I knew virtually nothing about the Foth-Derby except that a friend of mine had one and found the camera intriguing. When one became available at a price too good to pass up, I snapped up this little 127 viewfinder camera.
The Derby feels well built, except for the viewfinder which looks like it would be easy to snap off. The winding motion to cock the shutter takes some practice as the mechanism is not ratcheted and must be wound completely before locking in place.
The cloth shutter on this particular camera is a little loose resulting in a tiny gap during winding. A hand over the lens is an easy, if also easily forgettable, work around.
Make | Foth C.F. |
---|---|
Model | Derby Type 3 |
Year | 1935 – 1939 |
Format | 127 |
Shutter | Cloth Focal Plane |
Speed | B, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200, 500, self-timer |
Lens | Foth Anastigmat |
f3.5 50mm | |
Focus | 3.5ft – ∞ |
Aperture | f3.5 to 18 |
Light Meter | No |
Rangefinder | No |