Last Roll From my Kodak Vigilant Six-20

A few years ago, I acquired a Kodak Vigilant Six-20.  I respooled 120 onto 620 spools, and over the course of 3 years shot 3 rolls with it.  The results were always quite good. The Vigilant Six-20 is a 6x9 format camera that came in many versions.  The one I used had the best features with the Kodak No. 1 Supermatic Shutter, with speeds from B, T, and 1-1/400 sec, and apertures from f/4.5- f/32.   The Kodak Anastigmat Special is a very good lens, too. An excellent lens/shutter combination that allowed 400 ISO film and reasonable shutter speeds.   

Another version of the camera, and priced lower, features a Kodak No. 1 Diomatic shutter, with B, T, 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 sec shutter speeds and a Kodak Anastigmat f/6.3 lens.  Definitely not as fast as my camera, and certainly usable with 100-400 ISO film. It’s probably the more common version of the camera, since it was more affordable.

Unfortunately, I’d left the roll of Fomapan 100 in my camera for at least 2 years, with a couple of exposures still to be had.  The film had somehow become stuck and would not advance.  I ended up having to use pliers to wind the film.  I ended up with a “fat roll” which I promptly put into a black container.  I think moisture had caused the film to stick and that’s why I could not roll it along by hand.  

Now that I have a 4x5 camera, I decided to see if the lens and shutter assembly could be used on my Intrepid 4x5.  Now that I know that it covers 4x5, the 101mm lens has become my wide-angle, leaving the shell of the Vigilant lensless.  

Here are some shots from that last roll.  You can see where the film stuck and acquired some rust in one of the images.  I started that roll in the summer 0f 2024, on a photo meetup with the AVL Camera Club.  We visited several small breweries next to the Swannanoa River, all of which were destroyed a month later by Hurricane Helene and the flood.  The very last photo was taken early this year in the River Arts District, which I guess is fitting. 

The light leaks at the top are from the "fat roll"

You can see the spots on the right side where the film was sticking

These 6x9 cameras from Kodak are capable of some very good results, and if you don’t mind respooling the 120 film to 620 spools, they represent an inexpensive option for 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 inch negatives.  You’ll get 8 shots on a roll.  The cameras easily fit into a large pocket and do not weigh much.  However, you’ll have to make sure the bellows is free from pinholes - and the black fabric used for the bellows is going to need some liquid rubber or black fabric paint to fix. If the lens is free of haze, and the shutter works, you are good to go.  

These cameras were manufactured from 1939-1949, with 10 variants in lens and shutter combinations. The prices at the time ranged from $15 to $49. Today, you should be able to pick up a fully operational example for less than $25, and I certainly would not pay much more.

Another version that I owned in 2011

The Balda Jubilette - A 35mm folding camera

Folding cameras, no matter what format, are an interesting concept. From the early bellows-style cameras that took film plates to the Polaroid Land cameras and the SX-70, the idea of making a camera more compact and easier to carry has a long history.  Not only are you unfolding a camera, you are changing its dimensions to accommodate a lens of a particular focal length, hence the bellows. A No. 4 Folding Kodet Kodak camera from 1894 has a bellows that extends from a box-like rear.  There is not too much involved in extending the bellows on the camera.  Later, the No. 3A Special in 1914 used roll film and the bellows is extended from a compartment to the lens board on the front of the camera, changing its overall shape from a relatively compact flattened item to a body with a bellows at a right angle, extending on a bed.  That configuration became popular with roll film cameras into the 1950s.  The technology improved with self-erecting fronts (the front standard pops up when the bellows is extended), better shutters, better viewfinders, including rangefinder focus on some models of medium and 35mm format folding cameras.  Of course, the smaller the format, the shorter the focal distance for the lens, with 35mm cameras requiring a very short bellows to operate.  Thus, 35mm folding cameras, which date from the late 1930s into the late 1950s were an alternative to the solid-bodied 35mm cameras from Argus, Leitz and Zeiss.  The folding 35mm cameras were discussed by me in a previous post here on RCB.

