The Ensign Selfix 820 Folding Roll Film Camera

This is the last of the three Ensign folders that I unearthed in the attic when looking for the Weltaflex, so whilst I'm on a roll, here is the post about my 'find'

I remember buying this about twenty years or so ago, in a house clearance auction at Hartley's in Ilkley West Yorkshire. I used to go to the viewing there most weeks looking for interesting cameras, this is one of them! What struck me then was the condition of the case, it was like new, it still is. I left a bid on it that night, it was successful (£5!) and I picked it up the following night.

This was inside, an Ensign Selfix 820 of the early 1950's and the condition of the camera was as good as the case, hardly a mark on it.

So the story goes that during World War 11 the British forces and government realised that Britain did not have any top quality cameras of its own manufacture, so as good cameras were needed for war time use, they had to fall back on second-hand German ones ! That must have been embarrassing for them. They actually advertised in the press asking for the general public to loan them there Leica's Contax and other such similar quality cameras for the armed forces to use.

But what I can't understand is why Houghton's did not just supply them with their Multex. It had only just gone out of production at the start of the war, was compact and of high quality, why then spend ages designing new models that were not ready until about the end of the war when they already had a camera to do the job? Beats me!

So, the gauntlet was thrown out the our few remaining camera producers to produce something useable. Ensign came up with the Ensign Commando, and the Commando, the Selfix and Selfix Autorange were a knock on result of this war time effort. Ensign even claimed in the press that the early post war models were better than the current German options. Maybe they were, they certainly gave the Zeiss Ikonta and Super Ikonta a good run for their money!

"probably the finest roll-film camera, designed successfully to beat all the German competition both in optical and mechanical performance".

This was the actual wording that Houghton's put out to the press at the time I believe. Now that is a fair statement to make, they must have believed it.

Now were they better? I'm not sure, I used to have an Ensign Commando, and a Super Ikonta, at the time, I preferred the Super Ikonta to be fair, but that was a while ago when most people accepted that German Cameras were the best! It would be a great series of posts to do today though, with an open mind! Commando and Autorange against the Super Ikonta, the Selfix up against the Ikonta and the Nettars! Anyway I digress, lets get back to the 820 Selfix here.

It is not a bad looking camera, the quality of the materials were good, most have stood up well today, the Ross Xpres 105mm f3.8 lens was a belter, the Epsilon shutter was of a good specification with speeds of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, B and T. This one still works, but it would benefit from a clean and service before any regular use I think.

I like it when a camera states 'MADE IN ENGLAND' on it proudly!

Focussing is by guesstimate, the whole lens cell turns at the front, it is still as smooth as it was in 1952, there is a definite solid infinity stop, the distance is marked in feet, so aimed at the home market here I think. I like the aperture selection, it is not a flimsy little arrow like many competitors cameras, but Ensign here have used a proper solid arm with a rectangular box on the end and a red mark in the middle. ( see above picture) No chance of picking the wrong aperture on this camera.

Oh yes, this is some camera. Look at it, it's solid, well finished and heavy, it weighs in at just over 930g and in its case 1175grams! In a way it is more Teutonic than it's German counterparts, this is one solid camera. You could just imagine the designers at Houghtons in London during the late 1940's, sat around the boardroom table with a cup of Typhoo tea and a chocolate digestive planning how to get one over on the Jerrys at Zeiss-Ikon and beat the Ikontas hands down! Forgetting all about their existing 127 Multex in their excitement. I must admit though they did not do a bad job, this is a camera.

Lets look at it in a bit more detail. The Selfix is dual format, that is you can take either 8 pictures in the 6x9cm format or 12 pictures on the classic 6x6cm format, or should I say two and a quarter square and get in period. How did they manage that? With masks, but not the usual masks that get lost, no these were attached and swung back into each film chamber.

I think it also takes both 120 and 620 roll films. Like it's sister camera the Selfix 16-20

This is the set up for 6x9 in the picture above. And below we have the set up for 6x6 with the two masks swung up into position. Yes it can be a little fiddly getting the masks out, but it is a brilliant and simple design idea.

In the back were a pair of red windows, one clearly marked 12, the other 8. So there is no getting mixed up following the dots and numbers. You just slide the relevant metal cover open, get to number 1, slide the cover back and away you go.

Even the red widows are well engineered !

