C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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The Welta Weltur (1937) is a prewar German folding medium-format camera produced by Welta Kamerawerk in Freital, Saxony. It is one of the earlier examples of a consumer-accessible medium-format folder with a coupled rangefinder — a feature that at the time was largely confined to more expensive cameras such as the Zeiss Super Ikonta. The Weltur supports both 6×6 cm (12 exposures) and 6×4.5 cm (16 exposures) on 120 roll film, using a removable film mask inserted in the film gate.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the — format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →C41
Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
A pre-war German folding medium-format camera with a coupled rangefinder — Welta's answer to the Zeiss Super Ikonta, offering 6×6 or 6×4.5 formats with Tessar optics and genuine rangefinder accuracy.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 6×6 cm or 6×4.5 cm on 120 roll film |
| Lens | Tessar 75/3.5 or Xenar 75/3.5 |
| Years | 1937–1941 |
| Shutter | Compur Rapid, 1s – 1/400s + B |
| Flash sync | None (pre-war) |
| Meter | None |
| Focus | Coupled rangefinder |
| Negatives | 12 (6×6) or 16 (6×4.5) per roll |
| Weight | ~580 g with lens |
| Battery | None required |
Welta Kamerawerk was one of the many small German camera manufacturers in Saxony during the interwar period, producing affordable folding cameras for the consumer and enthusiast market. The Weltur was the company's most capable prewar product — the inclusion of the coupled rangefinder placed it directly above the simpler Weltax (uncoupled focus) and Weltini (35mm folder) in the product range.
Production began in 1937 and continued until approximately 1941, when wartime conditions disrupted civilian camera manufacturing across Germany. Welta's Freital plant was in the Soviet-occupied zone after 1945, and postwar production continued under VEB Kamera-Werk Freital before eventually folding into the broader East German nationalised optical industry. The Weltur itself was not revived after the war; postwar Welta output focused on other models.
The Weltur's production volume was modest, and surviving examples in good condition are less common than postwar folders from Certo, Agfa, or Zeiss Ikon.
The Weltur is historically significant as one of the pre-war German folders that democratised coupled-rangefinder medium-format photography. Before the Super Ikonta and the Weltur, rangefinder coupling in a folding medium-format camera was rare. The Weltur offered this capability at a price below the Zeiss product, making accurate medium-format focusing more broadly accessible.
For collectors, the Weltur represents a window into the rich pre-war German camera industry of Saxony. The dual-format capability (6×6 and 6×4.5 with the mask) adds practical versatility, and the Tessar or Xenar lens delivers results consistent with any prewar four-element optic of its class. A functioning Weltur is a rare and rewarding find for anyone interested in 1930s German photographic technology.
Fixed non-interchangeable lens. Standard: Tessar 75/3.5 (Carl Zeiss Jena) or Xenar 75/3.5 (Schneider). Accessories are limited to push-on filters (Series V or VI depending on lens bezel). No flash sync; no accessory shoe. Cable release socket is standard. The 6×4.5 film mask may be missing on many surviving examples; operation in 6×6 mode does not require the mask.
BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Welta Weltur
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