Bencini Koroll photos

[janice_mackay]

Hello all,

 

I really enjoy reading other's posts on various camera models and

seeing examples of the photos taken with them, so here's my first

contribution.

 

Some info on the Bencini Koroll 24-S:

Approx year of production, 1950. Made in Milan, Italy. Sold by Boots

the Chemist (in the UK?).

Film: 3 x 4.5cm on 120 film (half-frame), giving 24 pics per roll.

From what I've read on the internet it has a 50mm lens (not marked

on the actual lens) though it seems longer than that. It has two

apertures, f9 and f16, and shutter speeds 1/50 sec and B. The focus

appears to be stuck on 14 feet!

 

The following photos are from the first roll I put through the

camera, after obtaining it last month. They were all taken at our

local 'community village' - the historic buildings have been

preserved and are currently being used by a variety of community

organisations.

 

I was really pleased with the outcome, and look forward to using the

Koroll regularly. :-)

 

Firstly a photo of the camera itself.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Here are some photos from the Koroll.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Main street of the village.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Forresters Hall.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Carters Farm Cottage.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Auctioneer.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Old schoolhouse and cabbage trees (New Zealand native).<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Last one. Hope you enjoyed looking!

If anyone else has a Koroll I'll be interested to hear about it.<div></div>

[jorn ake]

Funny - I looked at these photos and couldn't figure where in the US or Europe these might be. The light looked very strange - not strange, different - somehow. And then I got to the shot of trees identified as New Zealand natives. I guess when you look west facing a house facade, you expect the sun to be from the left, look east and the sun should be coming from the right. In some of these the sun is obviously coming from the other direction. I guess this is just evidence of my northern hemisphere-centric thinking. Or maybe I am just one cup of coffee shy from reality.

 

Nice photos, even with the sun in the "wrong" place:)

[Philip Freedman]

Thanks. That brings back memories. They were sold by Boots in England. I had one as a teenager around 1960. I am embarrassed to say that it was followed by (over a number of years, of course, and maybe not in this sequence - this is from memory) a Kodak Brownie 44a, Zeiss Ikonta, Halina 35x, Baby Rollei 44, Praktica Vb, Pentax ME Super, Pentax MX, Minolta 9000, Canon Eos 650, Canon Eos 3, Nikon F3, Nikon F90, Leica R6, Nikon F80, Leica R6.2 and Leica M6, and I now have a D70 and an RD-1. An equipment freak - moi? Oh no. I am sure there must be many photonet readers out there who can easily beat that list - at least, I hope so.

[connealy]

Those are very nice results from a relatively simple camera. What kind of film and processing were involved? This is the first I have seen of an actual "half-frame" 120 camera yielding 24 exposures. My Ikonta A and my Dolly Supersport only manage to get 16 4.5 x 6cm frames on a 120 roll. Are the frames very closely spaced on the roll? For what it is worth, there is a manual for your camera on <a href="http://www.btinternet.com/~stowupland/index.htm">this site</a>.

[silent1]

Janice, am I correct in thinking this camera has dual red windows centered on the width of the film, to use the 6x6 framing track?

 

Mike, the Koroll seems to be half frame from 6x6, cropped the other way to 4.5 cm to give a reasonable frame proportion. The 6x4.5 is a correct "half frame" for 120, half of the 6x9 frame original to that film size. That would put the Koroll in the same family as the Diana, in terms of masking the 120 film to less than its full width, perhaps in order to avoid the soft edges of the coverage of a cheap lens (and/or to use a cheaper still, shorter focus lens). I have to say, though, that the images aren't bad for being barely larger than 127 half frame or Bantam (or 35 mm, for that matter) and I could probably get used to getting 24 frames on a roll of 120...

[jorn ake]

Okay, so it was the lack of coffee.

[paulh]

Hi Janice

 

Nice shots, especially nice to see some pictures from home. Cabbage trees are even to be found here in Europe now! Bloody expensive too, and you wouldn't believe what ponga lgs go for (my Mum burns them at home!!)

 

And Jorn, yes the sun does come from a different direction - goes via the north, so you'd be well confused following the moss on the stones to work out N-S :-)

 

Paul

(A kiwi in the flatlands)

[andrew_willett]

Here's my Koroll II, which has two shutter speeds (1/100 and 1/50) and a fake meter.

