Gossen Sixtomat
Sixtomat exposure meter.
The Sixtomat, manufactured by Gossen in Erlangen Germany, is a exposure meter to be used for photographic and cine purposes. The meter only measures reflected light. The sensor can be shut off for light by a metal rolling blind. This roller blind protects the sensitive parts of the meter like the sensor and the glass of the reading scale. The blind is made of special V2a rustles steel.
The Sixtomat has been made in different versions and also in different colors. Most common is the black version rare are the dark blue and dark red versions. The first production date is around 1950 and since then a large number of these meter have been made. Later on this meter has been improved and merged into the Sixtomat J the Sixtomat X2 and the Sixtomat X3. There are some minor differences in the production versions like the color of the scale on the film sensitivity knob and the knob itself. The meter has been developed shortly after the Sixtus 2. The Sixtus 2 is the first post WW2 meter since 1936. The Sixtomat is a complete new design after the well known bakelite versions.
An application for the German patent was done on December 24 1949, the USA patent for the Sixtomat was requested at June 2 1950 by P. Gossen & Co. GMBH Erlangen Germany under number 2,699,087. The inventors are the son of Paul Gossen, Hans Gossen and Erwin Pfaffenberger.
In December 1950 the American Cinematographer has placed an article in their magazine presenting this meter; “Sixtomat. New, Automatic Exposure Meter.” The Sixtomat is being imported and distributed in the USA by the Mitropa Corporation, New York City and the retail price in that time was about US $32.50. This article describes the function of the meter extensively.
It is clearly an automated version of his predecessors, the Photolux, Ombrux, Blendux, Cimbrux, Sixtus, Ombrux 2 and Sixtus 2. The red button for changing the sensitivity of the meter is now incorporated in the mechanism. When rotating the knob, you can see the scale changing from red to black or vice versa. A internal switch changes this sensitivity accordingly, replacing manual pressing the button. It is a meter of the next generation of Gossen exposure meters for photographic and cine purposes, measuring reflected and incident light (some of them) by use of what Gossen called the ‘rollo’ a movable blind. The electrical function of the Sixtomat is still based on the older predecessors with the red button on top. This button enables the meter to measure with different light sensitivity. This function is incorporated into the Sixtomat but invisible for the user because it is mounted on the axle were also the knob is mounted. The sensitivity changes when the scale goes from black to red and vice versa. In the newer versions of the Sixtomat this function has been removed. The notch on the axle is still there but the switch has been removed at the same time the metal roller blind has been replaced by a diffuse one enabling the meter to measure reflected light en when the blind is in front of the sensor. also to measure incident light.
The first Sixtomat exposure meter, from the early fifties and still available in the early seventies so it last for more than two decades. In a Gossen brochure from 1971 it still available and in the meantime, more than 1.500.000 meters have been produced. The types that are manufactured are as far as we know the Sixtomat, the Sixtomat X2, The Sixtomat X3, the Sixtomat Deluxe I, the Sixtomat J. Even between the meters of the same type, there are differences in manufacturing. Also there are meters made in different colors but of the same model, like the Sixtomat normally in black is also in dark blue and even in dark red. The Sixtomat X3 has been made with a complete transparent housing.
There are several versions of the Sixtomat from 1950 to the 1970th onwards;
Sixtomat, first Sixtomat with metal roller curtain only for reflected light.
Sixtomat, as above but with a ‘L’ on the read out scale and different exposure times, for Leica?
Sixtomat-I deluxe, the metal curtain has been changed to a plastic one enabling measurement of incident light
Sixtomat J, still figuring out what exactly the differences are
Sixtomat Dual,
Sixtomat X2, predecessor of the Sixtomat X3 except for the color finder
Sixtomat X3, Final Sixtomat for measuring reflected light, incident light and color temperature. Sold until the seventies.
Sixtomat X3, version in a transparent housing
Sixtomat X3 with ‘Tower’ label’, version for Sears.
See versions for an overview.
