Balda Super Baldina with Radionar f/2.9 50mm triplet lens

[daniel_iggers]

The Super Baldina is a lovely 1950s rangefinder with a lens housing

that pops forward at the press of a button. Mine has the lesser

triplet lens, a Schneider Kreuznach Radionar f/2.9 50mm. (Why did

they make 2.9 apertures lenses, such as this and the Meritar? Why

also the 2.7s that showed up in the 70s on some Japanese point &

shoots? Why not stick with 2.8?)

 

The results, shooting with generic 200asa print film, were't bad

when stopped down, even if the selection of subjects was uninspired.<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

The same red tulips that I photographed with the Konica I, and roughly the same result.<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

Part of the flagpole base at the school. At least f/8.<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

At f/3.5? I meant to focus on the pinecones in the middle but it didn't quite work. (I'm commanded to stop. Back to post the rest later.)<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

Here's a pine tree shot that did work - stopped down to f/11 or f/16.<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

Birch tree. Looked like a good shot, but maybe it wasn't.<div></div>

[daniel_iggers]

I'll end on a "what was I thinking?" shot. I'm used to shooting with an SLR at 1.8 and 1/500, with the wide open aperture making it possible to isolate one little thing, such as a magnolia bud. Of course, with a triplet that only stops down to 2.9, the result is not a focused shot that isolates a magnolia bud, but "Huh?" or as Homer would say, "D'Oh!".<div></div>

[blknwhtfoto]

I have one of those Baldina's, i've yet to shoot with it though. I found it in my moms attic before i left for university. I should take it out soon

Mike

[silent1]

I have a 13.5 cm Radionar on my ca. 1935 plate camera (though it's f/4.5 instead of f/2.9). I've also got an f/2.9 Baltar on my Jubilette -- it's not half bad if there's enough light to stop down a bit (I doubt it's very different from a Radionar in the same focal length and speed).

 

I think they put f/2.9 on those because they couldn't quite get the lens to even vaguely acceptable performance at f/2.8, but hoped consumers wouldn't notice (and you can use it as f/2.8 for all ordinary purposes, if you can stand the lens's performance at that opening -- my larger Radionar is only so-so even at f/5.6, though by f/11 it looks pretty decent). And f/2.7 is similarly a marketing gimmick, like "our lens is *faster* (than the f/2.8 on the competition's similar camera)!" The same thing goes for f/1.7 and f/1.5 lenses, of course -- a little better than f/1.8, or almost f/1.4.

 

Recommendation for triplets: carry a tripod and cable release, stop down at least to f/8 and preferably f/11 or smaller, and accept the longer exposures. If you were after Cartier-Bresson type subjects, you'd be carrying a different camera (assuming you could afford one -- at the very least, an inexpensive SLR with a fast 6- or 7-element prime).

[jeff_trevathan]

I have a very old super baldina fold up and can't figure out how to rewind the film. I can't find a button to

release the film. Help!

[jeff_trevathan]

Here are pictures of my camera. I just took it into a camera shop and they can't figure out how to rewind it either. HELP!!!<div></div>