Prominent (6×9)

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Revision as of 03:08, 21 August 2011 by Dustin McAmera (talk | contribs) (Added a couple more details, rearranged text a bit, added a couple of references.)
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The Prominent is a folding bed, coupled rangefinder camera for eight 6×9cm or sixteen 6×4.5cm exposures on 120 film. It was made by Voigtländer in 1932. It was Voigtländer's first rangefinder camera; the rangefinder is of the split-image type.[1]. It was available with fine lenses like the Heliar 1:4.5 105mm with 5 elements in 3 groups, or even a Heliar 1:3.5 105mm. The shutter is usually a Compur giving speeds 1 - 1/250 second plus 'B' and 'T', with a delayed action, but some examples have the rarer Turbo shutter, with the same range of speeds. The Turbo was Voigtländer's own product. According to McKeown, the launch of the Prominent was delayed by technical problems with the new Turbo shutter.[2]

The Prominent was the first camera to have a built-in light meter. It was an optical type, (described by some sources as an extinction meter).[1][3][4]

In spite of being made of light metal, the camera weighs 790 g.


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Prominent as a lot in a 2006 auction by Auction Team Breker in Cologne.
  2. McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). p959.
  3. In one of the images of this Prominent, a lot in Westlicht Camera Auction 12, what appear to be three colour filters of different density can be seen in the top plate of the meter.
  4. Early Photography gives the Prominent as an example of an extinction meter, and gives a conversion table comparing film speeds in Scheiner, as on the Prominent's meter, to other speed systems.


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