Out of the BOX TENGOR

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About Out of the BOX TENGOR

Images taken with a Zeiss Ikon Box-Tengor camera. Recent images taken with this great camera.

What is a Zeiss Box-Tengor camera?

The most common version of this camera is a small but sophisticated leather/leatherette covered metal 6x9 box camera produced by Zeiss Ikon from the early 1920's to the early 1950's. These cameras usually take 120 film however several other formats were produced. It has only one shutter speed (approx. 1/25th of a second) plus a B setting for long exposures. The lens is a Goerz Frontar 105mm f/11. There are three apertures: f/11, f/16, and f/22 and three focus settings. Focusing is done with supplimentary lenses positioned behind the lens via a lever for portrait (head and shoulders), middle (group) and far (8 feet - infinity) or in metric, 1-2 m to 2-8 m to 8 - infinity distances. These cameras have a chrome plated capping paddle which can be seen through the lens, to block out light for the self returning shutter. This paddle gives the camera a very unique look from the front.

There are examples of this camera that produce 6x4.5 exposures.
i ran across a twin lens version of this camera on the web called a Tengoflex.

Lens - aperture range - closest focus info:

• GOERZ FRONTARf/11/1052 elements in 1 group (3/2)f/11-251,5mBox Tengor*1930's

• GOERZ FRONTAR-ACHROMATf/9/1052 elements in 1 group (3/2)(3/2)f/9-163'Box Tengor II*1950's