Ensign Commando 1948 Civilian Edition version 4 (#C7090)

• Ensar Anastigmat 75mm f/3.5 lens

• Epsilon shutter, speeds 1 – 1/300 second plus ‘B’ and 'T'

• Camera is in Lovely Condition

The Ensign Commando is a quite rare British 120 film medium format folding rangefinder camera, producing 6x6cm or 6x4.5cm images.

Developed in London in the late 1940s with military use in mind, it was produced only briefly, making it a scarce and distinctive camera today.

Unusually, it focuses by moving the film plane rather than the lens. The contemporary Mamiya Six was one of the very few other cameras to use this system.

This is a version 4, dating from around 1949, fitted with a 75mm f/3.5 Ensar Anastigmat lens in an Epsilon shutter, offering speeds from 1 to 1/300 second plus ‘B’ and 'T'.

Condition

Excellent cosmetic condition, everything working as it should.

• Lens deploys smoothly on opening; bellows appear light-tight and in good order.

• Lens is clear, with no haze or fungus, just a slight mark on the rear element (see pictures).

• Shutter fires reliably across the full speed range, including the slower settings where problems often occur.

• Film compartment is clean, with the hinged 6x4.5cm masks intact and folding correctly.

• Rangefinder spot is nice and clear. The spot focuses at distances matching the markings on the focusing knob. Opening the back of the camera, the film plane moves smoothly throughout the range of focus.

• Automatic Frame-Stop Film Advance — Unlike many 6x6 folding cameras, which rely solely on the red window to line up the frame numbers, the Commando was also fitted with an automatic frame-stop advance system. When working correctly, this allows the film to wind on and stop at the next frame without needing to use the window. On this camera, the mechanism appears to be intermittent at best, so I would recommend using the red window instead. This is not a major practical loss, as the automatic system gives only 11 exposures rather than the usual 12.

Please study the description above and the photos. These are an honest description of the camera.

Any questions? Please ask…

---

Secure Packaging

Making sure the camera arrives safely is really important to me – I always take time packing very securely.

UK Shipping
For peace of mind, UK sales are sent by Royal Mail Tracked 48.

International Shipping
I ship worldwide via eBay’s Global Shipping Programme. eBay provides reliable, fully tracked delivery and handles all import duties and local charges.

Sometimes eBay’s regional sites don’t show the correct international shipping options and display “Contact Seller” instead. This is a known eBay Global Shipping Programme issue — viewing the listing on eBay.com usually restores the correct details.

---