Ilford Sporti Vintage Medium Format Film Camera Review by Katya Rowny

Written by Katya Rowny

The Ilford Sporti film camera made its way to me via South Africa, where it lived in a closet until I showed interest in all things film photography. Then, by way of England, it arrived on my doorstep as a Christmas gift.

What first caught my eye was the leather case which said, “Made in West Germany.” Interest fully piqued, I decided to put a test roll or two through the Ilford Sporti and see what the fuss was all about.

Find the Ilford Sporti 35mm film camera on eBay.

History of the Ilford Sporti

The Ilford Sporti is as basic and simple as it gets. I don’t say that disparagingly; it’s a great option for those wanting to get into medium format who are used to point and shoot cameras.

The Sporti, introduced around 1959, is a medium-format camera that captures twelve 6×6 cm images on 120 roll film. Manufactured by Dacora-Kamerawerk in Germany for Ilford, it was also marketed as the Dacora Digna in Germany. The German camera manufacturer was founded in 1946 by Bernhard Dangelmaier in Reutlingen.

In the post-war era, the focus was cost, and by 1960, the company had produced approximately two million affordable cameras. In addition to selling cameras under its own brand, Dacora supplied models to various European retailers, who rebranded them under names such as Porst, Ringfoto, Ferrania, Ilford, and Lumière. The company was acquired in 1972, and camera production ceased shortly afterward.

The Ilford Sporti camera series was introduced as a counterpart to the Sportsman range, though it arrived slightly later; the first Sportsman appeared in 1957. Ilford’s Sportsman cameras were a series of viewfinder and rangefinder models manufactured in Germany by Dacora for Ilford. Introduced in 1957, they provided a more affordable alternative to Kodak’s Retina and Retinette series, catering to the growing popularity of the 35mm format.

These cameras were rebadged versions of existing Dacora models, including the Dacora Dignette, which was first produced in 1955.

Camera Build and Features

Built with a metal frame, the Sporti incorporated some plastic elements, particularly in the lens barrel. Later versions replaced the original metal winding knob with a plastic one. The camera featured a hinged back with a central red window for frame counting.

Nearly identical to the Dacora Digna 1, the Sporti has a fixed shutter speed of roughly 1/50th with flash synchronization and a cable release socket integrated into the shutter button—though this feature was removed in later models.

The shutter release, positioned beside the lens barrel, was pressed inward to take a shot. The camera offered two aperture settings, labeled “‘Sunny’ (f/11)” and “‘Cloudy’ (f/9),” adjustable via a metal tab that pivots on top of the lens barrel.

Loading and Unloading the Ilford Sporti

Loading the Ilford Sporti (find on eBay) involves inserting a 120 roll film, which yields twelve 2¼-inch square exposures. Opening the back of the camera on the left hand side is a metal switch that pushes upwards, the catch is released. Once open, you load the film left to right, pulling the film across and inserting into the take up spool below the winder knob.

Then closing the back and turning the knob, you can see the frame number in the red circle. After capturing an image, it’s essential to wind the film to the next frame to prevent double exposures.

When finished with the roll, a similar process is used to extract the film. Push the metal switch up, open the back. There is a tiny lever that swings the film outward for easier extraction. The winder knob does extend upwards for easier loading and unloading of the film.

As you can see from my scans, I ended up opening the back of the camera after loading the film due to the winding becoming tight and stuck. I bent some of the metal brackets holding the film upwards so the roll of film would sit more squarely allowing more ease of movement when winding.

The images in this article were shot on expired Kodak Portra 160 or 800 and developed and scanned by theFINDlab on the Noritsu Scanner.

Using the Ilford Sporti

The viewfinder on the Ilford Sporti is a small square underneath the flashgun mount. It yields a bright square view for composing the photo.

Due to its simple design, the camera relies on the photographer to judge exposure settings based on lighting conditions and manually focus using the zone system. The Sporti is equipped with a lens that can be focused manually from 5 feet to infinity. The focusing mechanism is marked with three zones: Close-ups (5 to 10 feet), Groups (10 to 25 feet), and Views (25 feet to infinity). The shutter speed is fixed at approximately 1/125th of a second.

Now you might be realizing I never mentioned the lens specifications of the camera. That’s because I’m not sure what the lens is. If this camera is based on the Dacora Digna, then that camera features an f/8 80mm “Achromat” lens. Of course there are a variety of other lens combinations, but, this being the lower end model, it’s probably fairly accurate to assume the lens is not the highest quality.

After shooting two different film speeds, I realized I should have used lower speed films, which is what the camera was designed for. Most of my images are blurry and out of focus, some due to user error but also a sticky shutter. There are a few how-to guides on unsticking the shutter online and they involve unscrewing the lens and putting oil into the mechanisms.

Final Thoughts

So the question remains, is the Ilford Sporti worth buying?

Yes, I think it is. For the price of a medium format camera, it’s a hard bargain to turn down. Overall this camera is easy and fun to use. I think of it as a Holga-esqe companion.

Being able to use a camera that is half a century old with such a rich history is a testament to its build quality and longevity! While I doubt that you will win any awards by using this camera, I can guarantee that most people (such as myself) have never heard of it and will be impressed with your expertise!

Thank you so much, Katya! Katya is a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film, and you can check out her other articles here, such as the Chinon Bellami Point and Shoot Film Camera Review and 5 Inspiring Books for Photographers. 

You can also find more of Katya’s work on her website and Instagram.

Leave your questions about the Ilford Sporti film camera below in the comments, and you can pick one up for yourself on eBay.

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Katya Rowny

Katya Rowny is a travel photographer and a regular contributor for Shoot It With Film. Find her other articles here, such as Olympus XA2 Point & Shoot Film Camera Review and Elektra 100 Film Review.

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