Introduction to the Voigtlander Perkeo I

This video introduces the Voigtlander Perkeo I. In addition to a features review, this video shows how to use the camera. After the video, stick around for about a minute of photos taken with my copy of this camera. This video also has the Focar lens table so you can copy the data if needed.
To check out my photography blog, follow this link:
beyondbokeh.blogspot.com/

[@wiadv]

I bring out my Voigtlander Perkeo every spring and I have to watch this video as a reminder. Thanks for having it!

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! I'm glad this video is helpful each season for you. :D

[@the92project]

I just bought a Perkeo II in what looks to be mint condition. Im very excited to do a quick test roll with it, and your video has been a great help for getting ready before I get the camera and hit the ground running with it. thank you!

[@DavidHancock]

Great find! These take really fantastic photos.

[@neilpiper9889]

You can get a rangefinder to put in your cold shoe. Use it and transfer the distance to the camera.

[@lentosy100]

I found one of these in a recycle center today and seems to be in great shape. Your video is a great intro to this camera. thx

[@DavidHancock]

+lentosy100 Thank you, and great find!

[@chisler26]

Great video. Just bought one yesterday, cant wait to get some film in it.👍

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you, and you'll probably really enjoy it. These are great cameras.

[@csreiter]

Very informative. I just bought one and can't wait for it to arrive.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@prolayterryat]

I have owned a Perkeo I for more years than I want to say, it is what got me interested in photography when I discovered it in my fathers dresser as a very young child. Mine is the 75mm f4.5 Vaskar model. I would like to make a couple of corrections, 1) the bevel edge on the aperture flat blade indicator is where the value is set, not the slot between the finger catch adjuster and the flat blade. 2) the self timer is actuated by the shutter button release and only works when you press the shutter after you have cocked the self timer.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@DavidHancock]

That's a really good idea. I've been struggling with that. I'll test out a gray cloth as well as dark red one that I have.

[@jolenetaschner7541]

This was very thorough and helpful! Thank you for making this video.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@jamesjacocks6221]

Thanks for the video. I have a Perkeo II with the Prontor shutter and it still amazes me with the performance, quality of construction and optics. The camera easily fits in a jeans back pocket! I regularly can expose 13 frames on a roll of 120 (big deal). You need to learn to intuit focus distance and exposure so this cameras isn't for some people. It is for me!

[@DavidHancock]

James Jacocks IT's a superb little camera! It's tricky sometimes, but yes, the results are simply incredible.

[@redone2612]

Great video as always, keep up the great work.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@aramrez]

Nice video, it's very informative and useful. I just got a Perkeo I camera which is a little bit different. Thanks for sharing, next week I'm up to purchase a roll of film. I've taken a lot pictures with my old and trusty Yashica TLR but it's kind of bulky when compared with this camera. I think you're right: is rather easy to fall in love with this foldable beauty.

[@DavidHancock]

This camera got me interested in both vintage cameras and medium-format shooting. It's a great ambassador for expanding photographic horizons.

[@DavidHancock]

You're welcome!

[@mynewcolour]

I've been thinking of compact 120 folders (I've never owned anything medium format, but would like to give it a try). I just started researching today and you're on the case! Thanks for all the great info.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! Compact 120s are great fun to shoot with!

[@lightytan5404]

​@@DavidHancock😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 😢

[@mkshffr4936]

According to the manual that I downloaded the flash triggers once the shutter is fully open (they called it O-Sync). So if I understand correctly it should work fine for modern flashes. The implication is that for some flash bulbs faster shutter speeds could reduce the exposure since the bulbs take 5-20ms to reach peak output and the duration can be about 10ms beyond that. Worth experimenting.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! And yes, it should work with a modern strobe.

[@TupakSade]

I really appreciated this video for one main reason - I bought two beautiful Perkeo II cameras from Certo6 (Jurgen Kreckel) and I couldn't figure out how to close the red window on them! Thanks! :)

[@DavidHancock]

Steven Gongadin You're welcome! Jurgen is great, as you know.

