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.
View profile →tlr-medium-format
The Walzflex is a 6x6cm twin-lens reflex camera produced by Walz Co. of Japan, introduced around 1954. Walz was primarily known as a photographic importer and accessory distributor, but like several Japanese firms of the postwar era the company commissioned or produced modestly specified TLRs to compete in the expanding domestic and export markets.
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.
View profile →BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Before you buy used
About this camera
A low-cost Japanese 6x6 TLR from 1954, built by Walz Co. for photographers who wanted medium format on a tight budget.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 film, 6x6cm (12 exposures) |
| Mount | Fixed |
| Taking lens | Walzer 75mm f/3.5 |
| Viewing lens | Walzer 75mm f/3.5 |
| Year introduced | ~1954 |
| Shutter | Leaf: 1s - 1/300s + B |
| Flash sync | ~ |
| Meter | None |
| Film advance | Side knob, red-window frame count |
| Viewfinder | Waist-level, ground glass + sports finder |
| Battery | None |
Walz Co. operated mainly as a distributor of imported photographic equipment and accessories in postwar Japan. The Walzflex appears to have been produced around 1954, during the period when numerous smaller Japanese manufacturers and distributors released budget TLRs to capitalise on demand from amateur photographers who could not afford the German alternatives or even the better-specified Yashica and Minolta models.
Details of the production run, any variant models, and exact discontinuation date are not well documented in English-language sources. The camera appears to have had a limited production life before Walz returned to its core importing business.
The Walzflex is of interest primarily as a historical artefact of the crowded mid-1950s Japanese budget TLR market. It illustrates how broadly the TLR format had permeated the entry-level segment by 1954: even accessory distributors were fielding their own branded cameras.
The Walzer 75mm f/3.5 lens is a modest performer -- capable of acceptable results at small apertures but not in the same class as the Yashinon or Rokkor lenses on competing models. Used copies are uncommon and inexpensive, typically selling for less than $70 in working condition.
For collectors, the Walzflex is a minor curiosity: a well-made, unpretentious camera from a brand that otherwise left little mark on photographic history.
C41
Kodak Portra 160 is a professional C-41 color negative film with fine grain, soft contrast, and natural color.
View profile →Walz Co. Walzflex
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