$50 flea market find....

<p>(and $50 is about $40 more than I will usually spend for a flea market camera....)</p>

<p>Let's see how many people can recognize it from the case? I put it next to a Minolta SR 7 for size only.</p>

<p>I'm putting a roll of film through it tomorrow, but I expect I will have to take it apart to clean the mirror and lens assembly before it's much use. If indeed it will ever be anything more than a display camera, but I saw it on the table and fiddled with it and when I saw that everything worked as it should I just had to buy it. I will post more tomorrow, hopefully of some developed film. It's in 'user' condition, some problems with the leatherette and the case is torn but the mechanics of the camera seem perfect.</p><div></div>

<p>Kalimar ?</p>

<p>KW Pilot Super??</p>

<p>Komaflex-S?</p>

 

<p>KW Pilot, I think. Can't tell whether it is the Super or some other model, though.</p>

<p>Another Pilot, but I don't have a case to compare, except that with that <strong>KW</strong> on the front, I don't know what else it could be.</p>

<p>Mine would be one of my favorite cameras if the mirror weren't oxidized or coated with grime enough to make it difficult to use the waist level finder.</p>

<p>That was fast!!!! Nothing less than what I expected though.</p>

<p>Yes, of course it's a KW Pilot, it is in fact the original Pilot 6 with the f6.3 7.5cm K.W. Anastigmat lens. I've been fiddling with it, I've got the mirror clean enough to focus, and the exterior lens element only has one relatively minor scratch (!), but there seems to be a minor fungus inside the lens. I got it working on 'B' so I was able to clean the inside element, the fungus really is inside the lens near the diaphragm (also working). So I will have to figure out how to take this thing apart. I was able to remove the exterior chrome ring easily enough, but it doesn't do anything except give an adjustment for zone focusing distances.</p>

<p>Does anyone know what the lens is? I'm guessing an uncoated 3-element, made by Steinheil or one of the other low-cost German producers in the 30s? I believe the camera was made in 1936, at least according to my McKeown. I'm still trying it out tomorrow with film, on the off chance that I'm not able to get it back together after my attempted lens cleaning.</p><div></div>

<p>Primoflex?<br>

Just saw it was answered!</p>

<p>My apologies, I either misread McKeown or I got the date wrong. The Pilot 6 was released in 1931, the same year as the "Pilot" (3x4) and the "KW-Reflexbox" (6x9). The Pilot Super was in the late 30s. At least according to <a href="http://www.kl-riess.dk/kw.html"><strong>The history of the KW</strong></a> website.</p>

<p>Not a bad camera, I gather, though the Pilot Super was obviously a major rework to overcome the shortcomings of the rather difficult-to-use Pilot 6, namely the small lens, dim mirror resulting in difficult focusing, and the limited speed settings (?). The Pilot 6 has speeds of B, 10, 50, and 100. f-stops 6.3, 8(?), 11, and 18.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Does anyone know what the lens is?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>All KW Pilot cameras have triplets. As they are rather slow, sharpness is quite decent. But due to the dim ground glass and small aperture critical focusing is quite a challenge. However, I love <a href="00PX8K"><strong>my Pilot Super</strong></a> -- it is my favorite "user" classic camera!</p>

<p>If you have troubles with your shutter, see my handy <a href="00RFJM"><strong>repair guide</strong></a>.</p>

<p>Great post. I enjoyed trying to guess what kind of camera was hidden in the case. <br>

If someone with lots of classic gear that has an urge to give it away (hopefully to other P.N. members) wanted to have an unique contest, they could place the prize camera in its orginal case (covering up nameplate on case if necessary) and award it to the person who first identifies it. <br>

Even if no one ever offers to do this, it's still a fun idea, though.</p>

<p>Nice , too bad it wasn't the Komaflex S</p>