[@thedoctor0587]

Fantastic video - I'd have missed out on the window to shut off at the back if I hadn't come across this!

[@DavidHancock]

+Alistair Millar Thank you!

[@pjpatellarey]

amazing. thank you.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@EasyFold007]

Loved the video thx

[@spookydirt]

A word of warning: don't use the self-timer on these old Voigtlanders - the spring in those is most likely too weak (like the one in the video) and can easily seize up entirely, making the camera unusable! But bearing in mind how old these cameras are it's amazing how many are still working! I''ve a 60 year old Vito B that's still going strong (except for the slow speeds

[@nickademuss42]

I second this, the gears are stamped steel and rust easily.

[@farhadfadayi7389]

agree about self timer. pls everybody don't use self timer. I've this camera and last sunday I've shot a 400TX. soon I'll post my shots with this camera.

[@TeardownSystems]

Any one know how to unstick it? I bought mine like this!!!!! And it’s in mint condition except for this fact. Anyone know if you can take it apart to unstick it

[@MrJakepumphrey]

I also just bought one of these cameras and thank you for your video. Looking forward to shooting B&W film. I'm thinking HP5 should be about right, shoot outside at f11 or greater. Nothing too close. Cheers

[@DavidHancock]

Jake Pumphrey You'll love the Perkeo I. HP5+ may be a bit fast if you're in open sun. If you're in a city, HP5+ would probably work well. I've used HP5+ and found my only issue is that the film's speed limits the shutter speed and aperture combinations.

[@click789101112]

True; the camera was made back in the days when Kodachrome was a blistering 10 ASA! I usually shoot mine (with Ilford XP2 film) at 1/500th at f16 (mine has a Compur shutter, which has a 1/500th maximum) on bright sunny days and open up from there. Heavy overcast is around f5.6 at 1/500th.

[@williamhamblen3808]

By the way, "reverse telescopic viewfinder" means that there is a concave lens at the front of the viewfinder and a convex lens at the rear. You are looking through the wrong end of a telescope when you look through the viewfinder and objects in the viewfinder appear smaller instead of larger.

[@DavidHancock]

That makes sense. Thank you!

[@MiltSchreiber]

Thanks for the comprehensive video. Just bought a Perkeo I. Very nice build quality. No wonder these are still taking photos. Mine was also a little different from yours as mentioned in another comment. The film spool area does not have the pop-out mechanism of yours. Instead the new film roll just pushes into the space on the right side and is held in by a metal leaf spring.

[@DavidHancock]

Milton Schreiber I wonder if they changed the design or if the pop-up bit was a 'fancier' option. My guess would be the design changed and that yours is probably older than mine, but that's just conjecture. Take great photos!

[@MiltSchreiber]

David Hancock I would guess mine is a little older too. Your loading mechanism seems much more elegant.

[@fionafarrell43]

Yes David the camera I bought is a Perkeo 1 as far as I know..thanks so much.Fiona

[@DavidHancock]

Fantastic! They're great cameras.

[@fionafarrell43]

Thank you David,I want to try to use it I am a complete beginner but am very old fashioned.My cousins are advising me who are very experienced.I must buy some film before it arrives from America..I live in Eire.I won't be bored..hugs and blessings Fiona

[@neilpiper9889]

Your 200th of a second looks like 100th. Synchronisation with flash can be made at all speeds. That was why Press photographers liked the Rolleiflex. Flash Synch balance possible in back lit bright sunlight.

[@peoriavideosltd6822]

I have a Perkeo II and interestingly it doesn't have the same fancy pop-up spool holder where the new roll of film goes. I never realized there was a difference there! Must be they eliminated it in favor of the special roller that is there to drive the film counter.

[@DavidHancock]

Could be! They also may have had differences in production over time. Old cameras were more prone to changes without model designation changes than newer cameras.

[@ze_ep]

Fantastic video! Maybe try a darker cloth background, or fix the exposure for the video camera because it's often losing all of the "shadow" (leather) detail in order to expose the white cloth bg.

