Zeh 'no name' 127 folder with the 5cm f2.9 Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar lens in a Compur Shutter. AKA the Zeh Goldi.
- Kamera Ostalgie
- 9 hours ago
- 6 min read
Zeh is probably one of the little known German brands of cameras, with only the Zeh Goldi and the Zeccaflex that come to mind, well my mind at least. Of course they made other cameras and are fairly well known in Germany but not so much in Great Britain.
This camera has no makers name on it at all, nowhere, but just looking at it it shouts out Zeh Goldi. Which of course is what it is, or maybe to be more accurate this camera was made by Zeh with no makers identification on it for another camera manufacturer or large retailer! But it is without doubt a Zeh Goldi.
It seems that Zeh, or Zeca as they are sometimes called made a living out of making cameras for other people! Loads of em! Probably the most well known is that they made cameras for Rodenstock, the most popular is probably the Rodenstock Ysella 127 folder, and yes you have guessed it, the Rodenstock Ysella is a Zeh Goldi no less.
It's pretty amazing, the same camera, but the maker is Rodenstock, the model Ysella ! But it is virtually identical to the Zeh Goldi!
But wait, this is not all, when you start doing a little digging how about Herlango by Renox, who also had Balda producing cameras for them, Ralikona by Ralik and also by Zeh themselves as the Coloprint, Baffo and Imperial to name but a few. There was even a Japaneses direct copy called the Baby Rosen!
Also you could buy a genuine Zeh Goldi with a Leitz Elamar lens, like the Leica!
Yes, seriously, you could purchase your Zeh 127 folding camera with a Elmar lens, how cool is that.
When you really look into this fact, Leitz just did not sell their lenses to anyone, they had a high quality reputation to keep, they would not do anything that would damage the reputation of their relatively new Leica with its Elmar lens. So they must have really looked at the quality of the design and production of the Zeh 127 before they agreed to sell Zeh the Elmar lenses. I think it was the design of how the lens standard was always parallel, vertical and absolutely rock solid. It came out automatically, was pushed back in using the two knobs which allowed it back in with no strain on the mechanism at all. This means that any lens mounted on this camera could produce its best. looking at the Zeh sat here in front of me now, the front standard holding the lens and Compur shutter is rock solid and vertical, with no wag, no play nothing and this must be well over 90 years old. Oh how I would like to get my hands on a Elmar version and try it out!
Probably the only other similar cameras Leitz let use the Elmar lens on were the Nagel Pupille and the Nagel Vollenda, both extremely well made cameras in their own right.
You can see pictures of the Elmar Zeh on CJ's Classic Camera Collection site, one of the best sites on vintage cameras on the internet. Link below, please take a look! He even has a larger format version of the Zeh Goldi.
So, what do we know about the firm Zeh ? The firm was founded in 1902, by PaulZeh and was located in Dresden-Lobtau which is at the South West edge of Dresden in Germany. They lasted until around 1948. I can't find out why production ceased then, but I suppose the destruction of Dresden in the war, and that they then fell under control of the Soviet Union which must have been the worst case scenario for any company at the time. Zeh or Zeca, both names seemed to have been used, started off making components and sundries for the emerging Dresden camera companies, but by 1913 they seemed to be producing complete cameras. in 1922 the name became Zeh-Camera-Fabrik Paul Zeh. The cameras produced were high quality and the designs very original.
Lets have a look at the Zeh Goldi with no name which is sat here on my desk. The camera looks very well put together to me, it feels heavy and very solid. It weighs in at 362g, which is heavy for a very small 127 folding camera. The shutter is a Compur with the following speeds. T. B. 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 300th of a second. All speeds are still working apart from T and B, 1 second is slightly slow. The lens is a Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar f:2.9 F=5cm to be precise. It still looks remarkably clear for its 90 odd years.
The apertures are 2.96, 3.5, 4.5, 5.6, 8, 11. and 16. Around the shutter are the words F.Deckel Munchen with the F.D.Logo. The number on the shutter is 2490962, which puts the shutter around 1931/32. The lens number is 486300.
I bought this example recently off eBay. I hate buying cameras off eBay, as they are usually poorly described poorly photographed and the descriptions are now just a load of AI fantasy bullshit. No facts, no condition statements nothing that tells you anything about the camera. The people that are selling the cameras know nothing about them or pretend to know nothing about them, which is even worse! This camera was no different, poorly described, rubbish description etc etc, you know how it is, you are buying blind.
The camera was described as a Rodenstock Ysella 127 Folding Camera with a 2.9 Trinar 5cm lens! So they guessed at the maker and model as this Zeh says neither on it anywhere and lied about the lens as it clearly said it was a 5cm Schneider-Kreuznach Radionar !
The description was this. The Rodenstock Ysella 127 Folding Camera is a vintage photography gem from Germany, featuring a sleek black design and a 5cm f2.9 Trinar lens for capturing crisp images with stunning clarity. This compact camera, part of the Ysella series, is perfect for photography enthusiasts looking to explore the world of folding cameras and experience the charm of shooting with a classic piece of equipment that hails from a bygone era.
I had to chuckle at the above load of rubbish being spouted, I knew exactly what it was, I had been after one for a while, so as the price was right and I had a little Birthday money I had a punt! The fact that it had been poorly described probably helped in the end! Look at the picture of the lens. Trinar indeed. As Trinar is a Rodenstock lens, I'm guessing the seller found a Rodenstock Ysella listing and just copied everything.
The camera arrived poorly packed just in a single layer of tissue paper and a Jiffy bag! Some people. This was an extremely dirty camera, I have spent hours cleaning it up and still have the bellows to do! The camera back was jammed solid, luckily I have managed to sort it. Don't get me wrong I knew what it would be like, I'm very happy with my purchase, but this seems typical of buying off eBay now. What has happened to truth accuracy and common sense these days?
The pressure plate is a little corroded, so It looks like I will have to do a little work on it before I get a film put through it, I think this pressure plate may scratch the film as it is at present. Other examples of the Zeh Goldi I have seen have black pressure plates, I wonder why they made un coated ones?
The viewfinder on my example is missing the rear glass out of the frame, not crucial you can still use it, but again not disclosed by the seller.
The well made camera interior showing spool holders. Looks pretty straightforward to load.
Side view showing the really well engineered struts and folding mechanism.
Side view of the other side again showing the really solid struts and folding mechanism.
As you can see this camera has had a great deal of use in its 90 plus years on our planet, the black leatherette covering being quite well worn, there is no doubt that it has seen life. It was a home market version, with the lens focussing marked in metres, so has come through a world war in one piece!
So, I'm quite happy that it has cleaned up well ! The round ring of scuffed enamel had me scrating my head for a while, trying to think of a cause, my conclusion is if you fold the camera up without puting the lens focus back to infinity, then the lens is further out and just rubs the enamel on the door! Put the lens to infinity and it does not touch it !
That is about it for this post, I could go on a while longer, but on this ocassion I won't!
If you have one and are thinking of using it then take a look at this post where the author runs a few films through his example, very interesting and with good results.
If you want further reading about Zeh cameras, have a look at the Zecaflex with Dan Cuny. This must be the Zeh that most people think of and Dan gives us an interesting account of it with some nice results.
Did you know that for some reason Houghton-Butchers the Ensign producers, sold the Zecaflex in their late 1930's catalogue. Now what is the link between Zeh and Houghtons? I would really like to know !
I hope you enjoy the post,
take care,
Phil
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