The Albada viewfinder, which is nice and clear, has two suspended frame type masks for the different formats, I know the smaller one does not look square when you look at it from the inside like this picture below, but when you look at it correctly as if you were composing a picture then oh yes it is perfectly square. Very clear with the suspended frames clearly visible.

The nice large Albada finder, ace if you wear specs!

The Selfix 820 has the neat depth of field guide found on some of the other Selfix's of the period.

The top plate of the camera is quite neat and uncluttered, but it does lack an accessory shoe, which one could mount a little separate rangefinder onto. This would have been so useful, with there not being a rangefinder built into the camera.

I have seen a Selfix 820 with an accessory shoe fitted, now whether that was a later factory fitment or that a frustrated photographer in the 1950's got it fitted at the time I'm not sure. Of course Houghton's did produce a Selfix with a built in rangefinder that was uncoupled, they named it the Selfix 820 Special. It had a built on top plate, housing the viewfinder / rangefinder and they sat an accessory shoe on top of that ! Maybe they listened to customer feedback in those days !

I wonder just who bought these fantastic Ensign Selfix's back in the early 1950's, I mean they were not cheap, I think they were around £30 in the early 1950's, which was a lot of money back then. How many films did the original owner put through it and how did they turn out? I have an image of a successful middle aged manager or businessman type, quite well off wearing his suit with a waistcoat and trilby, shiny classic brogue shoes, driving a Humber Super Snipe, or Rover 90, or maybe, if he was actually from Ilkley West Yorkshire, where this Ensign camera was bought and he liked good looking functional items, a new Jowett Javelin perhaps, built in nearby Bradford. When he wanted his film developing he just dropped it off at Annings the Camera shop on Cunliffe Road, just off The Grove!! A nice picture, though alas we will never know for sure!

What are my thoughts on this camera? I'm amazed that it has survived so well over the years, it looks hardly used, but if you look closely at the shutter button the chrome has rubbed right through to the brass. No this camera has definitely seen a fair bit of use, it has had a lot of careful use shall we say. The other thing I was wondering was why is the case like new? I have a theory. I think that what has happened here is the case is so awkward in use, and even more awkward when trying to get the camera back in and out of the case, screwing the bottom retaining screw back in is a challenge to say the least, then if this was my camera, I would leave the case at home and I think that is indeed what the first owner has done. That is my theory!

The camera is really well made, it is rugged tough and functional, but on the down side it is heavy and a bit numb! That is being a bit unkind to it, but you know what I mean. I would love to try it out, but I'm more likely to put a film through my Selfix 16-20 first. I have used a Selfix 820 before, I borrowed one to use at Aireville School Camera Club back in the mid 1970's and I remember getting some great results from it, but today I would pick the Selfix 16-20 first!

Ensign Selfix 820 on the left the 16-20 on the right.

Why you may ask? Not sure really they are both very similar in style and specification.

But the 16-20 is so more compact and nicer to hold. Nothing scientific in my preference, the 16-20 just feels right somehow.

I would of course use the 820 Selfix if I wanted the bigger negative size for a particular reason.

They are really nice cameras, I'm starting to read up about them all now and all the different models they produced, the Special versions with the un-coupled rangefinders seem very useful and the simpler Rangers look interesting and good just to slip in your pocket. The Commando looks as ugly as hell, but I know it is a real piece of kit, if I could rob a bank I would have an Autorange with the coupled range finder. Now that is a Super Ikonta beater if ever I saw one! If the bank raid netted a few thousands I would have a Multex, now that must be my ultimate roll film camera!

So with this back shot, I will say goodbye for now ! My cup of tea has gone cold and my typing finger has packed up and had enough. I hope this post was a good read. I'm glad that I unearthed these three Ensigns from the attic and did not put them straight back in the box.

If anyone knows of a good repairer that can service the Epsilon shutter at a fair cost and with a reasonably quick turn around time I would be most grateful, my current repairer is too slow, I'm still waiting for my Praktica IV to come back and it went in January, Newton and Ellis in Liverpool have closed, so who else is out there?

Hopefully next week I will have a real rarity to post about, a folding Japanese camera of which according to the internet there only three surviving examples known about in the world! Well I may have just found the fourth, but lets wait and see first, but it's looking positive. Fingers crossed.

Take care,

Phil