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"Film Transport Housing"


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When I discovered the "thing" at a flea market, on a table mainly devoted to microscopy stuff, I was quite intrigued. It was marked "Ernst Leitz Wetzlar" - sufficient reason to buy it ! -  and looked more or less like a camera.

In these times (end 1970s), I had to search quite a lot to finally find the answer : it was a "Film Transport Housing" intended to register photographs taken on a microscope, like described in Leitz leaflet "List 540-3C".

To start with, I had only the housing, the micro-attachment with Prontor-Press shutter and its adapter coming later.

The following photos illustrate the characteristics of the "Film Transport Housing" :

- photos 1 and 2 show the general body and its sliding "light screening slide";

- photo 3 : the back;

- photo 4 : the bottom with its support thread and the back-opening button;

- on phots 5 and 6, the hinged opening back and the inside view of the body, showing its relative complexity;

- photo 7 shows how the film transport lever, located in the top-cover,  is actuated;

- photo 8 : the folding rewind crank;

- photo 9 shows the detail of the twin blocking system of the opening back;

- photo 10 illustrates the frame counter;

- photo 11 details the "Made in Germany" engraving on the back of the bottom-plate;

- photo 12 shows the complete Film Transport Housing with its adapter and MIKAS-type micro- attachment;

- and finally, a reproduction of the Leitz leaflet describing the "thing".

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Dennis Laney lists the Leica shown in the photographs by Pecole as a  "Simple film transport housing 543077  as a cheap alternative to a Leica for use in German Technical colleges and schools".

The housing is made by Balda, founded in Dresden in 1908, absorbed by Pentacon with a name change to Belca Werk.

The original founder Max Baldeweg re-opened his business in Bunde, West Germany as Balda Kamera Werke.

He supplied film housings to Leica as a cheap alternative to Leica cameras in 1960s. 

Thanks to Jim McKeown for many pages devoted to this marque.

I remember the film housing from my years working for Leica in Sydney.

Kangaroo 2012

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Dennis Laney lists the Leica shown in the photographs by Pecole as a  "Simple film transport housing 543077  as a cheap alternative to a Leica for use in German Technical colleges and schools".

The housing is made by Balda, founded in Dresden in 1908, absorbed by Pentacon with a name change to Belca Werk.

The original founder Max Baldeweg re-opened his business in Bunde, West Germany as Balda Kamera Werke.

He supplied film housings to Leica as a cheap alternative to Leica cameras in 1960s. 

Thanks to Jim McKeown for many pages devoted to this marque.

I remember the film housing from my years working for Leica in Sydney.

Kangaroo 2012

 

Thank you for this one more comment/explanation, kangaroo2012. Is your "Balda" mention comforted by some document? it seems anyhow to contradict the quite convincing "Adox-Fotowerke-Wirgin" explanation offered and illustrated in an earlier comment.

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