Kodak Premoette Jr. No. 1, 1913. All those dangly bits 
are protected when it's folded.

The beauty of a folder is that once the front of the camera has been closed, it’s quite easy to carry in a pocket, and the optics are well-protected inside that closed camera. For 35mm cameras, it really makes them quite compact with no big protrusions to prevent them from being easily retrieved from a pocket.  Press a button and  they magically unfold, ready to use.

While the Kodak Retina series remain the best-known 35mm folders for good reason, other European companies made them, including Agfa, Balda, Beier, Certo, Voigtlander, Welta, and Zeiss Ikon.  

Balda Jubilette

The Jubilette, so-named  for Balda-Werke’s 30th anniversary, is a pre-war (WWII) 1938-40 camera that is similar to the 1935 Baldina.  The Baldina has many variants with different lens/shutter combinations, and I suppose making the Jubilette was an easy way to honor the company’s 30 years.   It’s not a complicated camera, and it’s certainly capable of good results. It’s also not terribly different from a Kodak Retina 1. 

Some features of the Jubilette

The Jubilette in closed position. That's the shutter release
on the right of the viewfinder, on the extending bed.

The Jubilette that I have has a front release button on the top plate of the camera.  Push it in, and the front pops open, erecting the front with a nice solid-sounding klunk. The Compur shutter has speeds from T, B, 1-1/300 s, and the lens is a Baltar 5 cm f/2.9 with apertures down to f/16. 

The shutter release is on the left of the front standard (as you are holding it), which means your left hand controls the shutter release, and while not typical, it makes sense for this camera. The viewfinder is fairly simple, and does not correct for parallax. The close focus distance of this camera is 50 cm, which is pretty close. As you’ll see in a photo below, parallax correction would be nice.  

The back of the camera features a zone focus chart, which is actually quite useful.  If you are shooting at f/11, everything is in focus from 2.4m to infinity. Basically, that means you don’t have to refocus at anything from about 8 feet and beyond on a bright sunny day.  To focus, simply turn the knurled front edge of the lens mount so that the estimated distance is in line with the red indicator.

Follow the arrows to open the back

Note the unique take-up spool configuration.

Loading the film requires you to slide the chrome tab on the side upwards and push the back away from the body, which is easiest if you close the front standard.  Note that the little handle remains stationary, so don’t pull on the handle to open the back.  The first thing that you’ll notice is that the reception for the film leader does not extend to the edge of the spool. Instead there is a centrally place slot, which means that you’ll have to trim the film leader to fit in that slot.  To advance the film, you push down on the small knob next to the film advance wheel and let up as soon as you start turning the film advance clockwise.   The wheel will stop rotating once it has reached the spot for the next frame.

Press the smaller button down before winding on to the next frame.

Once you have advanced the film, cock the shutter by rotating the cocking lever clockwise. A small tab on the bottom of the lens sets the aperture, and the knurled front ring rotates  to choose the shutter speed.  This is called a rim-set shutter.  There is a screw-in hole on the edge of the front standard for a cable release.   If you wish to take a double exposure, simply reset the shutter.  My standard practice is to always advance the film after each shot, and not worry if I have already exposed a frame the next time I pick up the camera.

Aperture, shutter speed, and focus are all around the front.

When you reach the end of the roll, pull up the film advance wheel and rotate the keyed film rewind clockwise.   The frame counter on the top deck of the camera is an additive one, meaning that it shows how many exposures you have made.  When you insert a new roll of film, set the counter to zero by turning the raised center to get the number in the window to zero.

Overall, it’s a fairly easy camera to operate, and once you get accustomed to its workings, it handles pretty well, especially for an 85 year old camera.  Think about it.  This particular camera is in pretty good condition and works just as it should.  No bellow pinholes, either. I guess some jubilation is in order just for that fact!

Some things to remember 

If you hold down the film advance release button too long, you may advance more than one frame before the wind button stops turning.  So just do a brief push on that button and release it as soon as you start advancing the film.

Since there is no focus aid, you’ll need to guestimate your focus when you rotate the focus distance on the front of the camera. If you are shooting at f/16, anything past 6 feet will be in focus if set at the 2 m mark.

