Clyde Butcher piece on Today Show

[Alex Weiner]

The Today Show did a nice but short piece about Cldye Butcher this morning. Followed him as he walked through the Cypress swamp with a backpack substantially larger than my super trekker and carrying his tri-pod in hand. He was also seen under his dark cloth. They displayed a number of his prints. At the end of the piece, they zoomed in on the nameplate on his 8x10 Deardorff and added "He uses an old box camera." (One alligator did swim past as they were doing the piece.)

[David G. Gagnon]

To the uninformed, just about any camera made out of wood is a "box camera" and any view or field camera has been called "one of those accordion cameras".

I haven't been able to make my 8x10 Dorff play Lady of Spain. Don't want to try, either. :-)

DG

[tim atherton]

In the same way, peole will often still refer to them as "plate cameras"

[Ernest Purdum]

In my youth, "box camera" usually meant "Box Brownie". The term was sometimes used when mentioning that even extremely limited equipment could produce interesting pictures. Other than that, the term was usually used in a somewhat derogatory manner.



In my father's youth, a "box camera" could have been a Newman & Guardia Special B, a camera capable of making fullest use of its Zeiss Protar VIIa convertible lens, and which could be put into use much more rapidly than its folding rivals.



In the youth of the writers of the Today show, apparently any photographic device made of wood was a "box camera".



Times change.

[JohnnyV]

I saw the segment this morning. As mentioned It was very nice but short. Didn't realize the reason Clyde started photographing the swamps was to morn and recover from his teenage son's death. His son was killed by a drunk driver. Very sad.

[Chad Jarvis]

Did you happen to notice that he's using a Soligor Spot Sensor? That must drive the Pentax Digital users nuts.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I was surprised a few months ago when a number of strangers spotting my 5x7 Deardorff while photographing in the Smokey Mountains referred to it as a "Cowboy Camera". Only thing I can figure is that they somehow remembered the opening bed to Bonanza, which featured a watercolor rendering of a 19th century photographer. It certainly is a diverse culture we live in!

[JohnnyV]

>Did you happen to notice that he's using a Soligor Spot Sensor? That must drive the Pentax Digital users nuts.

Ah...that's what it was...Soligor! Now I'm selling my Pentax V and buying a Soligor...look on ebay for my Pentax.

Only joking.

[Wayne Crider]

I wonder if he's ever been mistaken for bigfoot?

[Jay DeFehr]

My nieces have grown up in front of my field cameras and consider 35mm cameras toys. I had to laugh when one of them asked my brother why he didn't get a "real" camera!