Welta Weltur - Test roll + Football Fans

[alexvaras]

Month ago at my "dealer's house" I found a Welta, model Weltur 6x6 6x4,5 (no mask), after a quick check I saw the wind know was not the original (it could be winded in both directions) and the hand strap was missing so he gave me permission to try something with it...
At home I saw some bellows problems (one crack on a side and some holes near the front lens), I used the Liquid Electrical Tape I have for this moments and after 24h drying I tested them back and everything was fine.
Next was the wind knob, lucky me there was a local auction of a "Welta Weltax"

Very "original camera" AS-IS its not enough, the price was around $15 shipping included, because after doing some digging it seems Welta used the same know for every camera of those times and hey! there was a leather strap there as well! The best use that camera could have is the one I did.
As soon the camera arrived I took out what I needed and trashed the rest (the lens Kodak 10.5 I kept it)
Now the problem was the Weltax knob was CCW and I needed CW for the Weltur, so thank you very much to the german engineer who though a system that changing the inside spring up side down this can be achieved.

I took a roll of the TRI-X pan 320 from 1984 and I did some pics, here are the best ones, I shot at ASA40 this time, Im bad doing calculations so maybe I did not right at some shots. Julio, here you have two fan photos, it should be third from Tunisians fan but it has not been scanned, tomorrow I pick up the negatives and see what happened. Btw, I will continue shooting fans in BW, no way to miss the countries they are form

This was a close focus test.


This one I tried to get both sides, sunny and shaded all-right.


Infinite focus of my favourite building from the other side


Same picture done by Inos II days ago, I think this lens is sharp...


Fans n#1


Fans n#2


Fans n#3


The camera is easy to use, no double exposure prevention, but the film is really pressed by the plate and the suction made when opening is minimal, anyway I keep doing 1/4 a turn when its opened.
The rangefinder is great, easy, visible, no way of doing it wrong but only in daylight, focusing at dark objects could be tricky.
My dislike is the viewfinder it self, very narrow, the real photo has more view... as the Mexican fans, when I looked through the viewfinder I though they could not fit, shoulders were at my viewfinder margins and look the picture and it was pretty safe.
Tomorrow I will do a clean-up of the leatherette and post some pics of the camera, which I found out is from November 1936.
My guess its the next roll after servicing the shutter (super soft, speed 400 fires at 90!!) will be Delta 100 for best photo quality and see how it goes.

This was my yesterday morning riding again through Moscow, today was too hot.

Thanks for watching.

[GrahamS]

Alex, I really admire your perseverance and determination to make old cameras produce very good images, and I admire your expertise behind the lens. You are becoming an expert in the "found camera" science.

The field of view shown by the viewfinder was probably less than that of the lens deliberately, in order to provide a "safety margin" because most people cut off the heads or the feet of their subjects. Your images are superb.

[Julio1fer]

Another nice camera recovered, Alex. Those fan pictures are great, and the close focus one makes an excellent abstract.

Lens is all right; the uncoating may be appreciated in the Mexican fans picture, with all that light in the background. Not unpleasant, though.

You are going down the slippery slope of camera collection at a good pace!

[PFMcFarland]

Oh, I think he's still in the "discovery" phase, looking for cameras to use. It's when the 1st bookcase gets full he'll realize he's a collector. But don't worry, Alex. There is no shame in that.

I was looking for a 645 mask for your camera, and all I came up with were photos of a 645 only model. Took a while, but I found out the original Weltur was 645 only, and the later version was dual format (also coming in the 6x9 size) via using masks. Hoping I could find a photo showing the mask so you could have a good idea how to make one. I used to have a Weltini, but it was 645 only.

PF

[alexvaras]

Thank you guys, I'm very happy with this recovery, camera photos tonight.

Graham, I check cameras daily, 99.9% have no mean to me, but from time to time something shows up and I think that that camera should be used, not expose or get dust, so I contact the seller and I check it, if I have at least a 50-50 to get it done and the price it's good I take it. With this camera it's different because the seller trust me so after this process I will offer him a good price, good for both of us, he won't sell it on this market.

Julio and Phil, I'm not a collector since a camera has to be used and I'm very picky with the cameras, I look for the best for myself in terms of how-happy-I-am-shooting-THIS, so I try to sell on the local market some cameras, or here or ebay.
Some are sold some are not, but I offer a full working camera because that's why I recover them, to be used.
Why I continue looking for cameras?
35mm it's done, I have Contax IIa and Retina IIa (for winter or extremely light travel).
Other formats Im deciding which ones to keep, one of each has to work fine in winter time.

[alexvaras]

Here it's.

[GrahamS]

Sigh.....

[PFMcFarland]

Looking fine, Alex.

PF