Jörg Krüger
Voigtländer Bessa 66
Voigtländer Bessa 66 with Heliar 3.5/75 in Compur Rapid shutter
The camera is also called "Baby Bessa" (or "Klein-Bessa" in German), there is a version for the 4.5x6 format too. It was sold with different lenses like "Skopar", "Voigtar" and different shutters like "Prontor II" or a plain Compur. This one with Heliar/Compur-outfit was probably top of the range.
The Heliar is an "extended" Cooke-triplet, designed by Hans Harting for Voigtländer in 1900. It has 5 elements in 3 groups and a characteristic rendering, often discribed as soft or "creamy".
The lens is uncoated and not called "Color-Heliar", so I think the camera is a pre-war version.
It seems that it wasn't in use for a long time, inside I found a take-up spool with a wooden core labelled with "Adox". And it is not in the best condition: the bellow is vamped up, the hinged filter is missing, the leather on the door has been replaced, the release lever (yes, it's a lever) is slack and the 1 second takes .., yes, less then 2 seconds. But all in all: you can load a film and start taking pictures.
The Bessa 66 is remarkable small, clearly smaller than an Agfa Isolette, it has nearly the size of an Ikonta 520, which is a 4.5x6 format camera. And it has some smart details: if you want to close the camera again, you don't have to reach into the struts, therefore there is a kind of pushbutton at the front between the lens and the door. The lever which locks the back door serves also as a stand. The shutter is released with a lever outside the door, a really unique design. And, a longer story, the camera above features a real frame counter.
Normally the film transport of an old folder is controlled by a small red window on its back, this Bessa 66 has this window too, but the number of the present frame is also displayed in the tiny loophole on top. After taking a picture, you have to trip the small slider next to the frame counter, then the number of the frame is increased by one and the wheel for the film advance is unlocked. Now you can advance the film and after winding forward one frame the wheel is locked automatically. When the frame counter shows 12 and the slider is tripped, it changes to zero again and the film advance wheel is unlocked completely, so it is possible to wind up the rest of the film roll. (I've read about other versions of the Bessa, where that slider is missing, there the frame counter is coupled with the shutter release lever directly instead.)
Now, to load a new film can be somewhat tricky. A precondition is, that the frame counter shows zero. (If not, you have to trip the slider at the front and then turn the arbor in the film chamber next to the viewfinder until the slider springs back. Repeat this procedure until zero appears.) Now you can put a film into the camera like on usual other folders, changing the spools, etc., closing the door. Remember, when the frame counter is set to zero, the locking mechanism of the film advance wheel is not activ, so you can wind up the film until [1] appears in the red window on the back. If the red window shows an "X", it is covered, to uncover it turn the black button beside it rightwards. Important: now you have to activate the locking mechanism again, for this trip that second slider on the back and the frame counter will spring from zero to 1.
Example pictures:
A river, another river and a graffiti.
Voigtländer Bessa 66
Voigtländer Bessa 66 with Heliar 3.5/75 in Compur Rapid shutter
The camera is also called "Baby Bessa" (or "Klein-Bessa" in German), there is a version for the 4.5x6 format too. It was sold with different lenses like "Skopar", "Voigtar" and different shutters like "Prontor II" or a plain Compur. This one with Heliar/Compur-outfit was probably top of the range.
The Heliar is an "extended" Cooke-triplet, designed by Hans Harting for Voigtländer in 1900. It has 5 elements in 3 groups and a characteristic rendering, often discribed as soft or "creamy".
The lens is uncoated and not called "Color-Heliar", so I think the camera is a pre-war version.
It seems that it wasn't in use for a long time, inside I found a take-up spool with a wooden core labelled with "Adox". And it is not in the best condition: the bellow is vamped up, the hinged filter is missing, the leather on the door has been replaced, the release lever (yes, it's a lever) is slack and the 1 second takes .., yes, less then 2 seconds. But all in all: you can load a film and start taking pictures.
The Bessa 66 is remarkable small, clearly smaller than an Agfa Isolette, it has nearly the size of an Ikonta 520, which is a 4.5x6 format camera. And it has some smart details: if you want to close the camera again, you don't have to reach into the struts, therefore there is a kind of pushbutton at the front between the lens and the door. The lever which locks the back door serves also as a stand. The shutter is released with a lever outside the door, a really unique design. And, a longer story, the camera above features a real frame counter.
Normally the film transport of an old folder is controlled by a small red window on its back, this Bessa 66 has this window too, but the number of the present frame is also displayed in the tiny loophole on top. After taking a picture, you have to trip the small slider next to the frame counter, then the number of the frame is increased by one and the wheel for the film advance is unlocked. Now you can advance the film and after winding forward one frame the wheel is locked automatically. When the frame counter shows 12 and the slider is tripped, it changes to zero again and the film advance wheel is unlocked completely, so it is possible to wind up the rest of the film roll. (I've read about other versions of the Bessa, where that slider is missing, there the frame counter is coupled with the shutter release lever directly instead.)
Now, to load a new film can be somewhat tricky. A precondition is, that the frame counter shows zero. (If not, you have to trip the slider at the front and then turn the arbor in the film chamber next to the viewfinder until the slider springs back. Repeat this procedure until zero appears.) Now you can put a film into the camera like on usual other folders, changing the spools, etc., closing the door. Remember, when the frame counter is set to zero, the locking mechanism of the film advance wheel is not activ, so you can wind up the film until [1] appears in the red window on the back. If the red window shows an "X", it is covered, to uncover it turn the black button beside it rightwards. Important: now you have to activate the locking mechanism again, for this trip that second slider on the back and the frame counter will spring from zero to 1.
Example pictures:
A river, another river and a graffiti.