[@christianhalberstater6881]

Hi David, thank you for the video. Does anyone know of a good place to get a replacement lens or whether the lens even can be replaced? I recently inherited one of these and I would really like to start using it but the lens is completely obliterated.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! Your best bet is to set up an eBay search for the camera and just watch until a parts model with a good lens comes up for sale. Could be a couple of years, though. Then just swap the lenses.

[@jwmersereau6830]

Hoping to snag one of these, I read over the manual online which makes a note that the take-up spool should have the wide, wooden core. In the video, you appear to be untroubled by this admonition and go ahead an use a standard previously used film roll. In the Perkeo II, perhaps the point of a known diameter roll is to try to make the film counter work? But I think modern film and backing paper is also thinner than in the 1950's so that this objective is moot on this account, too. All of which is a good thing since I think using a factory specific take-up spool would mean you have to rewind the film back on to the original reel somehow before putting a new film into the camera.You could do this I guess by moving the used film back to the unused reel position and running the film through a 2nd time, but it's got to be a lot easier to just go ahead and use the red window for film advance and ignore the whole problem. Did I miss something?

[@DavidHancock]

Mine had the red window for frame counting, I believe (I sold it a couple of years ago.) So the core diameter wouldn't be a huge issue. You could buy up ever wooden-core 120 spool you can fin (they're uncommon) and then just make sure to use them for the take-up spools whenever you load new film.

[@fionafarrell43]

Hello David.I just bought a perkeo on ebay.Not sure which model.Looking forward to getting it and trying it out.Thank you.Fiona

[@DavidHancock]

Nice find! They're really enjoyable to use.

[@neilpiper9889]

Nice camera.

[@DavidHancock]

Yeah, this was a fun one to use.

[@fionafarrell43]

Hi David,I have taken my first roll of film and 5 images came out.I am.still practicing.Thank you for this great video David.You show some window or button to stop light getting in but I don't know how to do that.Also the little dial to the right at the back beside the red window showing what number you are on,I'm not sure how to turn that either.You mention double exposures?Is that taking more photos than you should on the roll of film.I will learn as I go along.I have two of these cameras now.They are a little different but seem.to be working pretty well.Thanks for the great video.Fiona

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you, Fiona! It's been many, many years since I sold this camera and I don't recall all the details of using it. for the light button, there should be a little slide next to the red window on the back. If not, then your camera may not have included it. A lot of these old cameras had production variations. For turning the numbers, there should be a spool advance on top that takes up the film. The paper backing on the film has the numbers so as the film is taken up the numbers should change. For double exposures, I forget if this camera's shutter is linked to the advance or not. If not, then you can just re-arm the shutter and take another shot over the first. If so, then I don't think there is a way to take double exposures with this camera.

[@fionafarrell43]

@@DavidHancock Thank you David.I will ask the developer to point out mistakes and when down in cork maybe pop into the developers with the cameras.Thanks so much

[@nmd1211]

Great video - really enjoyed it. Do you have a Perkeo ii? Would be fun to see the similarities and differences as well. Cheers.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you! I've never gotten my hands on a Perkeo II. They are pretty great cameras, though.

[@patriciatallulagh]

Hi David, thanks for such a great video. My own Perkeo 1 seems to be missing the film holder which swings out on the new film side. Is it entirely necessary to have this to successfully load and advance a roll of film or can i get away without it? Thanks!

[@DavidHancock]

Oh boy. I think that's needed. I sold mine a few months after this video so I'm not 100% sure, though, so give it a try with some inexpensive film as is and maybe it will work.

[@jackrdesormier]

Hi Patricia, did yours work without the swinging holder? I was gifted a Perkeo with a holder that looks more like a Lego hand, which seems to match the instruction manual on Mike Butkus’s site. I’ll test sometime this week. Hope yours worked!

