Camerapedia
Camerapedia
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Balda Juwella[]

The Juwella was a folding camera made by Balda in the 1930's. It is a 6x9 folder (that being a 6cm x 9cm frame) using 120 roll film. The lens is an anastigmatic 10.5 cm (105 mm) marketed as Juwella, you can adjust from 2m to ∞. It has a maximum aperature of f6.3. It has shutter speeds 1/100", 1/50", 1/25", and the settings T and B. The main framing device is a double window to adjust for parallax error. The Juwella also has a viewfinder mounted to the lens and shutter mechanism. The body of the camera is a monkey box of sorts. It has no hot shoe for a flash but has a spring-loaded keyhole for the insertion and lock of accessory objects (which are presumably no longer made...). The tripod-mount of the Juwella is of the type (5/8") used for larger cameras. Some Juwellas have slightly different setups (such as film masks, shutters etc...) and variations were produced for different manufacturers 1.

Opening the Camera[]

The opening and closing of the film compartment is quite confusing for the first time user... There is a very small latch on the side of the keyhole and strap. There is an even smaller arrow indicating the direction to pull it. The back of the camera will now be unlocked. The place for the insertion of fresh 120 film readily folds out for quick insertion. The place for the take-up spool does not do the same. The trick is to pull up on the wind-up key; similar to modern 35mm cameras.

Revealing the Bellows[]

To open the bellows of Juwella, you must first find a small button to the front-left of the two-frame viewfinder. After you push it, the door of the bellows will be released and can be opened until it snaps into place with the help of the folding door lever.

Gallery[]


Bibliography[]

1. alf sigaro. Noris Rollfilmkamera 6x9/4,5x6 cm . http://www.flickr.com/photos/alf_sigaro/2275676702/. alf sigaro's photostream. www.flickr.com, 18 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.

2. ggedney1. Balda Juwella . http://www.flickr.com/photos/43001004@N02/sets/72157622734833796/. ggedney1's photostream. www.flickr.com, 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.

Links[]

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