Any Information on Solida III Folding Camera ?

[imran_ahmed]

I recently acquired a 6x6 folding camera. The top plate simply says

solidaIII. The lens is Schneider-Kreuznach Radinor 90/2.9.

 

I would like to hear about it and if any user out there, the quality

of this lens ? Thanks !

[kaiblanke]

If I remember correctly the complete name should be Franka Solida. The Radionar is a 3-element lens, which should be stopped down to about f11 for better performance. The camera type has been discussed <a href="www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=001w48"> here </a> and if you do a google search you find lots of information on both Franka Solida cameras and Schneider Radionars.

<p>

Generally 3-element lenses are not too bad, esp. since with MF the enlarging factor is not that large. But wide-open performance is usually quite poor. Nonetheless I have a Zeiss Ikonta with a 3-element Novar that I really like. I would classify any 3-element folder as a nice user camera if you do not enlarge further than i.e. 6*9 inches.

[jeremy_keller]

Imran:

 

I owned the same camera for twenty years. It travelled in my pocket, in my backpack, on my motorcycle through at least 15 countries. It fell downstairs, it fell on the ground, it got wet--and never complained. Stopped down to f/11, it produced results which are in frames on my living room wall and look good enough to have been taken with a much more expensive camera. I'm glad I have the pictures. I wish I still had the camera!