[@patriciatallulagh]

@@jackrdesormier I have not tried it yet but I will post here when I do. I have a feeling it will not work without the holder, but I will certainly give it a try.

[@jackrdesormier]

Patricia McCormack I loaded a roll last night. It seems to be going through just fine. Hope yours works the same. Happy shooting!

[@lol-vq8dh]

Great!

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@Dirkhouttekier]

Dear David, I am a bit confused about the aperture setting. Should the metal square of the aperture setting ring be ON or BEFORE the aperture of choice? E.g. at 25'54" of the video, you say that the aperture is set at f8, but I think it is set at f11. Is that correct? Many thanks on advance.

[@DavidHancock]

Should be set to point to the actual setting. It may be a perspective issue in the video with either me or the camera, or I may just have had it set incorrectly.

[@nickademuss42]

Do you know of a source for a suitable replacement for the bellows for this camera?

[@DavidHancock]

I do. Here's an eBay seller I've bought from and the bellows are very nice. You'll need to send them the dimensions, but they custom make the bellows. www.ebay.com/itm/181064156203?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[@nickademuss42]

many thanks, ran a roll threw mine yesterday, looks fantastic! the bellows just a little ratty, but they are light tight.

[@ivan9066]

I got one for £20-ish. Just put a roll of film through it and everything works, one strut is broken and the slower speeds need to be cleaned. Otherwise even the timer works. Btw- the sync port works fine with modern flashes, no worries there.

[@DavidHancock]

Nice and thank you!

[@fionafarrell43]

Hello David.My camera arrived yesterday.I did not put in any film yet and I was checking for dust and I think I cocked the shutter and can"t release it.I tried moving the setting from B also but couldn't release the lever(number 8 in the instruction manual ).Any advice?Kind regards Fiona

[@DavidHancock]

I forget if the lens has to be fully extended on this camera or not for it to fire. So that would be the first thing to check. If the lens is extended and not firing, check with either the Rangefinder Forum online or the Fix Old Cameras channel here on KZbin. Th Rangefinder Forum, especially, will have people very familiar with the intricacies of this camera. I sold my copy of this around five years ago and there's a lot I've forgotten about it.

[@fionafarrell43]

Thank you David..trying to load a roll of film now too.Sorry you sold yours..kind regards Fiona

[@stoffi]

How do you set the ISO? I've got 100, 160, 400 and 800 ISO 120-film. How do I setup or compensate the camera for different film speeds?

[@DavidHancock]

There's no ISO setting on this camera. You would input that into your light meter, when it tells you the apertures and shutter speeds that you can use, just input those into the camera.

[@stoffi]

@@DavidHancock Thank you. So, I can just use Sunny-16 then.

[@DavidHancock]

@@stoffi definitely

[@neilpiper9889]

All speeds on these shutters get slow. 250th could be down to 100th. 50th could be down to 20th so watch out for camera shake. I would use the highest speed for hand-held use. A cla is advisable especially if you want to use the self-timer. It probably won't make it to open the shutter.

[@inwchannel9756]

How do you focus with these cameras?

[@DavidHancock]

There's a focusing ring on the front of the lens.

[@y2ktube]

Just for the record, it's "Guesstimation". You input the distance you feel the subject is at; or you can slide into the accessory shoe an auxiliary Rangefinder as an aid to your guessing...

[@michaelcase8574]

Macro photos can be tricky without parallax problems.

[@DavidHancock]

And with obtaining accurate focus.

[@johnirby493]

"Reverse telescopic" means that the image appears smaller than it actually is.

[@DavidHancock]

Thank you!

[@KatieKittenHead123]

My camera has an X in the back, does that mean it's broken?

[@DavidHancock]

I think that's just the filler in the red window, correct? If so, that should rotate out of the way when you check the frame count.

[@neilpiper9889]

The Skopar was the better lens. Vaskar was budget.

[@user-io6wo3kf8o]

Autor, u're crazy. Duration of this video 33.14 (!). Why not two hours?

[@DavidHancock]

I couldn't talk that long.