Today I just got a Bergheil 9x12 in a beautiful condition!!
I have just done a bit of a search on Bergheil and unless I am mistaken, I think I have one.
I certainly have a similar camera with the spring loaded lens release mechanism. Mine didn't come with a lens or its associated mounting plate but I'm sure the catch on the body is the same. Can you post a close up of this area so I can compare them?
Steve, there were about 30 different manufacturers producing very similar looking cameras, mainly in Germany, up until the end of the 1930's. Some of them use common parts, or possibly copied parts.
It would be better to post some images of your camera.
Steve, there were about 30 different manufacturers producing very similar looking cameras, mainly in Germany, up until the end of the 1930's. Some of them use common parts, or possibly copied parts.
You are right. I have two or three of these but only one has the catch for a quick release lens plate.
I forgot to look at it last night though.
I was going to make a plate to permanently fit to the front but if there is a possibility of making a plate which works with this catch, I might give it a go (after I finished the hundreds of other things I have started or thought about doing!).
Steve, I have noticed at least two UK sellers on ebay who quite obviously strip the lenses off 9x12cm cameras and sell them separately, a good the lens on it's own sells for far more than a complete 9x12 camera, in the UK.
Somewhere I have an image of a non-Voightlander 9x12 which took interchangeable lenses, with a bayonet mount. My guess though is if yours is a Bergheil someone sold the original lens for 5x4 use. My Rodenstock camera with an excellent Eurynar cost me around £30, currently 2 Eurynars are on Ebay for £120 +£125.
My guess though is if yours is a Bergheil someone sold the original lens for 5x4 use.
That would be my guess too even if it isn't a Bergheil as I bought it without a lens.
I had planned to make it into a simple, lightweight 5x4 camera with a basic film holder and use a modified film holder with a ground glass for focussing but as I have a few holders which fit it and it's original ground glass viewer, I may keep it as it is.
I did buy another, similar camera without the lens mount which was not in good condition. I bought it for the lens, a Zeiss 135mm Tessar, to use on my home made 5x4. Despite reports to the contrary, it does cover 5x4 with limited movements. This lens could be put back to use on a 9x12cm camera.
Another interesting thing I found was that all of my 9x12cm film (glass plate actually) holders were fitted with supplementary holders to take 2" x 3" plates.
The 135mm f4.5 Tessar was very common on 9x12 cameras usually on the top of the range models, only really Voightlander and other camera/lens manufacturers like Rodenstock & Goerz didn't use thems. They were also often fitted on 5x4 Speed/Crown Graphics, they do cover 5x4 but edge/corner sharpness is poor until f16 and best at f22.
I have just done a bit of a search on Bergheil and unless I am mistaken, I think I have one.
I certainly have a similar camera with the spring loaded lens release mechanism. Mine didn't come with a lens or its associated mounting plate but I'm sure the catch on the body is the same. Can you post a close up of this area so I can compare them?
Steve.
hi steve.
here are two images for you.
the first is the frontplate of the Bergheil. The second, the back of the lens..
Zeiss Ideal, Favorit, Juwel and others all had removeable lenses but a photograph of the camera would easily identify it. The Zeiss lenses have two bayonet ears extending outside the shutter housing, the Bergheil uses a flange behind the shutter.
Mark
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Mark Layne
Nova Scotia
and Barbados
I have a Zeiss Ikon Miroflex, which is a fairly amazing camera:
Reflex viewing, a focal plane cloth shutter with speeds to 1/2000 and an interchangeable lens (with some effort). The standard lens is a 15cm Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar.
Of course, the challenge is to find one that doesn't need new curtains, is working on all speeds and has a ground glass screen and focusing hood intact.
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