Welta Perfekta
There are some combinations that simply belong together: peanut butter and chocolate, Sonny and Cher, cut and paste. Naturally though there are things you would never think to put together, such as "vest pocket" and "twin lens reflex". Yet that is exactly what German camera manufacturer Welta-Kamera-Werk did in the early 1930s with their Welta Perfekta.
Belonging the that ultra-rare category of "folding TLR" the Welta Perfekta is just that. Imagine your typical folding medium format viewfinder/rangefinder except put a mirror box and a pair of viewing/taking lenses on it and you have the Perfekta camera. The film back of the Perfekta expands out from the front standard via a pair of crossed struts, with bellows in between. At the same time a mirror in the top of the camera drops down behind the viewing lens to allow for focusing and composition in normal TLR style. The Perfekta uses 120 film to make twelve 6x6cm exposures per roll. Models were fitted with either Zeiss Tessar or Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 75mm f3.8 lenses or Meyer Trioplan 75mm f3.5 lens. Shutters found on the Perfekta could include either a Compur with top speed of 1/300th or a Compur Rapid that topped out at 1/500.
Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc
- sales@bluemooncamera.com
- (503) 978-0333
- (503) 978-0370
-
8417 North Lombard Street
Portland, OR 97203
All rights reserved ©2025, Blue Moon Camera and Machine llc