Restored Half-Plate

[Rafael Garcia]

The camera is a c.1939 Asanuma Shokai King No. 1, made in Japan. The original format is half-plate, probably built bt Nagaoka and branded "King" as Asanuma's house brand. The half-plate format makes it an ideal 5x7/4x5 camera if you build/adapt backs. The old-style tripod mount is still there, but a modern tripod plate is attached with three knurled knobs (no modifications were made to the original camera parts except that new bellows were folded to replace the old, and a new handle was added because the original leather broke.

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Half plate back and filmholder

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Adapted 4x5 back

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Adapted 5x7 back

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Folded, with modern tripod plate

[Rafael Garcia]

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Nameplate

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With shuttered Metrogon

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121mm Super Angulon

[Rafael Garcia]

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New bellows (by Mark Kapono, in Hawaii - several years ago)

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Compressed

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shot with the 121mm SA

camera bought for approximately $140.00, backs for less than $15.00 (and modified to fit), tripod base with levels probably cost $5.00 total to make... it's a great shooter!

[Drew Bedo]

Is Star Camera still in business? They advertiaes that they would make a PlTE TO FILM HOLDER ADAPTER.

[Rafael Garcia]

Half plate is the size of the media, in this case. It is 4.25 x 5.5 inches. The wooden bookform filmholders that fit the original back for the camera held sheets of film in the half-plate size. That is why it is an ideal dual-format (4x5 and 5x7) camera body. I have used it in both formats very successfully.

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Bookform half-plate filmholder