Visor-Fex Camera

Fotofex-Kameras

Name:	Visor-Fex
Manufacturer:	Fotofex-Kameras
Country of Origin:	Germany
Construction:	Built much like a conventional folding rollfilm camera with aluminium body, but with capability to accept plates and rollfilm concurrently, thus making it a true combination camera.
Production Period:

 

Plate / Film Size:	120 rollfilm or 6 x 9 cm plate
Lens:	Xenar f4.5 105mm
Shutter:	Compur (radial set)
Movements:
Date of this Example:	c1931
Serial Number:	None found on body. Lens no. 308563
Availability:	Common  Uncommon  Hard to Find  Scarce
Inventory Number:	372

 

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Description

An unusual combination camera as it can accept 6 x 9 plates at the same time as rollfilm. It has a dark slide that inserts into the back (present with the camera) to keep the light off the film when the camera is used with plates. The whole inner section pivots up to use the rollfilm section as a base when it is fitted with the plate holder (which unfortunately is missing).

McKeown [1] reports that only a handful are known to exist in collections (this is one of the known examples according to the collector who owned it previously).

Generally in good order with some minor wear, consistent with age, particularly on the opening section where it has retreated slightly from the edges. Handle is intact. Some minor corrosion on the edge of the viewfinder.

Apparently contemporary advertising claimed that this was the first camera to allow focussing using a ground glass screen between rollfilm exposures with the film still loaded. Clearly this is untrue, as the reader can determine by checking the other Combination Cameras listed on this site and elsewhere. There were a number available at the turn of the century, 30 years or so before this camera appeared. In addition the Palko camera was another example in conventional folding rollfilm format that also allowed focusing on a ground glass screen between exposures, although the mechanism used to achieve this is quite different. However the Visor-Fex does carry the honour of being the smallest such camera.

Notes

Since purchasing this camera from another collector / dealer in 2006, I have only come across one other example.