OddCameras.com
Weltaflex and Flexini small format insert
The Weltaflex is a Twin Lens Reflex
6x6 camera, made by Welta-Kamera-Werke Freital, Eastern Germany. It was
first shown at the 1954 Photokina and sales started in 1955. It's based
on the Reflecta II camera, but has major improvements. Sales stopped
after a complete reorganization of the East German camera production
with the launch of the VEB Kamera- und Kinowerke in January 1959.
There are 2 versions of this model, a first one with red window advance
and a second one with automatic advance and stop. There were 3
different lenses and 2 shutter models.
The camara presented has automatic advance and the best of the lenses.
There was a set to adapt the camera to 135 format, 24x36mm. It's presented at the bottom of the page.
Taking and viewing lens: Meyer Trioplan 3.5/75, coated
Shutter: Compur SVS 1 - 1/300 sec., B, self timer, X and M sync., has to be cocked manually
Dimensions: 95 x 143 x 90 mm
Weight: 980 gr.
Some pictures:
A classic TLR.
Camera
front. Under the lens: aperture, to the left: tiny self
timer and flash syncro lever. Towards the top of the taking lens: speed and to the right: shutter cocking lever.
Camera
back. Back opening knob towards the top. No red window.
Camera right side. Distance setting knob with DOF scale and 2 pegs, flash socket.
Camera
left side. Advance knob, dial to block the shutter lever, shutter release lever and small film counter.
Camera open.
Sports finder.
The sports finder has even parallax indications for infinty....
...and 2m.
Plein matte screen.
A
loupe is provided. The loupe is released by pushing it to the left seen
from behind. Open the flap for the sports finder a bit. There are 2
tabs, push one of them. It might be a bit hard.
Hood and ground glass can easyly be taken off, there is a knob to push at the base on either side.
Back
flap open. The automatic film advance has a little lever that pushes a
pin upwards when the flap is closed. It's visible in the photo on the
right at the bottom roller. Make sure that the lever touches the pin
before closing the back, otherwise the advance would not stop. Putting
the film is as with other cameras. Put the
winding spool into
its place, there is a peg to retract. Put the film spool into its
place, there is a peg to retract as well. Feed the film leader into
the winding spool and turn. The
start arrow on the film should meet the bottom roller. Close the camera
and advance until it stops automatically at no. 1. It might be
necessary to fire the shutter once to start advancing.
The 24x36 film plane of the Flexini set inserted.
Film plane closed.
The parts of the set: film plane, canister adapters and 2 masks, one for the ground glass and one for the sports finder.
All stored in a neat pouch.
To use the set the original way you need an empty canister. Eastern
German canisters could be opened and closed easily in the old days. You
could use a refill canister instead. Fix the film start safely to the
core of the empty canister and put the housing back. Install it with
the help of the adapters in the upper chamber, pull the film across the
film plane and store the full canister in the lower supply chamber. It
is not necessary to fix it, it will stay there when the back is closed.
You could also ask your lab for empty canisters with some mm of film
coming out of the mouth of the canister and then tape the film start to
this. Wind at least 2 turns to secure that it is well fixed before
installing it.
The wind knob has to have a mark, e.g. with a sharpie, so that you can
count turns. Mine has an original one. If you have a model with
automatic advance, you have to disengage the little lever before
closing the back, so that the pin is not pushed and doesn't stop the
winding. In any case make 3 full turns for the first photo. After each
photo make one full turn. You will get about 26 photos from a 36 film.
If you can't wind further, you film is done. As the film is wound from
canister to canister, your photos are safe except the last one. If you
want to save the last, you have to unload in a sleeve or a dark room
and wind it into the canister as well.
Camera with a real leather case from one side...
...and the other.
Case closed. This one needs mending.
Picture quality is fine on mine. There are sites which claim that it's bad, but I would not agree. Build quality is fine as
well. So it's a nice find, usually prices are quite low and it's worth a try.