Who knows what kind of camera this is?

[katherinedodd]

Hi everyone,

I recently picked this camera up at a collectors fair and am hoping to do it up a bit. I have no idea of its name or origin or anything though so I am hoping someone can help me out here?

[daveh]

The only help I can be is say thet Dresden was once the biggest cameramanufacturing town in the world. So, no help at all really.

Welcome to the forum.

[photax]

Hi Katherine !

This camera looks like an german Altissa Altiflex, please have a look at:

www.altissa-museum.de/kameras/index.html

click on "Altiflex" at the left side, where you find pictures of the several models.

MIK

[John Parry]

Hi Katherine

Excuse the other members - there's a bit of a feeding frenzy going on at the moment! No, I'm sorry - I'm not sure what that camera is. When that was made, manufacturers bought lenses from separate lens manufacturers, and shutters from separate shutter manufacturers, and each manufacturer put their own name on their own part. Unless you can find some kind of a name on the body of the camera, you'll have to rely on somebody recognising it, and MIK is probably your best bet. (Sorry if that sounds condescending MIK!).

If you're hoping it's going to be worth something, sorry. A few quid to a collector, in which case don't even try to do it up - you could do more harm than good.

But don't give up - post some of your photo's with whatever camera you've got - mobile phone? We love to see them on here...

Regards - John

[John Parry]

Ouch - reading that it sounded quite condescending, and I didn't mean to sound like that at all. Sorry.

Best Regards - John

[herron]

Katherine -

I think MIK is right. Looks very much like an Altiflex, with some pieces missing.

Welcome to the forum, by the way!

[katherinedodd]

Thanks everyone for your help
MIK I think that you are definitely right, I can't read german but the pictures match

[PeterW]

Katherine,

Your camera is definitely an Altiflex and probably a model 1F. If you look at the picture of the 1F on the link posted by MIK you'll see that the lens (Optik) serial numbers given for the top (viewing) and bottom (taking) lenses on the camera in the picture are very close to those on your camera.

You say you're hoping to restore it, or at least do it up a bit. It looks in a pretty rough and neglected state at the moment, but not beyond rescue. I've tackled worse (just). Have a look at my website www.peterwallage.com and click on My Repairs to see a Voigtländer I rescued a few years ago.

Your awkward problems are going to be the focusing scale (on the right looking at the front of the camera) and the fascia plate and name plate on the front at the top, though the black fascia plate shouldn't be much hassle. You can cut one from a piece of sheet brass which you should be able to get from a shop that caters for model makers, and you can judge the shape from the picture on Mik's link.

There are two ways of going about making a name plate. Either look for a broken donor camera (you might be lucky and get a focusing scale as well) or make one.

Making one isn't as hard as it sounds (with a spot of luck). Try to find someone on the internet who has a similar Altiflex and ask if they can let you have a one-to-one scale photo of the name plate. I don't know if anyone here has one, but there are several forums on the net that cater for restoring cameras, like camera-fix, for example,.

From this you can make a water-slide transfer on to a thin sheet of brass cut to the right size. For making water-slide transfers ask Google to look for "making water slide transfers". There are several sites that offer the materials and the know-how.

You can do the same thing with the focusing scale. Alternatively you could cut one from sheet brass and have it engraved though this might be a little expensive.

With regard to the focusing scale and the aperture scale, it looks from your photo as if the aperture scale, the decorative band round the front and the corner plates were once plated. Finding a company to plate a few small things isn't easy so I would be inclined to paint them black and pick out the engraving on the scale in white. It may not be original, but even a in good original condition an Altiflex isn't exactly a world-beater for value.

How far you go depends on whether you want to restore the camera or just make it presentable for shelf display. And, of course, on how handy you are with your fingers.

I wouldn't wory about detracting from the present value of the camera. As it stands it's worth very little because it needs so much work.

Anyway, good luck. Let's know how things go.

And a belated welcome to the forum.

BTW, you don't give your location. Where are you?

PeterW

[daveh]

Peter, a wonderful post, as always. That has given me a push to look at your website. I think know I shall enjoy it.



Just back from a fifteen minute look - superb!

[katherinedodd]

Thanks Peter, I will have a go at restoring it and see how I go.
I am in Australia. Thanks again.

[melek]

After working on a number of cameras, I've come to the conclusion that some cameras are simply beyond (or not worth) trying to restore.

Hopefully, this isn't the case.

And much depends on your own approach. I try to get a camera as close as possible to new. Sometimes, that's possible. Sometimes, it isn't.

Best of luck in your endeavour.

[melek]

That camera doesn't look to be in terrible shape. You'll need a new nameplate, and you could even improvise and create your own and name it the K-flex or something fun.

The leather seems to be in good shape. I was given a twin-lens reflex about two years ago. It's missing the viewing screen. The fellow who owned it was using an opaque plastic bag stretched over the opening for that purpose. It's still in a box somewhere.

[Just Plain Curt]

Any decent engraving shop (one that does trophies for example) should be able to both design, engrave and possibly even cut to size either a brass or plastic nameplate. I'd use blabk paint on any engraved surfaces then an ink or paint crayon for the white lettering, being careful to wipe everything except the lettering clean. Should turn out nicely. Hope to see it when you're done.