Gossen and Leica.
During time, gossen has made several Leica versions of their meters. Some of them are recognisable by the word Leica or just the “L” on the sacle or the meter itself but some others have no special mark but can be recognised by the values on the scale.
Special thanks to Richard W Holzman and Simon Spaans for additional information and articles.
via Gossen Sixtomat.
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Vintage/ Antique camera repair/ restoration tools
Kyphoto.com is one of the most reliable and resourceful sites for camera repair information. They provide a list of useful camera repair tools, which are asked by many people.
Are you a DIY guy trying to fix or rescue your own precious cameras? If yes, there are the tools that you need.
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Screwdrivers Niwa brand drivers are our favorites because they have big handles and the replaceable tips are very strong (but it doesn’t mean they are unbreakable!). The T-handle is a nice addition. A Sears set of six (4 slot and 2 phillips in a blue plastic case) is handy to keep around when a special size blade needs to be ground. This set is cheap and made of good, hardened steel. |
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Pliers Don’t think one can ever have too many different pliers. Sears has a set of 4 mini pliers that is a good start. A tool should be comfortable… A set (round and pointed nose) of 4″ Visegrips are excellent for holding parts during filing or precise bending. A set of cheap fixed tip snap ring pliers with the tips filed to fit pin face screws. Only use this if the screw is so tight the friction screwdriver won’t remove it. The plier set you see in this picture was bought at Sears for $9.99. |
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Tweezers Plastic surgical tweezers are the best for general parts handling. They are big and stout. But a set of metal, straight and curved, are sometimes required. |
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Lens spanner Depends from person to person and job to job if spanners are necessary. Especially on really tight lens rings they are invaluable. The replaceable tip ones are best. Also S. K. Grimes makes an excellent looking spanner. |
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Needle Files A cheapie set of 10 different cross-sections has worked fine. |
| Set of Batteries If I had a nickel for every time a friend has shown me this “broken” camera and all I did was put in a fresh battery… well, I’d have at least a dollar! Seriously, keep a set of various batteries around. I have a short length of wooden 2×4 with holes drilled in it to organize my batteries. |
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Filter Ring Remover Most camera shops carry cheapie filter ring removers. The big plier-like ones seem best. I don’t have a set of these big, nice…expensive…ones, but they are on my Christmas List. |
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Head Loupe Next to my Tee-handle Niwa driver I use this the most. Could be my aging eyes?? I use it in diagnosing parts or checking lens element cleanliness, as a face shield while making parts with the rotary tool, any time I solder… gosh, all the time. |
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Rotary tool Sears offers a nice 5 speed model. When you advance into making/modifying parts this tool will be your closest friend. I’m amazed that of my numerous bits I only use about four 99% of the time. Cutoff wheel, pointed grinding stone, rasp (looks like an end-mill) and a small ball tipped cutter. The first three are 1/8″ shank and the last is 3/32″ shank. |
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Soldering Iron I use a 45 watt Radio Shack pencil type plugged into a variable temperture control unit. My favorite tip is a spade type I bent to about 45 degrees. |
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Friction screwdriver Make from a short length of round wooden dowel (or broom handle). Just glue a piece of flat rubber on the end. A couple different diameters is handy. These are used mostly for removing the ring around wind levers. I use it even if the ring has grooves. |
| Crochet hooks Makes excellent spring hooks and probes. I use a set consisting of US10, 12 and 14. And I have an extra bent US10. The 10 is especially useful for spinning off lens rings after initial loosening. |
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| Artist style paintbrushes For internal cleaning… Flat ones are better than the pointed. |
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| Toothbrush Exterior cleaning. |
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| Rubber pads For loosening anything you don’t want to scratch…like everything. Start collecting various soft rubber pads. Anything can be used: furniture foot pads, sink stoppers, door stops…anything. A few sheets of soft rubberized cloth (dental dam) works well. |
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Tool holder Don’t know about you but my desk gets cluttered with tools when I’m tinkering. The best thing I have found to organize the tools currently being used is a 78 cent plastic drill bit holder. It is made to hold 26 bits from ½” to 1/16″. Holds everything from pliers to screwdrivers to…well, everything I normally use. Alternately a piece of 2×4 with custom drilled holes would be perfect…but for 78 cents, I can be lazy. |
