Folding

Designed on the foundation established by the box snapshot cameras, folding cameras produced large negatives necessary for quality photographs in a smaller, more easily transportable package. Unlike box cameras, whose lens focus distance is permanently set, folding cameras require the photographer to move the lends to the proper focusing distance.

Dry-plate photography was beneficial to photographers as it allowed them to carry a supply of ready to use plates. The logical design step for manufacturers was to come up with a way for them to be easily changed, or a camera with the extra plates carried inside. Hanau took these steps and incorporated them into the 1887 omnigraphe folding camera using a pull-push plate changer. Once the 9 x 12 plate had been exposed the photographer needed only to pull a handle to drop the plate to the bottom of the chamber. A tambour door rolled out to keep the plates covered, a fresh plate was then in position when the drawer was pushed back into the camera.

Omnigraphe ca. 1887E. Hanau, Paris, France.

In 1903 Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York introduced the No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak, Model A. It was a folding bellows camera made with leather-covered wood and with a metal construction. With this model was the introduction of the new “postcard” format, which produced 31/4 x 51/2 inch images on No. 122 roll film. The prints could then be made into postcards, with the reverse of the image being printed for address and message, and then being mailed as postcards.

No. 3A Folding Pocket Kodak, Model Aca. 1903Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York.

FOLDING

A Brief History of Cameras

In 1919 the Piccolette was first introduced in America as “a radical departure from the accepted pocket camera”. The camera was being contrasted with the Vest Pocket Kodak. The German made Piccolette used the same No. 127 roll film to produce 15/8 x 21/2 inch images in the folding camera as the Kodak; the Piccolette did offer some improvements over the Kodak. On of the most significant improvements was the drop out film holder; this made loading film a lot easier. Also having an extension on the lower front lens board added support when the camera was open. The original Piccolette used a wire frame finder instead of an optical viewfinder.

Piccolette ca. 1919Contessa-Nettel AG, Stuttgart, Germany.

The design of the 6.5 x 9 cm Makina series of cameras took great advantage of the advances in photographic technology. In 1912 the Makina was one of the first to enter the market as a “vest pocket” camera. The improved films that permitted sharp images from smaller formats made this possible. The folding-type camera was made using “lazy tongs” style struts that locked firmly them the bellows extended, the plates in the lens panel moved by turning the focus knob. This meant as the strut angle changed, so did the lens-to-film distance. The range was indicated with a scale and pointer. The choice of viewfinders varied from; a folding optical unit or the wire sports frame for a scene with action, or ground glass for still subjects. The Makina was improved and refined and remained in production until around 1960.

Makina ca. 1920Plaubel & Company, Frankfurt, Germany.

During the 1930’s there was great progress within the photographic industry. Advances like coupled rangefinders, light meters, and faster films and lenses made photography easier. Voiltländer, of Braunschweig, Germany managed to merge these features together into one new camera: the Prominent, in 1932. The standard was 6 x 9 cm, but inserting a mask and using the second of the windows for a smaller frame could generate twice the number of exposures. The correct distance was indicated then the shooter bought two images together using a knob on the right side of the camera. Selecting the proper aperture and shutter speed was made easy by the addition of and optical viewfinder on the left side.

Prominent 1932Voiltländer & Sohn AG, Braunschweig, Germany.

The Makina cameras were first made by Plaubel, a German camera maker in 1912 and were produced well into the 1980’s. The cameras collapsed into small conveniently sized packages yet were fitted with large, fast interchangeable lenses and coupled rangefinder. In the mid 1970’s Plaubel became a Japanese owned company and a number of changes were made to the new format of 6 x 7cm cameras. Unlike the older models the Makina 67 didn’t have interchangeable lenses. A rapid-wind lever near the focus control advanced the film. The button in the centre of the focus knob tripped the Copal leaf shutter, which had ten speeds plus bulb. The viewfinder showed if the speed or aperture needed to be changed when the shot was framed.

Makina 67 ca. 1979Plaubel Feinmechanik und Optik GmbH, Frankfurt, West Germany.