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 Voigtländer Bessa 66 (1938) is a folding medium-format camera produced in Braunschweig, Germany, by Voigtländer & Sohn AG, exposing twelve 6×6 cm frames on 120 roll film. Introduced in 1938 and produced with interruptions through the immediate postwar period, the Bessa 66 represents the upper tier of Voigtländer's folding camera line — a compact, well-engineered 6×6 folder available with some of the finest lenses in the Voigtländer catalogue.
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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.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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About this camera
Voigtländer's prewar 6×6 folder — the Bessa 66 offered 6×6 cm medium format photography in a compact folding body available with the renowned Heliar or Color-Skopar lenses, making it one of the most capable German folding cameras of the late 1930s.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 120 roll film, 6×6 cm (12 exposures) |
| Mount | Fixed (non-interchangeable) |
| Years | 1938–1950 |
| Lens | Heliar 75mm f/3.5 or Color-Skopar 75mm f/3.5 (or Voigtar 75/4.5) |
| Shutter | Compur / Prontor leaf: ~1s – 1/300s + B |
| Flash sync | None on prewar examples; late versions vary |
| Meter | None |
| Exposure | Manual |
| Viewfinder | Direct optical (no rangefinder) |
| Focus | Scale (metres) |
| Battery | None |
Voigtländer had produced folding cameras under the Bessa name since the early 1930s, initially in 6×9 and 4.5×6 formats. The Bessa 66 introduced the 6×6 square format to the Bessa line in 1938, a format already established by Zeiss Ikon's Ikoflex TLR and Rolleiflex.
Production was interrupted by World War II but resumed briefly in the immediate postwar period (1945–1950) before the design was updated as the postwar Bessa I (6×9) and Bessa II series. The Bessa 66's name implies the format directly — six by six — though in later usage Voigtländer used the same "Bessa" name for 6×9 and other format cameras, causing some naming confusion among collectors.
The postwar versions of the Bessa 66 sometimes incorporated improved lens coatings and minor shutter updates. Examples fitted with the Heliar are among the most sought-after postwar German folding cameras, as the Heliar renders subjects with a three-dimensional quality and smooth out-of-focus rendering that has made it a cult lens among medium-format film photographers.
The Voigtländer Bessa 66 represents the best of prewar and immediate postwar German folder engineering: quality construction, a superb lens selection including the Heliar, and the practicality of the square 6×6 format. The Heliar-equipped variant in particular is considered one of the finest lens-camera combinations available in a folding medium-format body at used-market prices. For landscape, portrait, and street photographers who want medium-format quality in a pocketable package, the Bessa 66 remains compelling.
Fixed lens — Heliar 75/3.5, Color-Skopar 75/3.5, or Voigtar 75/4.5 depending on specification; non-interchangeable. The Heliar is a five-element design offering outstanding central sharpness and smooth bokeh. The Skopar is a four-element Tessar-type, sharp and contrasty. No accessory mount for close-up attachments on most examples. Accessories: ever-ready case, yellow/orange filter for black-and-white work (series size filter slip-on).
BW
Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
View profile →Voigtländer Bessa 66
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