Foth Derby camera

C.F. Foth of Gdansk/Danzig and later Berlin and Paris was a short-lived camera maker that offered a line of three camera series for a little over a decade.

Most of Foth’s camera models did not gain prominence in camera history; the one model still seen is the Derby, which seems to have been its bestseller. There are many online and print references to this model. Still, as is common with vintage cameras, details differ from one article to another, as do the names for the separate models.

In the table below, I have summarized what I found in different sources. Yet, I suspect it is biased, as the Derby had no major specification changes or cut-and-dry evolution, and all were marked Derby by the manufacturer. At large, there is more that is common to all models than there are differences.

The Derby is not a typical prewar camera. It looks like a transitional style between the bulky folders and the compact 35mm. It keeps the compact size by using a strut-folding pop-out lens board instead of the common fold-out bed. Similar to high-end cameras of the time, the shutter mechanism and controls are within the body, not in the lens assembly. The focal-plane curtain shutter is borrowed from Leica. I would classify this camera as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, with features, specifications, and quality higher than those of the class it was meant for.

• The first Derby generation used 24x36mm format on #127 spool, allowing 18 exposures on a roll, two more than the common 3x4cm format. It used a Newtonian viewer, which is a fancy name for a sports-type viewer, although decreasing the captured view. Lens was Foth’s own 2.5/50, high-spec for the time.
• The next model added a self-timer.
• A folding tubular hinged viewer was soon added, with an option for a cheaper 3.5/50, while the rest was unchanged.
• On the back, the frame counter view windows now have two selectable sets, green and red. Green for panchromatic and red for orthochromatic film.
• The cameras were sold at export markets, with different add-on options. The UK models offered interchangeable lenses; I’m not sure what mount, if proprietary or any of the existing conventions. There are mentions on the fly about available lenses for this model by Zeiss and Dallmeyer, but no details.
• The US model added a US-made rangefinder module. The rangefinder could also be mounted on earlier models. It was sold also by Sears as Foth Deby Super Speed
• In the late 1930s, production shifted to France, where Foth joined (?) Gallus. models unchanged, but a French-made rangefinder could be added.
• From about that time onwards, products were Gallus-branded. Tracks of Foth, as a person or a company, went cold.
• Note that in the notes above, I refrained from matching each upgrade with a generation/model. As said, all models were named Derby, and the model’s name was added by later historians, with no clear accord.

The camera

• The Derby is of the “read the manual first” type.
• The camera on my desk is a later model; I entered it under Derby II W/O rangefinder. It is the model that is most often offered for sale.
• The camera is tiny, true pocket size, even by today’s standards.
• The top has a Leica-style shutter speed selector. Turn it clockwise to cock the shutter. Turning is against a fairly strong spring; it takes turning until it locks in place, else it will click back. Once done, lift the ring and set the speed against the (tiny) dot on the hub.
• Next to it is the self-timer lever, marked with a red dot. It is oddly positioned, and it took me some time to find out what it does. To activate the timer, push it to the left till it locks under the pin next to it. To initiate, push the said pin to the left. The self-timer overrides the trigger.
• The prominent, hinged viewer is next. It is embarrassingly small, and the view is reduced to being captured. I don’t know why the viewer is hinged, perhaps to reduce the overall footprint.
• The winder knob is by it. Using a paperback #127 film, there is no rewind knob.
• The hinged back opens via a bolt on the side, marked with an arrow.
• A slider on the back exposes either the red or green frame number viewing lenses to match the film used.
• The frame orientation is portrait, so to take a landscape image, turn the camera on its side.
• The shutter is a focal-plane cloth curtain, borrowed from the high-end models of the time. On my camera, aside from a slight wrinkle, both curtains slide happily.
• The front board pulls out by pulling on the top and bottom tabs, and it clicks nicely into place. The lens board bottom is flush with the camera base, so it sits firmly on a flat surface. To retract, push it back.
• The modest trigger is at the front, top left of the lens board. With the lens board retracted, it hides in a matching hole. A remote trigger port is on the other side of the board, with a matching hole.
• The zone focusing dial is flush with the lens board. On my camera, it is marked in feet, so it is a US version.
• As the front end is the aperture dial.

For the collector, it is a highly recommended addition. It differs from other cameras of the era in both features and quality.

Foth Derby models list

image link	Model	Year	AKA
	Derby I	1931
	Derby II Luxus	1931
	Derby II, w/o CRF	1934	Super Derby, several versions
	Derby II, w CRF	1934	US market
	Derby Early	1930	Sport viewer
	Derby IIIb	1935
	Derby III	1935	Derby Super Speed
	Super Derby	1934