The viewfinder is approximate — it works to generally frame your subject, but it isn’t anything like a nice Retina IIc.

Some sample images

I shot a roll of Eastman 5231 an ISO 80-100 film.  Other than some blank frames where I wound on past the next frame, it had relatively good results.  Sometimes the frame spacing was tight, though.  

as you can see, parallax can throw you off.

Buying a Balda Jubilette

If the camera is in clean, working condition, expect to pay from $75 to $130 for one.  While they are not rare, they are uncommon, especially in the United States.  If you are looking at one, make sure all the functions work as they should.  Balda made hundreds of different cameras, and I suppose building a Balda collection would be quite an undertaking.  However, if you just stuck with their 35mm cameras, it would still be a formidable task.  Balda-Werke was destroyed in Dresden in 1945, and in 1946 moved to Bünde, West Germany, and the company renamed as Balda-Werke Bünde.  They manufactured cameras into the 1970s, often as an OEM for companies like Argus. 

The Adox Golf 63S - a 6x6 folder

The Adox Golf 63S

To use a folding medium format camera seems anachronistic today, but there was a time when folding cameras were pretty much standard, unless you wanted a box camera.  However, by the end of the 1950s, folding cameras were coming to an end, as 35mm became more popular, and medium format was becoming the domain of professionals.  Zeiss-Ikon and other European manufacturers would soon succumb to the onslaught of Japanese-made cameras, which were just becoming popular in the world of 35mm. Today, a folding medium-format camera in good condition generally does not command the prices that are being asked for Hasselblads and so forth, for a variety of reasons.

Voigtlander Bessa 6x4.5

Ansco Speedex, a bottom-tier 6x6 folder

This Welta has 6x6 and 6x4.5 masks

Folding 120 cameras generally do not have fast lenses, lack lens interchangeability, and viewfinders do not give a precise framing of the subject.  Most of the old folders do not have meters or rangefinder focusing.  Square-format folders also tend to be less common than  6x9 and 6x4.5 folders. However, it’s certainly possible to get excellent images from these folders, so long as they work properly, don’t have light leaks in the bellows, and you use good techniques.  

Why folding medium format?

The absolute genius of folding cameras is that they generally have a self-erecting lens standard, and the collapsible bellows allows the camera to be lighter and far more compact than a rigid-bodied camera.  You typically push a button and the camera unfolds, sort of like a Transformer, although the transformation is only into a camera.  I should add that in most instances, folding cameras are relatively simple and do not have interchangeable lenses. Only a few models have built-in rangefinders, and most have scale focusing.  Early Kodak folders  usually featured only  6x9 cm negatives, with the exception of the Vest Pocket Kodaks which used 127 film.  Having a folding medium-format (typically 120 and 620 roll film) camera allows one to put a camera capable of using a large negative into a coat pocket.  The folding bellows retracts into the camera body, which also protects the lens and bellows from dirt and pointy objects.  The most obvious reason to use one of these cameras is due to the larger negative, as well as the separation of the subject from the background that you get at larger apertures. 

The Ricoh Six can do 6x6 and 6x4.5

The reality today is that most of these folding cameras are now 70 years old or more, and their bellows are often in sad condition if they have been left to the environment.  Shutters and focusing helicals may be in need of cleaning, lubrication and adjustment (CLA).  If the cameras take 620 film, then that involves respooling 120 film onto 620 spools. 

This Kodak Duo Six-20 folder does 6x4.5 on 620 film

With that in mind, I was really surprised to find an Adox Golf 6x6 folder in mint condition, with everything working properly, and no haze or fungus.  A big plus is that the camera uses 120 film.  

