SidW
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Post by SidW on Feb 10, 2016 18:26:57 GMT -5
I agree with the prototype conclusion, being nameless and not having any obvious cousins, and all the screwed-on bits.
The American cameras I googled were roughly 1938-1950. Those on sale were also in Japan, I thought maybe they were taken there by US servicemen and traded in around 1945-50.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Feb 10, 2016 21:10:29 GMT -5
A thought does come to mind that Edixa may have been involved, they were back in business after being in America for the war, losing their business as the brothers were Jewish. Adox was given the plant to run, by the Nazis, and it was partly destroyed in the war. But the brothers found a new site and tried to get back the tooling etc., that Adox still held. In that period they designed the Edixa reflex and worked on many projects, before getting back into full production. It might be a prototype by Edixa, the knobs look like theirs, and the layout is not far off the designs they used. The bottom of the shutter is a bit like the Edixa arrangements. The oblong rangefinder windows are also like the Edixa rangefinder on the later Edinex. So maybe made by workers at Edixa about 1947.....
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Post by yashica1943 on Feb 11, 2016 2:56:47 GMT -5
I suppose the big question is.......... how much is it worth and how much will it sell for. I guess that it is possibly unique, but without some history, it is not incredibly desirable. Shall we take a guess? '£150 plus or minus a few, but I could be very WRONG!
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SidW
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Post by SidW on Feb 11, 2016 19:30:49 GMT -5
I can't restore all the links I lost above, but for the record: A German camera with the same focus wheel on the front was the Steinheil Casca 1 (but no rangefinder), the Casca 2 had a rangefinder and no focus knob. And Steinheil lens of course. www.leitzmuseum.org/CameraMakes/Casca/getlcasca.htmlThe lens on the nameless camera was intended for the Perfex (Chicago). Here are five Perfexes (1938-45), but the company continued to 1950. The Wallansek lens came with the front focus knob, the detachable front part of the lens (named Perfex) had a bayonet fitting. The focus knob and ring stayed on the camera (which it would have done also on the Perfex it was "borrowed" from if this is a prototype). Perhaps the next step is to follow Wallansek to find what this lens was used for. www.leitzmuseum.org/CameraMakes/Perfex/Perfex.html
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SidW
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Post by SidW on Feb 11, 2016 19:53:13 GMT -5
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Feb 11, 2016 23:53:04 GMT -5
I have a couple of the Perfex cameras, and they are no where as well built as the unknown one. The Clarus was closely related in shutter design. The Mount is different to the Perfex mounting, which had helical focusing.
The Steinheil was in a different class altogether in quality, it was meant to rival Leica and Zeiss. But the design was odd in some ways and never caught on.
Wollensak was the American version of Wray in the UK, a jobbing Lens maker, whose products were at one time or another used by most makers in the States. They made to order, supplying Kodak, Ansco, Universal, Bolsey etc. The camera in question was certainly post war, and Wollensak were a major maker at the time. They started by making shutters, then lenses, and finally tape recorders, by then owned by 3M.
Stephen.
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Feb 12, 2016 8:31:48 GMT -5
Well......as of 12/02.2016 at 13.00 the seller has withdrawn the camera from sale, mistakes in the listing......or he has been told it is so unusual by somebody.........Pity...it is an open auction after all.
Stephen.
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jpp
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Post by jpp on Feb 12, 2016 15:45:02 GMT -5
Well......as of 12/02.2016 at 13.00 the seller has withdrawn the camera from sale, mistakes in the listing......or he has been told it is so unusual by somebody.........Pity...it is an open auction after all. Stephen. Or he has read this interesting subject and thought a lot about it.....
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Feb 15, 2016 19:28:34 GMT -5
Just one make I had not thought of, Graflex, I wonder if it was a prototype of theirs?
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Post by yashica1943 on Feb 19, 2016 12:31:11 GMT -5
It is back! On ebay at $370 - somebody has seen the light!
Item number 262297269329
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen on Feb 20, 2016 8:13:27 GMT -5
Someone reading this.....at least the seller will get a truer value, but I wonder if it will sell.
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