The lens is stated to be 55mm focal length and the wider opening is now f/8.

The focus is stiff as heck- I managed to cure it a little by taking off the lens and front panel ( loosen two screws visible inside the camera)and scraping out as much old grease as I could, but it's still stiff.<div></div>

[andrew_willett]

And here's some photos taken with the Koroll II.

Ilord FP4+ developed in Kodak T-max developer.<div></div>

[andrew_willett]

Dunstable Priory, England<div></div>

[andrew_willett]

Doorway to the Priory.<div></div>

[janice_mackay]

Thanks to everyone who's replied!

I've just logged on again but have to go out soon, so will try to answer some of the questions - more later.

 

Jorn - yes the sun travels through the sky in an anti-clockwise direction here (from east to west, through north, as Paul explained). These photos were taken late afternoon. The direction of light is something I don't normally think about (or notice in photos), but while visiting Canada about 18mths ago, got caught out on a couple of occasions - thinking I would come back to a scene later for better lighting, and finding the sun was in the opposite place to what I'd expected! Just shows I have southern-hemisphere-centric thinking. :-)

 

The pics were scanned from prints on my cheap flatbed scanner and are quite high in contrast so I've lost some highlight and shadow detail - I will try to make better prints next time I'm in the darkroom.

 

Mike - film was Agfa APX 100. Developed in ID 11 1:1 and printed on either Agfa or Kodak RC paper at Grade 3 (I'll confirm later if you're interested).

 

Donald - yes the camera has two red windows alongside each other. It makes vertical frames quite close together on the film. I agree, getting 24 shots on a roll of 120 is great! I'll take more photos of the camera and post them in a few days.

 

Paul - thanks! I'll work on getting more NZ pics uploaded, but hope it doesn't make you too homesick! I enjoyed your recent post of pics from Holland - very nice.

 

Andrew - good to see your Koroll and pics, thanks for posting. I might take mine to visit my local repairman and see if he can free up the focusing.

[dennis_sheridan]

Janice I just recently got a Koroll 24 S and am a little curious about the 2 red frame count windows. Am I to assume that you start with #1 in the left window and after exposure you then advance that # to the right hand window? After exposure then you advance and bring # 2 in the left and so on?

 

Like I said I got the camera, it was an e-bay purchase, and it arrived in really good condition. The only things I had to do was clean the glass and glue down a couple spots of covering. I've got it loaded with Kodak 100Tmax with the one in the first window, hense the above query.

 

Many thanks for any info on the camera,

 

Dennis Sheridan

[janice_mackay]

Hi Dennis,

 

Yes as far as I can remember this is correct. I have used the camera only once so far, and it's currently in storage after we shifted house, so I can't check it for you.

Let me know how you get on!

 

Regards

 

Janice

[lynn_bradshaw]

Hello all

 

I bought a Bencini Koroll 24s last year from a charity shop and have cleaned it up, though the viewfinder is still a little cloudy.

 

It came with a leather carry case, and a little leather container attached to the strap. I was looking at it yesterday and discovered that the container has a tiny yellow filter - for black and white photography I guess - and a metal funnel. I guess the funnel has some kind of widening or narrowing function or maybe cuts out glare.

 

I have put a Fujicolor Superia X-tra 400 film in it and have figured out that the big dot on the back of the film has to be showing in the right glass panel at the back of the camera. Other than that I have not really worked out much.

 

If anyone knows where I can get a manual or more information on this camera and film, I would be extremely grateful.

 

I aim to take some more photographs this week and then take the film to a specialist developer to see what the results are.

[LMar]

I was given a Koroll (6x6/6x6.45cm) a few years ago. I used it to snap some shots (Fuji Acros, 10 minutes in D-76 (1:1)), of a local river during the recent spring flooding.<div></div>

[LMar]

High river.<div></div>

[carla_duncan]

<p>I have just found a Koroll 24, while clearing out what was my parent's home. I figure it is not worth anything but, logging in here, I am impressed with your pictures. Where would I go about looking for film?<br>

Carla</p>