Foth Derby II, 1931 - 1936
Scope and Contents
Folding camera; 127 roll film; image size 2.75 X 3.5 cm; Anastigmat 550mm f/2.5 lens. Scale-focusing camera with self-timer, basic optical telescopic viewfinder, and rear window type film counter; horizontal travel cloth focal plane shutter with speeds from 1/25 to 1/300. Housed in leather case; camera inoperable.
Dates
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1931 - 1936
Creator
- C.F. Foth and Co. (Manufacturer, Organization)
Access
This material is open for research use by any registered reader.
Biographical / Historical
Designed in 1930, the Foth Derby was intended as a low-cost alternative to the Leica and Contax cameras that had come on the market. The German-designed Derby was a strut folding viewfinder camera for 127 film rolls, made by Foth from 1931 to about 1940. The Derby sported a cloth focal plane shutter capable of shutter speeds of 1/500th of second. It was marketed as a vest-pocket camera suitable for action photography. The first versions of the camera had a film gate size of 24 × 36mm (akin to the 35mm format of the Leicas), while all later versions used the full 30 × 40mm format the 127 film format was capable of without a need to change the lens.
The Derby 2 changed the film gate from 24 × 36 mm to the full 30 × 40 mm that the 127 format was capable of. This version also introduced the self-timer. The camera was sold from 1932 in foreign markets, such as France (marketed as the Foth Derby Sport).
Extent
1 item (1 camera) : glass, metal, cardboard ; 2.8 X 5.7 X 11.2 cm
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the The University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library, Department of Special Collections & University Archives Repository
McFarlin Library
University of Tulsa
2933 E. 6th St
Tulsa 74104-3123 USA
(918) 631-2496
speccoll@utulsa.edu