A roll of Tmax 100 for the next outing

Adox made the series of Golf medium format folding cameras from about 1955-1959, and all are 6x6 folders, and the variations mostly center around the lens used, shutter speeds, and self-timer present or absence. All share:

• double-exposure prevention
• front dial with apertures and shutter speeds
• red window on rear for aligning frame numbers
• simple reverse Galiliean viewfinder
• scale focus

The 63S model, as shown here, features B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100 and 1/200 sec shutter speeds, a f/6.3 maximum aperture for the 75mm Adoxar lens, with f/22 minimum aperture, self-timer, and PC flash contact.  The Pronto shutter is known to be reliable and operates without lubrication being necessary.   A push of a button on the top left of the camera opens the front panel and the bellows locks into place as you pull the bed down.  Everything is manual, and there are no electronics, light meter, or hot-flash shoe.  The fully intact bellows, easily adjusted focus ring, and clear lens meant that this camera was ready for a test.   I loaded a roll of Fomapan 100 and over the course of a couple of weeks, I shot the roll, and reloaded it with a roll of Lomo Color 100.  

Using this camera is easy for me, as I've used all sorts of film cameras for 50 years.  The focus scale is in meters, and goes from 1meter to infinity.  I saw a YouTube video where the user said the red numbers were for feet.  Wrong.  The red numbers indicate the depth of field for each aperture!  This is especially important in a scale focus camera.  It's a very minimalist design, and once you advance the film and cock the shutter, you are ready to make an exposure.  If you get one of the tiny shoe-mounted light meters, you only need to guesstimate the distance to the subject. 

The Adox Golf may seem very similar to the Agfa/Ansco 6x6 Isolette/Speedex folding cameras, and in general, it is.  However, it does not have the litany of problems associated with the frozen helical grease and sticky bellows of the Isolettes.  

The beauty of these folders, whether 6x4.5, 6x6, or 6x9, is that they take up little space when collapsed.   There are a lot of models other than the Adox Golf to choose from, and having such a compact 6x6 camera (it takes up even less space than a Holga) means that it can pretty much go anywhere with you. If you are looking for something even better – a Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikonta with rangefinder focus is very desirable, but the cheaper Zeiss-Ikon Nettar 515/516 with scale focus is quite nice.  The Franka-Werke Solida 6x6 folders are also quite nice, if you can find one.  The German Balda company had a bewildering array of cameras named Baldax, Baldexette, and so forth, that are 6x6 folders.  Japan's Mamiya-6 folding cameras from the 1940s to late 1950s are definitely among the best 6x6 folders produced. 

Back to the Golf...

While this is an easy camera to operate, you can find the manual at Butkus.org.  All these different folding cameras can be a bit confusing to someone unaccustomed with using a red-window camera with the lens/shutter controls around  the lens.  Learning to guestimate distance is a good skill to have, too.  Once you have found a 6x6 folding camera that works well, hang on to it!  The simplicity and compactness of these cameras make them ideal for trips.  

Results from Roll 1. I shot this in Asheville and Raleigh, NC.  Overall, happy with the results.

6x6 Folding Cameras

Agfa Isolette 4.5

6x6 Folding Cameras

When I first started getting serious about being a photographer, I picked up a medium-format (120 film) folding bellows camera for something like $15. It was an early version Agfa Isolette which surprised me with the quality of the images I got from it. That was back around 2000-2001, and the camera was probably given to someone over the years. I have had a few other 6x6 and 6 x 4.5 folding cameras, as well as 6x9 folders. In my opinion, a 6x6 folder is the optimal MF pocketable camera. You get the full benefit of the square negative, portability, and 12 exposures/roll. While a 6x9 cm folder will give you more film real estate, you also have a larger camera, and many of the cameras available are quite old, with problematic bellows, and the additional problem of anything Kodak probably needing 620 film. There are a plethora of folding cameras out there by Balda, Franka, Certo, Voigtlander, Zeiss-Ikon, Kodak, and Agfa, to name a few. Here, I want to focus on only 6x6 folders, which I believe offer the best value and ease of use.

For some reason, there are fewer choices for 6x6 folding cameras, and your most common examples available are those made by Agfa and Ansco. Most of the models are post WWII, made from 1946-1960.


Ansco Speedex

The Speedex B2 and Standard and the Speedex Jr. were made in USA. The Speedex B2 (B2 was the Ansco film size = 120) appeared in 1940, and featured ½ sec - 1/250 shutter, + B.

