Dolly Vest Pocket

Dolly Vest Pocket in a Certo catalogue. (Image rights)

The Dolly Vest Pocket is a folding camera for 127 film made in the 1930s by Certo in Germany. It's diminutive size (115mm x 85mm x 32mm when folded), large negative size, and sharp lens make it a surprisingly good performer.

Note the extra lines on the viewfinder lens, for 3x4cm images when using a mask. Therefore the camera back has two red windows. In the example pictured, the back door part with the red windows is removable so that the camera can be used with focusing screen and plate holders instead. The holders locate the surface of the plate further back than roll film inside the camera would be. There is therefore a lever under the front standard that moves the lens backward approximately 4 mm for use with plates. This arrangement can also be seen on some examples of the Super Sport Dolly. Most examples of the Dolly VP camera have a normal hinged back door, for roll film only.

Certo Dolly (4×6.5cm), image by Dustin McAmera (Image rights)

specifications

• Type: self-erecting folding camera
• Manufacturer: Certo
• Years of launch: 1930s
• Film: type 127 film rolls, or 4x6.5cm plates/sheet film
• Lens: Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:3.5 F=7cm, Meyer Trioplan 1:3.5 F=7.5 cm, Friedrich Coronar Anastigmat 1:3.5 F=7.5 cm
• Shutter: Compur with speeds from 1 sec. to 1/300 sec. plus T and B mode, or Pronto everset 1/25 sec. to 1/100 sec. plus T and B.
• Focusing: 1.4 metre to infinity by focusing ring around shutter, or focusing lever for simple bellows extension focusing
• Viewfinders: collapsible reverse Galilean optical finder with additional frame bars for smaller format
• Frame size: exchangeable frames for 4x6.5 cm and 4x3 cm