dkCambridgeshire Posted October 26, 2008 Share #1 Posted October 26, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Franke and Heidecke were just as innovative as Leitz in producing a revolutionary camera in the 1920s albeit in medium format as distinct from 35mm so I hope the moderators will permit the inclusion of this mini essay. Apologies if some of the information appears "old hat" but it was originally written as informative description for a non-camera forum. This Franke & Heidecke stereo camera S/N 40531 arrived back today after full service which included: twin iris diaphragm linkage CLA (was inoperative) ; stereo compound shutter CLA ( speeds were erratic); taking lenses & viewing lens cleaned (had internal marks and dust) ; central viewing lens' reflex mirror resilvered & mirror box cleaned; taking lenses' and viewing lens' coupled focusing mechanism CLA (was very stiff). The knob on the side of the front is for focusing. All three lenses are coupled for focusing and they each "turn" as distinct from being on a telescopic panel. From left to right across the top of the lens panel are the aperture control ( f4.5, f6.3, f9, f12.5, f18 and f25 but without click stops), the shutter cocking lever, the time exposure and brief time control (M , Z and , and the shutter release including threaded cable release. The shutter speed dial is visible in the photograph below on the side of the camera. Shutter speeds are from 1 second to 1/300 second marked 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 300. Note the hinged lens caps. Here is a close-up of the Heidoscop lens system: Carl Zeiss Tessar (4 element) 7.5cm f4.5 taking lenses and the Carl Zeiss Suchar Triplet 7.5cm f4.2 viewing lens. The viewing lens is slightly faster than the taking lens but is only a 3 element design. The lenses are perfectly clear and clean ... reflections appear to make them cloudy. And rear view of camera with back removed showing "stereo pair" film plane and the roll film mechanism. Paul Franke and Reinhold Heidecke founded the firm Franke and Heidecke in Braunschweig, Germany in 1921. Six different Franke and Heidecke stereo cameras were manufactured from 1921 until 1941 all being designed by Reinhold Heidecke. Four were designated "Heidoscop" models and used glass plates or sheet film in a magazine back. Two others were designated "Rolleidoscop" and used 'roll' film backs. This particular model is probably a Heidoscop Type 2 which has been converted for 120 roll film by use of a roll film back ... unless it is an early Rolleidoscop some of which still bore the Heidoscop logo. Unfortunately there are no records of actual serial numbers for each model so positive identification of model and year of manufacture is not always possible It could have been made at any time between 1926 and 1941. Franke and Heidecke subsequently manufactured their first "twin lens reflex" camera in 1929 and being a 'roll' film model called it the "Rolleiflex". Since then their design has been cloned by many other manufacturers including Yashica, Mamiya, Ricoh and Minolta. Note the similarities between the original F & H stereo cameras and the legendary Rolleiflex eg the viewing lens' reflex mirror box and the collapsable viewing hood ; also the "sports finder" facility in the hood. Many different Rolleiflex and Rolleicord twin lens reflex cameras were subsequently manufactured from 1929 until relatively recently. Franke and Heidecke, although taken over several times, still exists. Rolleiflex TLRs were often the mainstay cameras of the 1960's professional photographers and many are still in use. They all use Zeiss or Schneider lenses. Rolleiflexes were/are also produced with wide angle and also telephoto lenses. Several times the Company has announced that production of TLR film cameras had ceased but then limited production recommenced. Currently the company still produces medium format film cameras and also medium format digital models. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 26, 2008 Posted October 26, 2008 Hi dkCambridgeshire, Take a look here Historic Franke & Heidecke Stereo"Heidoscop". I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share #2 Posted October 26, 2008 cont'd .... For comparison with the Heidoscop here are some photographs of my Franke & Heidecke 1929 f3.8 Original Rolleiflex . Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted October 26, 2008 Share #3 Posted October 26, 2008 A gem. How much did the resurrection cost? (Admittedly, it is like asking the same thing about Lazarus ...) And yes, a Rolleiflex ancestor should be received with honour here. Eugene W. Smith had the unusual distinction of having been fired from 'Life' twice. The first time was for using a 'miniaure camera' on the job. That 'miniature' was a Rolleiflex. The old man from the Age of the TLR Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted October 26, 2008 A gem. How much did the resurrection cost? (Admittedly, it is like asking the same thing about Lazarus ...) And yes, a Rolleiflex ancestor should be received with honour here. Eugene W. Smith had the unusual distinction of having been fired from 'Life' twice. The first time was for using a 'miniaure camera' on the job. That 'miniature' was a Rolleiflex. The old man from the Age of the TLR Less than a £100 ... repairer charged me £80 for the service but there was also the mirror resilvering which was surprisingly £reasonable ie approx. £20 ish ... mirror was sent away to a specialist. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted October 29, 2008 Share #5 Posted October 29, 2008 I am really excited to see this post. I have this exact camera which my father left me. He used it for over 40 years ( from the 1930s to the late 80s). Unfortunately it is now in bad shape after that many years of use. But I still have all the stereo slides he took over these years. He also left me a beautiful wood stereo viewer made by Metascope, France, still in great condition. I will take photos of both to post tomorrow. Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted October 29, 2008 I am really excited to see this post. I have this exact camera which my father left me. He used it for over 40 years ( from the 1930s to the late 80s). Unfortunately it is now in bad shape after that many years of use. But I still have all the stereo slides he took over these years. He also left me a beautiful wood stereo viewer made by Metascope, France, still in great condition. I will take photos of both to post tomorrow. Alan Look forward to seeing your pictures Alan. Stereo photography has a strong following. Have you seen these links? stereoview.org the NSA Homepage Stereoscopy.com - The World of 3D-Imaging! (3D Photography / Stereo Photography) Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted October 29, 2008 Share #7 Posted October 29, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Look forward to seeing your pictures Alan. Stereo photography has a strong following. Have you seen these links? stereoview.org the NSA Homepage Stereoscopy.com - The World of 3D-Imaging! (3D Photography / Stereo Photography) Cheers dunk Thanks, I'll check them out. What I would like to do is to save as many of the stereo slides as possible. Could someone point me to the right direction? Here are some quick shots of the Heidoscope and the Metascope. As I indicated, the camera is no longer operable. It suffers from age and decades of use as well as my father's many "improvisations". He was a tinkler. The viewer is in great shape. My grandchildren really enjoy seeing their grandpa in stereo younger than they. Alan Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/66568-historic-franke-heidecke-stereoheidoscop/?do=findComment&comment=699520'>More sharing options...
colorflow Posted October 29, 2008 Share #8 Posted October 29, 2008 Two more. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/66568-historic-franke-heidecke-stereoheidoscop/?do=findComment&comment=699522'>More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted October 29, 2008 The Metascope could be valuable Metascope stereoscope | Christie's but this one did not sell for as much Metascope stereoscope | Christie's They are certainly very collectible. And provided the camera lenses are ok and not scratched the camera might be restorable. The shutters seem to be fairly simple. Maybe someone in the various stereo societies could advise you re preservation of the stereo pairs photographs. But they could be copied fairly easily .. lots of options re copying or digitising them. Digital stereo is a growing popular photographic art form Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share #10 Posted October 29, 2008 Looking at the Heidoscop camera again the lenses seem to be ok . The paint is in very worn condition but the camera appears to be complete. Might be well worth investigating having it CLAd ... and all the good honest WABI has a charm all of its own. Maybe the mirror might need resilvering as mine did but that is a fairly easy job in the UK with several companies offering a resilvering service. And the Metascope is a beautiful piece of apparatus. Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted October 29, 2008 Share #11 Posted October 29, 2008 Beautiful cameras. Thank you for sharing. Can you tell us who serviced your camera? I have a Rolleicord III that is in need of a cleaning. Normally i would use Harry Fleenor in California, but I recently moved to London. thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share #12 Posted October 29, 2008 Beautiful cameras. Thank you for sharing. Can you tell us who serviced your camera? I have a Rolleicord III that is in need of a cleaning. Normally i would use Harry Fleenor in California, but I recently moved to London. thanks See PM Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted October 30, 2008 Share #13 Posted October 30, 2008 Looking at the Heidoscop camera again the lenses seem to be ok . The paint is in very worn condition but the camera appears to be complete. Might be well worth investigating having it CLAd ... and all the good honest WABI has a charm all of its own. Maybe the mirror might need resilvering as mine did but that is a fairly easy job in the UK with several companies offering a resilvering service. And the Metascope is a beautiful piece of apparatus. Cheers dunk The camera is complete. My father used it until the speed was no longer accurate and I think he said there was a light leak somewhere. I am afraid it needs more than a CLA but sure someone can resurrect it here in the US. I also have what looks like a back for holding glass plates? Would be fun to shoot with it... BTW, how does one digitally reproduce stereo slides for viewiing? Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share #14 Posted October 30, 2008 The camera is complete. My father used it until the speed was no longer accurate and I think he said there was a light leak somewhere. I am afraid it needs more than a CLA but sure someone can resurrect it here in the US. I also have what looks like a back for holding glass plates? Would be fun to shoot with it... BTW, how does one digitally reproduce stereo slides for viewiing? Alan One method is to create an ANAGLYPH from the original stereo pair using software. The stereo image can then be viewed using stereo glasses as used to view 3D films in cinemas. Another way would be to copy your stereo pairs as they are onto your computer and view them at full screen size using the "cross eye " method, If you look at your original stereo pairs at arms length with relaxed and slightly crossed eyes it is possible to see a merged 3D image and with practice it can be done quickly without having to wait for the 3D image to "pop" out from the pair ... it actually "pops" into the middle of the two stereo pairs leaving a faint out of focus trace of the original pair on either side. Here is one link re Anaglyph software Computer Shopper: Product Reviews: Labs: Digital Photography Software: Z-Graphix Z-Anaglyph There are experts within the various stereo groups/societies who could advise you better. I think there are other Anaglyph software packages available Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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