar 9x12 from maybe 1927-1928, Zeiss Dominar in Compur

[Olivier]

Wow !

Great names in there.