• The standard Speedex appeared ca. 1950, and featured an f/6.3 - 22 lens, B, ½ - 1/100 shutter speed, and a black plastic top deck. 
• Speedex Special - ca. 1952, had an Agfa Apotar f/4.5 lens and Prontor shutter. 
• Speedex Jr. - 1945-48, 1 shutter speed. Basically, a folding box camera. 
• Super Speedex - 1953-58, couples rangefinder, Solina 75mm f/3.5 lens, Synchro Compur shutter with 1 sec - 1/500 (same as the Agfa Super Isolette). In 1953 it sold for $120. 
• Ansco Titan - Ansco Anastigmat 90mm lens with f/4.5 lens, 1/2 sec - 1/400, T, B. 1949. 

Agfa Isolette (sometimes spelled Jsolette)

• Agfa Isolette - The original model was made from 1938-1942, and was dual format with a mask and two red windows for 6x4.5 and 6x6 negatives. There are various lens and shutter combinations. 1960 was the last year of manufacture. 
• Isolette 4.5 - (1945-1950) 6x6 only. Apotar f/4.5- f/22, 8.5 cm lens in Compur-Rapid or Prontor-S shutters. 1-1/500 sec, T, B. 
• Isolette I - (1951-58) Vario Shutter, B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/200; Agnar 85mm f/4.5 lens. PC sync on rim of shutter. 
• Isolette II - (1950-1960) Prontor-S shutter, B - 1/300, Apotar f/4.5 85mm lens. 
• Isolette III - (1952-1958) uncoupled rangefinder, Solinar or Apotar lens, Synchr-Compur (B, 1- 1/500 sec) or Pronto shutter, B - 1/25 - 1/200 
• Isolette V - (1950-52) 85mm Agnar f/4.5 lens, Vario Synchro shutter, B, 1/25, 1/75, 1/200 sec. 
• Isolette L - (1957-1960) can use 35mm or 120, uncoupled meter, Pronto Synchro shutter, Apotar f/4.5 lens, B, 1/25, 1/50, 1/100, 1/200 sec. 

While many of these cameras are quite usable, the one single problem that most have is the green grease that was used on the focus helical has solidified. This usually requires some dis-assembly, and use of Naptha to free up the helical. In some cases, you may think the helical is working, but you are only turning the lens via loosened mounting screws. Once you have a free-moving helical, and if the lenses are clear and shutter is firing properly, you’ll have an excellent pocket 120 film camera.

Ansco Speedex, ca. 2003

Things to check for in buying any folding camera:

• Pinholes in the bellows 
• Fungus or haze on the lenses 
• Properly working shutter 
• Focus mechanism 
• Clean interior. 
• Winding knob turns freely. 

Using a 6x6 folder is quite easy - press the release button to drop the bed and the self-erecting lensboard pops up and extends the bellows. Figure out your distance, aperture and shutter speed for four situation, cock the shutter and fire. Advance film to the next frame, and repeat. While these lenses are not as fast as most TLR cameras, they are probably going to produce excellent results at F/8 and smaller apertures, anyway. Most of the Ansco/Agfa 6x6 cameras feature a “cold shoe” on the top deck, which can hold a rangefinder attachment or a flash with a PC connector. The Isolettes have an array of lens/shutter combinations that often have a PC connector for flashbulb, and later, X-sync. Any single model will have several variations.

Ricoh Six Image

Other Manufacturers


Balda, Certo-Six, Franka Solida, Ricoh-Six, Voigtlander Perkeo, Zeiss Ikonta , Zeiss Nettar, Zeiss Nettax. There are as multitude of confusing names and features in the Zeiss-Ikon family, and the Ikonta B is a place to start exploring. Luckily, the majority of 6x6 folders were made in Europe, so 120 film usage is a certainty in those cameras.





Prices
Prices are all over the place for the Isolettes, but the higher-end models will always command more money. Most sellers do not know what model Isolette or Speedex they are selling, so carefully examine the images to see what model you are bidding on. Go to Certo6 and Camera-Wiki to get more information on the various models.