New Toy for Valentine's Day

[rogerwb]

<p>My darling wife had had her eye on this at a local shop for some time. They day before Valentine's Day, it went to half price, so she grabbed it. This appears to be a 4x5 camera, though the only info I have found on these relates to 9x12cm. <br>

The shutter works and the glass is in good shape, the bellows has few pinholes, easily fixable. Was this originally designed for plates, or film ? What are the chances of finding film holders for it ? The back must be removed to insert the holder, which must be very thin. Pics follow.</p><div></div>

[rogerwb]

<p>The lens - 165mm Rodenstock</p><div></div>

[rogerwb]

<p>Welta Logo</p><div></div>

[john_shriver]

<p>Have a look at the <a href="http://www.apug.org/forums/forum192/">Plate Camears Forum</a> over at apug.org.<br>

I don't know that particular camera, but yes, there are certainly plate holders that slid in the way the ground glass does. The biggest problem with plate cameras like this is finding the right plate holders. They were not widely standardized. Also, only some were plate/film holders (like the nice Kodak ones for the Recomar 18 and Recomar 33), most are pure plate holders. If they are only plate holders, then you need a Film Sheath to put film in the place of the plate.</p>

[Rob_the_waste]

<p>She must looooooooooove you.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

My wife must hate me....

[gabor_szabo3]

<p>Nice one, Roger ! I just snagged another Zeiss 9x12 with Rada rollfilm holder the other day. Stupidly I sold the Rada back I had for my Avus and Maximar last summer ( to pay bills). Took a long time to find another affordable one (under 100 bucks with a camera). <br>

I really like shooting with these old view cameras. You get to slow down, compose the scene on the groundglass, take a few deep breaths, and squeeze the shutter when you think it's just right. It's a very contemplative activity and these old plate cameras are relaitvely light compared to bigger field cameras. You don't get much lens movement with most models. I've found the uncoated Xenars, Skopars, and Rodenstock glass to be incredibly sharp, even when shooting 6x7 or 6x9 negatives on chunky-grained HP5.</p>

<p>You can still find plate holders on the auction site. As far as I know, or have experience with, Zeiss/Voigtlander/Kodak ones are interchangeable; they have same flange size. Sometimes you'll get a lot of plate holders with film sheaths in them. These 9x12s were used as "press" cameras up through the 50s. My first post on p.net was about questions concerning my Maximar and its flash brackets and Kalart rangefinder rig. Since then, I've bought asix or seven 9x12s and learned to enjoy slowing down when time allows. <br>

Now, my old ZEH Zeca took its own holders and viewing hood. Welta, I'm not sure how they're built.... you could start out by making some measurements of the film holder flange. </p>

[rogerwb]

<p>A little more research show this is a 10x15cm camera. The width of the flange is 112mm.<br>

The bulk of references via Google are in German or French.</p>

[rick_drawbridge]

<p>Sure beats flowers...That's a truly beautiful piece of photographic history. Well done, Roger.</p>

[cliffmanley]

<p>The 10x15 holders are harder to find than the 9x12, but they are out there. You got an interesting lens since it is convertable and usable in three modes, , and using the front or back lens set individually gives a 2x or 1.6x and are usualy good for portrait work! In other words you should get about 330mm from the rear cell and about 265 mm from the front. Try it and look at the ground glass. You might need to stop it down a little for sharpness.</p>

[marco_f]

<p>A great, forgotten format. I looked for film holders for years before stumbling upon a set in a box of odds and ends underneath the table of a vendor at a camera swap meet. They all had film sheaths too! A very lucky break. Matching plate cameras and holders can be notoriously difficult as there was no industry standard. Check out the plate cameras forum on APUG. The images displayed there will give you an idea of what to look for, if you've never seen one. The part number for the Zeiss 10x15cm holder is 665/9 but there is no guarantee that it will fit. 10x15cm Fomapan 100 is available from Fomafoto.com. Good luck!</p>

[profhlynnjones]

<p>Hi Roger,</p>

<p>It appears to be a 1926 Watson by Welta. After 1927 the bodys were metal. It is a 10cmX15cm camera, that double anastigmat had an excellent reputation and if it hasn't been "energetically" cleaned, it should be self coated. Mc Keown vallues it at $30 to $60, I would personally value it at quite a bit more, especially if I could figure out how to get some film into it.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>

[rogerwb]

<p>If all else fails, I could mount the lens on one of my 4x5 Graphics.<br>

I also have to fabricate a groundglass for it while I search for a plateholder or two.</p>

[rogerwb]

<p>It keeps geting better. My wife received a message from the group shop where she got the camera, indicating that part of the camera had been left behind. She went to retrieve the part and it turned out to be a Voightlander 10x15 film pack adapter which fits the Welta perfectly. With a little modification, I will at least be able to do one sheet at a time. <br>

There was another little surprise as well, but I'll save that for later.</p>

[baff_graham]

<p>I just bought the same camera but when it arrived the glass at the back of the camera is very broken. Do you know if there is anyway of getting the glass replaced? And what it is called?<br>

Roger can you please post an update on how you went using the Voightlander flim in the Welta. Thanks</p>

[cliffmanley]

Baff, the glass is called a ground glass, you can make one or get a replacement on Ebay I think there are some Guys making them. The back when removed from the camera slides apart to replace the glass. You can make one of glass if you want to using a grit compound and an orbital sander to grind the glass. There is also an etching paste you just wipe on the glass to etch the surface. You can also make one from plexiglass and just use fine steel wool to make a frosted surface with alot of circular rubbing. In all cases keep the surface wet while you work. Just grind one side of the glass and when you reinstall it place the ground side toward the lens of the camera in most cases. Sometimes if you are using film sheaths they move the film plane back and you need to reverse the ground glass so it faces back. Good luck with it. Hope to see some pictures from it sometime.