# What camera is this?



## Ringoparker (Dec 6, 2016)

Hello guys,

I am in kinda need of some help. A few weeks ago I found this camera at my grandma's house. I have no idea what it actually is. Took it to some photography shops, but none could tell me what it is. They looked and told me that the lentile looks in good condition and seems to work.

Can you tell me what camera this is?






Postimage.org — free image hosting / image upload

Thank you


----------



## john.margetts (Dec 6, 2016)

Not from those pictures. Somewhere on the outside will be some words or letters or numbers embossed in either the metal or the covering. They are likely to be indistinct but are almost certainly there. They would be much more useful.

Going by the lens serial number the lens was made in late 1927 or early 1928. The camera could have been made up to two years after the lens but not before.


----------



## Ringoparker (Dec 6, 2016)

The only thing written in it is:

Geschwindigkeits - Tabelle

And under: Federspannung - Belichtungsd - Schlitzbreile.

Nothing else, only what you can see on the lens. No brand name anywhere.


----------



## tirediron (Dec 6, 2016)

Moved to the appropriate forum.


----------



## webestang64 (Dec 6, 2016)

Could be a purpose built camera (ex. Military). 
Here is a little info on the lens... Tessar - Wikipedia


----------



## robbins.photo (Dec 6, 2016)

Ringoparker said:


> The only thing written in it is:
> 
> Geschwindigkeits - Tabelle
> 
> ...



Well Geshwindigkeits - Tabelle means Speed Table, the rest is a reference to spring tension and a slot.  So that looks to be more like an instruction set than an identifier of some sort.


----------



## Causapscal (Dec 6, 2016)

CARL ZEISS JENA TESSAR 1:4.5 f= 7.5 cm LENS OBJECTIVE • CAD 125.98


----------



## Ringoparker (Dec 7, 2016)

Thank you very much, guys.

You solved a family mistery. Cheers. I will put it away.


----------



## IanG (Dec 9, 2016)

It's a strut camera there were a few makes but not many, the commonest was made bt Goerz but alwats sold with their own lenses, however post 1926 Zeiss Ikon dropped most Goerz lenses. Anschutz camera, This is another make though some were made in the UK by Ross and others.

These were sold as Press cameras with their focal plane shutters.  I've not been on this forum for months with better pictures I can probably identify,

Ian


----------



## vintagesnaps (Dec 9, 2016)

I see there are letters above that I can't make out, so I don't know if that would give any more info. I have seen cameras that have minimal markings, I have one from the 1920's with just KW (which stands for Kamerawerk). I think many cameras made in Germany in that era didn't use specific model names like on later cameras. 

I have a Rollei that has a similar dial/chart on the back that gives settings for aperture and shutter speed, etc. so that seems to have been added to various cameras. 

It's a cool camera, probably there would be interest from any collectors who want early 20th century cameras, but most don't seem to necessarily have a lot of monetary value. I find it interesting, but I don't know if a lot of people collect cameras from that time period or not (probably not a lot, it would be a matter of going to a camera swap or possibly antique shop or show etc. to connect with collectors).


----------



## john.margetts (Dec 10, 2016)

The Germans usually embossed the model name in the leather which can often be hard to read now. I am sure there would have been/still is a model name there somewhere.


----------



## IanG (Dec 10, 2016)

Vintagesnaps, you're mistaking the chart it's not remotely similar to the one on a Rolleiflex, it's listing the tension settings then  shutter speeds and finally the slit width to achieve that shutter speed with the focal plane shutter.  You get similar charts on old Speed Graphics and other cameras.

I might be able yo identify by looking in some old BJP Almanacs.

Ian


----------