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Parts tray A very necessary tool of organization! You can spend money on a store bought tray or… got a buddy that plays golf? or play yourself? The plastic egg crate-like containers that some brands of golf balls come in are near perfect. See thru is better… |
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Big, strong magnet To find and pick up small parts you WILL drop. |
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Machinist’s dividers Best for pin faced screws like shutter speed dial screws, self timer screws, etc. |
| Wooden chopstick To insert in between the fork of the rewinding shaft to unscrew the rewinding knob. Does not scar paint as opposed to the normal screwdriver handle. |
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| Toothpick or inkpen Once the retaining ring is loosened, unscrew the remainder with one or both of these two items. Inkpen (no ink, of course), if extra strength is needed. Toothpick, for smaller notches and good for depositing small drops of lubricant or glue. |
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Film can Need to store a bunch of little parts? If you shoot Fuji film like I do, you can write the camera name on the side of the white container. I have three or four from off brand film that are clear. They are the best. |
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Film cans If one is good, then two is better and seven is perfect. Six empty film cans fit perfectly around a center can. Rubberband these all together and you have a great place to set those opened tubes of glue, thread lock, teflon oil, epoxy, etc. Also great for thicker tools like the friction screwdrivers and small butane torch shown. A ton of mini pliers will fit in them too. |
| Windex Excellent for cleaning lenses but I use it for cleaning everything on the camera exterior. |
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Pliobond For regluing leatherette mostly but works fine holding curtains and curtain straps to their shafts. When gluing curtains and straps clamp tight for best bond. The nice thing about Pliobond is that is doesn’t dry stiff. |
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Ronsonol Good for dissolving old grease and flushing out dirty mechanisms. Caution: Ronsonol is very flammable…duh, it is lighter fluid. Coleman campstove fuel works fine also but stinks to high heaven. |
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Teflon Lube Use sparringly on pivot shafts. Apply with the tip of your smallest slot screwdriver. Radio Shack carries a couple different types in handy tubes. |
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Moly grease Thick molybdenum disulfide grease. Good for high surface stress areas or use as focus helix damping grease. Also very useful for holding aluminum/brass screws of old Kodaks to your screwdriver. Just apply a small ball of moly on the driver tip and stick on the screw. It’ll stay stuck there until you start the screw. |
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RemOil This is gun oil. I use it as penetrating oil. It can be a mess to use but it frees shafts and pivots well. On older cameras I usually flush with Ronsonol after the parts free up then blow everything dry and apply Teflon lube to the pivots. On newer cameras made of harder steel parts I skip the Teflon lube and run dry. |
| Acetone (in some types of fingernail polish remover) Use to unstick stuck screws. |
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Graphite Get the finest grain size you can find. I use graphite as a manually applied plating. I massage it on contact surfaces until the color slightly darkens then blow out all stray graphite. Very good for aperture/shutter blades. |
| J/B Weld Can repair most broken parts that don’t see high stress. |
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| Kleenex To clean lens elements. My favorite technique is to fold the Kleenex in small squares and hold with round tipped locking tweezers. Do not touch glass with tweezers nor apply pressure. Wipe in circles, do not scrub. And change the Kleenex if ANY dirt particles can be seen on it. These particles WILL scratch the glass! |
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| Paper towels Exterior cleaning and as a placemat for the camera to protect both camera and desk from scratches during assembly/disassembly. |
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| Washcloth I prefer an old washcloth in lieu of the paper towel as a placemat. |
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| Paints Micro-Tools sells several paints and coatings that sometimes even match the camera color! |
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| Can of compressed air An essential cleaning tool. An air compressor set at about 40 psi with a pencil tip is best and by far cheapest but my wife won’t let me bring the garage compressor in the house. |
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Dial vernier caliper To measure things… What else can I say? Generally only needed when making/modifying parts. |
| Multimeter Circuit testing. And if you have a digital, one check out the shutter speed tester you can make using it. A description can be found in test equipment section. |
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Dial Indicater Like the dial vernier, not used very often. |
Ross Portable Divided – A Special Twin Lens Reflex
Lens:
f8, 7 ½”, 6″ x 5″ Rapid Symmetrical, iris diaphragm to f64 with click stops. Serial no. 50527 .
Viewing lens: similar but without iris (unused slot for Waterhouse stops). Serial no. 52147 .
Shutter:
T-P Time shutter, without speed indicator. Serial no. H8238.
Construction:
Black stitched hide covering on wood, black painted interior.
Format:
4″ x 5″ plates held in double dark-slides.
Focusing:
Bellows to 8 feet.
Attributes:
Reflex viewing through second lens. Full-size ground glass focusing screen. Eye-level mirror in hood. The lens retracts to close the door.
Movements:
Cross front.
Serial Number:
670 .
Lens:
f8, 7 ½”, 6″ x 5″ Rapid Symmetrical, iris diaphragm with external pointer to f64. Serial no. 52234 .
Viewing lens: similar but without iris (unused slot for Waterhouse stops). Serial no. 52243 .
Shutter:
T-P T & I shutter, speeded 1/15 – 1/90. Ross label. Serial no. O8295.
Construction:
De-luxe finish of brown stitched hide covering on mahogany, polished interior, aluminium fittings.
Format:
4″ x 5″ plates held in double dark-slides.
Focusing:
Bellows to 8 feet.
Attributes:
Reflex viewing through second lens. Full-size ground glass focusing screen. Eye-level mirror in hood. The lens retracts to close the door.
Movements:
Rising front.
Serial Number:
915 .
Notes:
Address label on case: Ross & Co. 111 New Bond St. London.
With:
- 6 double dark-slides (1 – 12), mahogany with aluminium fittings.; Lens cap.
- Ross focusing magnifier, screw adjustment with locking ring. Two lenses. In box.
- Extension back. Focusing with combined lens is to c 2′ 4″, with single element focusing is from infinity to 11 feet.
- Velvet hood for focusing screen with wooden eye piece panel.; Focusing cloth.; Canvas case.
The 
Portable Divided was one of several twin-lens reflex cameras put on the market in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The concept was not new, there had been models made previously but not in great numbers. At this time hand-held detective cameras were available as were folding bellows cameras, single-lens reflexes were just making an appearance. The Portable Divided appealed to the user who wanted a larger finder that showed exactly what would be in the negative and was quick to use. This was true of the Ross, which was able to be used in the hand; advertisements stressed how, with the neck strap, it could be steadied against the body and used for action shots, the image remaining visible at all times. Advertisements recommended it for yacht photography.
It is fitted with a good lens but has only a small focusing distance and limited movements. The lenses can be racked back past infinity allowing the door to close with the lens and shutter in place. A swing back was available.
These are early models of the Portable Divided with a single door, later an improved folding model with double doors was introduced. The doors of the later model when open became the sides of the camera allowing a more compact design.
The De-luxe model, finished in brown stitched hide and aluminium, dates to c.1897. The improved model, with double doors, was also sold in a de-luxe finish. The extension back with this example is a bellows unit with two side struts. It slots into the normal position for the dark-slide.
References & Notes:
BJA 1892, p. 51.; BJA 1893.; BJA 1897.; BJA 1913, p. 60.; YBP 1893, p. 15A.; BJA 1898, p. 78 (focusing hood).
Illustrations:
Christies Cat. 6/5/05 lot 317. Unusual model with polished mahogany finish.; Christie’s cat. 6/10/83 lot 332. Improved model with pigskin finish, lens no. 59216.
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